Update

Update

Ageing of NZ Population

Figures issued by Statistics NZ (National Population Estimates: Dec Quarter) reveal more evidence of the ageing of NZ's population:

  • over the past decade, the number of people aged 90 plus grew by two-thirds;
  • the 80-89 and 65-79 age groups grew by a 33 percent and 11 percent, respectively;
  • in contrast, over the same period the number of NZers in the 15-64 age group rose by 13 percent;
  • the under-15 group rose by less than five percent; and
  • between December 1994 and December 2004, the median age for women rose by 3.1 years while that for men rose by 2.8 years.

The figures also show a small drop in population growth over 2003, which Statistics NZ says is due to a reduction in permanent and long-term migration.

Foreign Investment in Agriculture Falls

Foreign investment in NZ forestry, agriculture and the wine industry has declined in the past year. That is according to the latest figures from the Overseas Investment Commission, which vets sales of NZ businesses and land to off-shore interests. The Commission says the number of consents it granted for sales of free-hold land to foreigners fell from 186 to 121 last year.

The amount of land approved for sale to overseas owners dropped by more than 33,000 hectares. That is mainly due to the Kiwi Forests Consortium's purchase of land from Fletcher Forests, which brought almost 30,000 hectares back into NZ ownership. But 2,500 hectares of farmland was approved for overseas sale. Most sales were in Gisborne-Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty-Coromandel and Nelson-Marlborough.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Bay of Plenty Flood Assistance Extended

Cabinet has extended assistance to farmers hit by floods in the Bay of Plenty in July last year. The Bay of Plenty had further flooding in December, and the government has agreed to enable farms affected by both July and December floods to claim assistance under the Agricultural Recovery Package for the extra damage caused in the December floods as well. This means the deadlines for submissions is extended to 1 August this year.

Farmers can receive a grant of 75 percent to restore uninsurable damaged property above a threshold of $5,000 or 10 percent of restoration costs (whichever is greater). The extension also means that Enhanced Taskforce Green assistance will be available until the end of March, extended from the end of December last year.

Insurance Payouts Highest in Two Decades

NZ insurers paid out the highest amount of compensation to their customers in two decades last year. Insurers paid $1.6 billion to claimants. A spokesperson from the Insurance Council said the high pay out was largely due to floods and drought, and that the industry is preparing itself for another year of high payouts this year.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

National Climate Summary - February 2005

February 2005 was one of the warmest on record. The first 10 days of February were very hot, with maximum temperatures of 30°C or more in many locations throughout NZ, and temperatures of 35°C or more in sheltered inland areas of the South Island. For the month, the national average temperature of 18.6°C was 1.3°C above normal, and 8th highest since reliable measurements dating back to the mid 1860s.

Rainfall was less than 25 percent of normal in parts of Hawke's Bay, and less than 50 percent of normal in inland and eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Manawatu, and Wairarapa. It was also drier than average in western Bay of Plenty, Ruapehu, Wanganui, Horowhenua, Kapiti, Wellington, south Westland, Marlborough, and north Canterbury. Above average rainfall occurred in parts of Northland, King Country, Eastland, north Westland, Banks Peninsula, south Canterbury, Otago, and Southland.

Sunshine hours were above average in north Westland, Manawatu, Kapiti, Wellington, and Wairarapa. However, they were below average in south Taranaki, and inland south Canterbury. Of the four main centres, Wellington was the sunniest and Christchurch the driest. Rainfall was above average in Dunedin, and below average in the other main centres. Temperatures were above average in all four centres, especially Wellington and Christchurch. Sunshine hours were above average in Wellington, and below average in Dunedin.

Thanks to NIWA

Cigarettes Available for Consumption: Year Ended December 2004

During the December 2004 year, the number of cigarettes available for consumption was 2,320 million, down 2 percent from the previous year. The number of cigarettes available for consumption peaked at 6,346 million in 1977, and levels were generally above 6,000 million until 1984. Since then, cigarette consumption has generally been decreasing, and for the past four years the number of cigarettes available for consumption has remained below 3,000 million.

Tobacco available for consumption rose to 841 tonnes in the 2004 year, up 5.8 percent from 2003. Loose tobacco for pipe or cigarette smoking made up around 27 percent of the cigarette and tobacco products available for consumption.

