What if the Big Bang wasn't the beginning?
Together, they've co-authored
Battle of the Big Bang New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins
, a book that challenges the boundaries of what we think we know about the origins of the Universe.
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RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
What we learnt from the final probe into the Titanic submarine disaster
By Daniel Stublen , AFP OceanGate's Titan submersible launching from a platform. Photo: AFP / OceanGate Expeditions Multiple failures to follow standard safety protocol led to the deadly implosion of a private submersible visiting the Titanic wreckage in 2023, according to a final report published overnight. The US Coast Guard investigation outlined a litany of issues with operator OceanGate's conduct, as well as design flaws in its Titan submersible, that contributed to a "preventable tragedy" in which all five passengers were killed. The 335-page report said "OceanGate's failure to follow established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance of their submersible, was the primary causal factor" for the implosion. It also accused the company of "intimidation tactics ... to evade regulatory scrutiny". OceanGate had a "toxic workplace environment which used firings of senior staff members and the looming threat of being fired to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns," the report said. OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush was joined on the doomed expedition by British explorer Hamish Harding, French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman . Seats on the submersible cost $250,000 per person. Communications were lost with the SUV-sized submersible about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive on 18 June, 2023, kicking off a dramatic search that briefly captivated the world. The Titan submersible passengers (L-R, top to bottom) Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Suleman Dawood and his father Shahzada Dawood. Photo: Handout, Joël SAGET / AFP / Dirty Dozen Productions / OceanGate Expeditions / DAWOOD HERCULES CORPORATION Over two miles (about 3.2 kilometres) underwater when the hull collapsed, all occupants "were exposed to approximately 4930 pounds per square inch of water pressure", resulting in "instantaneous death", the report said. Two seconds later, the monitoring team on the support ship "heard a 'bang' emanating from the ocean's surface, which the investigation later correlated to the Titan's implosion". Debris was found a few days later on the ocean floor, about 1600 feet (500 metres) from the bow of the Titanic, and human remains were recovered when the sub was brought to the surface. In its report, the Coast Guard said that OceanGate had continued to use Titan despite "a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components of the submersible without properly assessing or inspecting the hull". It also identified design flaws with the unique carbon fibre hull "that weakened the overall structural integrity". The US Coast Guard said that the vessel was not "registered, certified, inspected, or classed" by any international flag administration or recognised organisation. Last year, the family of Nargeolet sued OceanGate for $50 million (NZ$85m), accusing the US-based company of gross negligence. Known as "Mr Titanic", he had visited the wreckage 37 previous times. Shortly after the tragedy, OceanGate halted all operations. The wreckage of the Titanic sits 400 miles (644km) off the coast of Newfoundland and has become a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists since its discovery in 1985. The ship hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York, with 2224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1500 people died. - AFP
RNZ News
02-08-2025
- RNZ News
Annoying people might be ageing you
Many of us have people in our social group who bring us down. Some of us feel hassled by people we know and love. A recent study from New York University has shown that negative social ties could potentially add as much as 2.5 months to your biological age. Science writer David Robson joins Jim to talk about the research. Photo: 123RF
RNZ News
02-08-2025
- RNZ News
Cyclones linked to surge in cardiovascular disease, study finds
Photo: 123rf Researchers have found that cardiovascular hospitalisations rise after tropical cyclones. Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne and Otago University assessed hospital data from Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam from 2000-19, as well as recorded data from 124 cyclones. They found hospitalisations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) tend to rise, with this rate peaking at 2 months after the event, and the increase lingered up to 6 months after a tropical cyclone. The team also looked at variables, including sex, age, socioeconomic status and geographic location. Results showed a statistically significant and prolonged association between cyclones and CVD hospitalisation for people of all sexes aged 20-59. The team also evaluated six different types of CVD based on hospital diagnostic codes - heart failure, ischemic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, heart rhythm disturbances, peripheral vascular diseases and stroke. Ischemic heart diseases and stroke were the two most common subsets of cyclone-associated CVD, and the latter was especially common in males of all ages. Areas with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation had higher rates of cyclone-associated CVD hospitalisations, but the opposite was the case in areas with stronger socioeconomic advantages. "The study demonstrates that, as well as directly causing immediate deaths and injuries, extreme climate events can have important indirect health impacts over following months," said Professor Simon Hales, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago and one of the study's authors. "These delayed, indirect health impacts are due to infrastructure damage and disruption to livelihoods in the aftermath of major storms. "It is important to understand these health effects and mechanisms in more detail in order to design adaptive responses, as well as to motivate climate mitigation measures. "Cyclones, storms and heavy rainfall events are projected to become more frequent, unless stronger efforts are made to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases," he said. Associate Professor George Laking - executive board member of OraTaiao, the New Zealand Climate and Health Council - said similar work was done after Cyclone Gabrielle for populations in Tai Rāwhiti and Hawke's Bay. "We weren't able to detect that signal in our own project. I think that is explained by the smaller populations we studied. "In this report, there is a higher level of uncertainty in the New Zealand country-specific data. I think this represents our overall smaller population. "Interestingly, the strongest signal in New Zealand was for the north of the South Island, not so strong for the East Coast North Island regions we studied." Laking said he had waited for this study, showing the adverse interaction of cyclones and cardiovascular health. "Under climate change, we have to expect an increased incidence and severity of adverse weather events. That is a consequence of the greater amount of energy and water in the atmosphere. "These incredibly destructive events are adverse for human health in all sorts of ways." Laking said climate change had been identified as the No.1 risk to human health this century. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