Thanks to Stats NZ

National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme?

Health officials have begun work on what could become the next national cancer screening programme. They are looking at whether to screen the general population for bowel cancer, or colorectal cancer, as it's officially known. The national unit which runs breast and cervical cancer screening is advertising for researchers to look into whether the public will participate in a programme which screens for bowel cancer. It kills about 1000 people a year in NZ and is the second most common cancer. Britain and Australia have recently introduced screening programmes.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Sickness Beneficiaries Assessment Procedures Changed

People are eligible for sickness or invalids benefit if they are too sick to work or have a disability that prevents them from working. WINZ case managers are reliant on GPs to diagnose and certify that clients are eligible for the sickness benefit. People applying for invalids benefit are assessed by doctors designated by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) while people applying for sickness benefits are generally seen by their own doctors.

Some doctors would like greater support in their decision making on medical eligibility. A new system is being developed which will mean that GPs can seek a second opinion in situations where they have some doubt about a client's eligibility for the sickness benefit. The new second opinion process will initially operate in Wellington before being refined and rolled out around the rest of the country.

Australia, NZ Joint Therapeutic Products Agency

The new Trans Tasman Therapeutic Products Agency is to start its operations no later than 1 July next year, though it could start earlier. The joint regulatory agency will replace Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the NZ Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe).

The new agency's role will be to safeguard public health through regulation of the quality, safety and performance of therapeutic products in both Australia and NZ. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, complementary medicines, medical devices and blood.

2003 Drinking Water Survey

While most NZers continue to have safe drinking water, some smaller communities have either water that still needs improvement or better monitoring to prove its safe, a Ministry of Health survey of drinking water quality has revealed. In the "Annual Review of the Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Drinking Water 2003" - released by the Ministry of Health - microbiological health risk was assessed using two criteria: E. coli bacteria and the water-born protozoa cryptosporidium.

During 2003, water supplies to 71 percent of NZers complied with E. coli standards, a two percent improvement since 2002. There was a 73 percent compliance with the treatment plant protozoan requirements. The report notes the protozoan compliance figure dropped from about 81 percent in 2002, but that was almost entirely due to problems at a Waitakere plant. Those problems have subsequently been resolved.

About 1.1 million NZers were supplied with drinking water during 2003 that failed to comply with the current DWS2000 standards. Many of the causes for this non-compliance centred on levels of E. coli or a failure by suppliers to take proper action, including monitoring, after it was found. Some didn't use accredited labs, or supplied water from an unregistered source.

A Ministry spokesperson was at pains to point out this latest survey does not necessarily mean that 1.1 million people peopled received unsafe drinking water during 2003. It simply means water suppliers did not demonstrate the water was safe. "Most of the supplies that didn't comply were from private domestic supplies or small rural supplies that were either not monitored or were monitored inadequately," he says. "In general, large metropolitan areas and provincial cities are served by supplies that comply with microbiological standards."

The review reveals some school drinking supplies have significant room for improvement. During 2003, only 55 percent of schools with their own water supplies conducted some form of bacteriological monitoring, two percent fewer than the previous year, and of those, only 14 percent complied with bacteriological criteria within the standards, a three percent reduction since 2002.

Copies of review are available on the Ministry of Health website at www.moh.govt.nz/water

Rainwater Tanks Often Host to Harmful Bugs

About 380,000 people used roof rainwater. That number seems likely to increase as more people bought lifestyle blocks in rural areas not served by municipal town supplies. But, according to a "NZ Herald" article, rainwater collected from roofs, far from being pure, mostly fails to meet drinking standards.

Apparently E. coli and faecal coliforms were present in more than half of the rainwater storage tanks monitored. Cases of campylobacter and salmonella resulting from contaminated rainwater supply had been recorded, a university lecturer said, and there was potential for contamination with more harmful pathogens, such as giardia and cryptosporidium.

The reason for these problems is that people settling in the country often neglected basic matters, such as monitoring the water quality and cleaning tanks, gutters and roofs - mostly through ignorance.

Alternative to Pseudoephedrine Approved for Sale

The Medicines Classification Committee has recommended that tablet forms of the decongestant phenylephrine should be available for sale over-the-counter. Phenylephrine has similar decongestant properties to pseudoephedrine, but it cannot be converted into methamphetamine or "P".

More information is available from the Medsafe website at www.medsafe.govt.nz

Sites Announced Expansion of Family Start

Family Start provides assistance to families with children aged up to five years whose family and social circumstances place their health, education and well-being at risk. The service helps families set goals for the future, assists them in developing a plan to meet those goals, and then provides parenting education and in-home assistance to get them on the right track.

Family Start will be expanded to 11 new sites over the next two years on the basis of its success to date. The programme is currently operating in 16 sites around the country. The first four new sites for Family Start - Auckland, Manukau, Opotiki and Lower Hutt - will be up and running by the end of June this year. The additional seven new sites will be in Kaikohe, Papakura, Ruapehu District, Waikato District, South Waikato District, Taupo District and Napier City.

The current 16 Family Start services are managed by different government agencies. The Ministry of Health and Child, Youth and Family each manage five of the sites with the Ministry of Education managing the other six sites. From 1 July this year, management of Child, Youth and Family's sites will transfer to the Ministry of Social Development's new Family and Community Services agency. All of the 11 new sites will be managed by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Nominations Open for COGS Distribution Committees

Nominations are open for the Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) Local Distribution Committee election. All new members will be elected onto the 37 local distribution committees (LDCs) throughout NZ in the first ever nationally co-ordinated COGS LDC election.

More than $12 million is distributed to voluntary and community organisations every year through COGS local distribution committees. The committees, made up of volunteers, consider and make decisions on grant applications from groups within their local communities. The scheme is administered by the Local Government and Community Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Key dates for the LDC election 2005 are:

  • 4 March: Nominations for positions on the LDC open.
  • 1 April: Nominations close at 12 noon.
  • 8 April: Postal ballot forms are sent to all registered community groups (NB: Only registered community groups can vote in the election).
  • 18-29 April: Public meetings held in each LDC region.
  • 6 May: Voting closes 12 noon.

A candidates' guide, nomination and registration to vote forms are available on the Department of Internal Affairs website at www.dia.govt.nz

Student Loan Interest Rate

The student loan interest rate will stay at 7 percent for the year beginning 1 April 2005. The 7 percent rate consists of two parts: the base interest rate, which drops from 5.5 percent to 4.2 percent for the coming year, and the interest adjustment rate, which rises from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent.

Large Numbers Sign Up for RMA Training

Extra workshops are being put on to cope with strong demand for a new training programme to improve RMA decision-making. A total of 570 people have registered to attend the 21 workshops in February and March. The programme is designed to help councillors, commissioners and community board members make better resource management decisions. The programme is being funded by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), and run by the Auckland University Centre for Continuing Education.

For more information: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/resource/action/training.html

More Shellfish Catch Size Limits

More shellfish species have been added into the fisheries quota management system which limits catch sizes. Varieties of cockle, pipi, tuatua, scallop and dredge oysters, not already in the quota management system, have been now been added. Industry groups are to be consulted about the catch limits that should apply to these shellfish stocks.

The Minister of Fisheries has deferred making a decision on whether to include seaweed into the quota system, and he has also decided against adding catch restrictions for skipjack and albacore tuna.

Police Ethnic Peoples' Strategy

The NZ Police are the first government agency to develop and launch a formal strategy for improving the way it works with NZ's ethnic communities, in particular, tackling the under-reporting of crime and victimisation within these communities. The strategy, developed after consultation with ethnic groups, identifies a host of priorities for action including the development of resources and operational toolkits for frontline officers dealing with ethnic communities, improved research on the best ways of policing in ethnic communities, and better information sharing between Police and ethnic community leaders. Also, a major part of the strategy involves boosting the ethnic diversity of the police force to ensure it mirrors the population.

Building Levy Goes Up

From 1 April 2005, the new building levy will be set at $1.97 per $1,000 of building work, for which there is a building consent, but it will only be collected on building works valued at $20,000 or more. The current levy is set at 65 cents per $1,000 of building work for which there is a building consent and is only collected on building works valued at $20,000 or more. The Building Levy was last changed in 1995.

Some of the specific services to be funded by the levy include:

  • greater monitoring, examination of and warning about new building methods and products;
  • an accreditation and registration regime to ensure people inspecting buildings and issuing consents know what they are doing;
  • a registration regime to ensure people constructing buildings know what they are doing; and
  • greater capacity to crack down on people operating in the building sector who are breaking the rules.

To illustrate how the new building levy will affect the cost of building work here's some examples:

  • Building costs of $250,000: under the old levy: amount payable around $163. New levy: amount payable about $493.
  • Building costs of $1,000,000: under the old levy amount payable about $650. New levy: amount payable about $1,970.

More Houses Have Solar Water Heating

In 2004 about 2300 new solar water heating systems were installed in NZ homes - an increase of 40 percent on 2003. If the present annual rate of growth of around 40 percent is sustained, the industry target of 10,000 units sold per year would be reached in about four and a half years. This means about one third of NZ homes would have solar water heating units in about 15 years.

The government believes that solar energy has a huge future in NZ, as a reliable, economical form of water heating. A family might, on average, expect to save between $350 and $400 per year after installing a solar water heater. Water heating accounts for about 30 to 40 percent of a household's power bill, and a solar water heater can save up to 75 percent of that.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) launched the revised incentive scheme in November last year, to increase the uptake of solar water heating units. Under the scheme, an ongoing government initiative, money can be borrowed on an interest free basis to pay for the purchase and installation of a system. More than 24,800 homes in NZ currently have solar water heating.

Warm Homes Project Update

Have you been asked lately about your home heating habits? If so, you are one of about 4000 people being surveyed as part of the Warm Homes Project - a joint project between the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). The nationwide survey will provide information on home heating, including what sort of heating people use now, why they use it and what it costs them. This will help the organisations work out how they can encourage a move to more efficient heating that's better for the environment. Project updates, including the survey results, will be posted on the Ministry's website at www.mfe.govt.nz.

Grants to Help Clean Up Contaminated Sites

A total of $303,937 has been allocated from the MfE's Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund in the first of two funding rounds for the 2004/2005 financial year. The successful applicants are:

  • $135,590 to West Coast Regional Council, towards the final stage of the clean-up of the former Westport gasworks site, in partnership with Buller District Council;
  • $62,885 to Otago Regional Council towards planning the clean-up of the Tapanui Timber Treatment Site;
  • $69,912 to Greater Wellington Regional Council, to help plan the clean-up of Waiwhetu Stream, in liaison with Hutt City Council;
  • $24,000 to Greater Wellington Regional Council, towards assessing the Bentley St gasworks site in Masterton; and
  • $11,550 to Environment Bay of Plenty, to help plan the clean up of a former sheep dip site in Ngongotaha Valley near Rotorua.

The fund has $1 million available each year to which regional councils can apply for assistance with cleaning up contaminated sites. The sites must pose a known or potential risk to human health and the environment to qualify. Applications for the second funding round for this financial year will be called shortly and announced around May.

New Environmentally Sustainable Tourism Project

A $1.2 million project to help NZ tourism operators be rewarded for smart environmental business practice was announced recently. Six regions will take part in the three-year Environmentally Sustainable Tourism project. It is funded by the NZ Tourism Strategy Fund and will be managed by MfE.

The project involves each region developing a sustainable tourism charter, with interested local businesses committing to the charter's principles. A sustainability expert will work with the businesses to turn the charter into action, focusing on making improvements over time. Energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling, and water quality and conservation are examples of areas that might be improved.

All 28 regional tourism organisations have been invited to apply to the MfE if they want to take part in the project. Northland has already been confirmed as a participant. An announcement on other participating regions is expected this month.

Kakapo Breeding for First Time in Three Years

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has established that four female kakapo on Whenua Hou island in Southland have recently laid eggs. Birds named Flossey and Margaret-Marie are each sitting on a nest of three eggs. Another bird, Sue, has laid two eggs, and a fourth bird laid three eggs but these appear to be infertile. The last time kakapo bred was in 2002. There are just 83 kakapo left in the world. There are 18 adult males and 21 adult females on Whenua Hou, of which three males (Sass, Basil and Nog) have mated with seven females (Flossie, Lisa, Sue, Margaret-Marie, Fuchsia, Bella, Cindy). Kakapo also bred in 1991, 1997, 1998, and 1999. Between 1980 and 1991, when birds were breeding in the wild on Stewart Island, only three chicks were produced.

SCC Restructure

The State Services Commission is undergoing a major restructuring, including the creation of four new Deputy Commissioner positions. From 1 July, the Commission will consist of six branches and the Commissioner's Office - Development; Governance; Information and Communication Technologies; People Capability; Corporate Services; and Performance.

Within each branch (excluding Corporate Services) will be small number of senior advisors who will work with the Deputy Commissioner in relationship management and performance management with a portfolio of chief executives of core Public Service agencies. The restructuring follows the passing of amendments to the State Sector Act, which became law on 25 January and which expands the SSC's role in the public sector.

Fonterra Lifts Forecast Payout

Fonterra has announced a 20 cent increase in forecast payout for 2004/05 to $4.50 per kg of milksolids. The latest figure is an average payout of $20,000 extra for each of Fonterra's 12,000 farmers. The higher advance rate takes effect this month.

Global Tourism Rebounds

After three years of stagnant growth, international tourism rebounded in 2004. According to WTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals reached an all-time record of 760 million - an increase of 10 percent over 2003. Growth was common to all regions, but was predominantly strong in Asia and the Pacific (+29 percent) and in the Middle East (+21 percent). Double-digit growth was also registered in the Americas (+10 percent), while Africa (+7 percent) and Europe (+4 percent) performed below the world average, but still substantially improved their results of previous years. 2004 was marked by the strong rebound of Asia and the Pacific after the setbacks suffered in 2003 under the blow of SARS, by the return of the Americas to positive results and by the redistribution of overall tourism flows in Europe and in the Americas under the effects of the USD/Euro exchange rate.

International Arrivals and Departures Exceed 8.3 Million

According to recent Statistics NZ figures, annual total passenger arrivals and departures (consisting of overseas visitors, NZ residents and migrants) reached 8.33 million in the year ending December 2004. There were 4.17 million arrivals and 4.16 million departures, up 16 and 18 percent, respectively, compared with the December 2003 year.

Overseas visitor arrivals totalled 2.35 million in 2004, up 241,000 (11 percent) from 2003. The top 10 countries contributed 1.88 million or four-fifths of all visitor arrivals in 2004. Australia (855,900 visitors) accounted for 37 percent of all visitors, followed by the UK (283,700), the US (218,300), Japan (165,000), Korea (113,900), China (84,400) and Germany (55,700).

More than half of all short-term visitors to NZ in 2004 came for a holiday (1,190,400). A further 660,000 visited friends and relatives, 248,800 came on business, 53,700 attended a conference and 49,200 came for education or medical reasons.

Overseas visitors intended spending an average of 20 days in NZ in 2004, compared with 22 days in 2003. On a monthly basis, the average length of stay in 2004 varied by eight days, with visitors arriving in January staying for the longest time (24 days), and those arriving in August staying the shortest time (16 days).

Short-term departures by NZ residents exceeded 1.73 million in 2004, an increase of 26 percent, compared with 2003. Australia remained the most popular main destination country, accounting for 880,300 (51 percent) of all departures. Fiji (98,800) was next, followed by the US (80,400) and the UK (78,100).

Two-fifths (756,200) of NZ residents departing for a short trip in 2004 went on holiday. A further 509,700 left to visit friends and relatives, 252,400 were on business, 57,200 attended a conference, and 25,600 left for education or medical reasons.

On average, NZ residents leaving the country for a short trip in 2004 were away for 20 days, one day less than in 2003. In 2004, 52 percent stayed away for 10 days or less, with half of this group being away for less than one week.

In 2004, there was a net inflow of 15,100 permanent and long-term migrants, compared with a net inflow of 34,900 in 2003. 2004 saw a net outflow of 18,100 NZ citizens, but a net gain of 33,200 non-NZ citizens.

In 2004, there was a net inflow of 4,000 migrants who stated an occupation, compared with 10,000 in 2003. Professionals recorded the largest net inflow, 1,800 in 2004, compared with 2,400 in 2003. There were also net inflows of clerks (400), trades workers (400), managers (300) and technicians (100). The remaining major occupational groups experienced net losses, including service and sales workers (300), plant and machinery operators (300), elementary occupations (200) and agriculture workers (100).

Working Holiday Scheme with Germany Expanded

NZ is expanding the number of young Germans who can take working holidays here. Currently the number of young Germans able to come here for a working holiday is limited to 2000 per year. Reciprocating the current German arrangement, where there is no limit on the number of young NZers who can have a working holiday in Germany, the limit on the number of young Germans on working holidays here has been removed. It also brings us into line with Australia, which places no limits on its holidaymaker schemes. Under the working holiday scheme, Germans aged between 18 and 30 can stay in NZ for up to one year and may work for their entire stay as long as they do not work for the same employer for longer than three months.

Television Advertising Revenue

Television advertising revenue totalled $644.0 million ($591.7 million in 2003) for the 12 months to 31 December 2004. This is up by $52.3 million or 8.8 percent over the same period in 2003. It is the fourth annual increase since 2001 and is the highest total ever recorded for television advertising in NZ. Revenue for the quarter ending 31 December 2004 was $184.3 million compared with $176.0 million in the same quarter in 2003, an increase of $8.3 million or 4.7 percent. The revenue figures are for free to air and pay television.

Telecom Convicted for Failing to Disclose Costs

Failing to disclose a 12 cents per minute charge for calls made to an 08322 information line has cost Telecom NZ more than $5,500 and a conviction under the Fair Trading Act. The Commerce Commission took the action against Telecom following a complaint from a member of the public concerned that he had been charged unknowingly for a number of calls made to the Environment Canterbury (ECan) River and Flood information number in late 2001.

The Commission's investigation revealed that the standard Telecom message advising of charges for calling an information line had been missing from the line for the period in which the complainant had made his calls, and was not reinstated until January 2002 when ECan advised Telecom of the problem. Telecom was unable to establish how long the message had been missing from the information line, which had been operating since 1986.

The Court judgment found that Telecom had engaged in misleading conduct by failing to advise the public, in either the phone directory or at the start of the call itself that calls to the Ecan Infoline attracted a charge. In fact, the only way that consumers could have discovered that these calls were chargeable was to call Telecom's 123 customer service numbers.

China Emerges as Global Consumer

China is now the world's largest consumer of grain, meat, coal and steel, said the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute. But China's insatiable demands are putting ever more pressure on the country's natural resources. Air and water pollution are already serious problems, and there is talk of a looming ecological crisis. China is well ahead of the US in the consumption of goods such as television sets, refrigerators and mobile phones. However, per capita consumption in China remains far below that of the US.

According to the report:

  • 64 million tons of meat were consumed in China in 2004 compared with 38 million tons in the US;
  • 258 million tons of steel were used in China in 2003 compared with 104 million in the US;
  • China's factories and homes burned 40 percent more coal than in the US; and
  • the number of PCs in China is doubling every 28 months.

The latest official figures for the Chinese economy, the sixth-largest in the world, show it is growing at an even faster rate than expected. It expanded by 9.5 percent in 2004, its highest rate for eight years.

Australian Farm Incomes Forecast to Drop

Australian livestock farmers have been told to expect a drop in income this year. Australia's main commodities forecaster, the Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (ABARE), is predicting the value of farm production will fall by 12 percent in 2005/06, because of lower prices for livestock and animal products.

It says the effects of those lower prices on farm earnings will be only partly offset by a higher output of beef, sheep meat, wool and dairy products. ABARE is expecting a $700 million drop in farm incomes to a total of $8.8 billion. But it is predicting a 2 percent rise in the value of Australian crop production, reflecting higher grain prices and increased production. And that will contribute to a $200 million lift in agricultural export earnings.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

"Barcoding" Life

According to a BBC article, scientists are to establish a giant catalogue of life - to, in effect, "barcode" every species on Earth, from plankton to the blue whale. Initial projects will focus on birds and fish, recording details in their genetic make-up that can be used to tell one life form from another.

The reason for this is that scientists have discovered that it is quite possible to have a short DNA sequence that can characterise just about every form of life on the planet. At a cost of about £1 per genetic test, many specimens for each species will now be analysed to obtain their barcode information. This data will then be put into a giant database which the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) hopes can be used to link off to all the knowledge acquired by science on particular organisms.

195,000-Year-Old Human Fossils

The re-analysis of bones found 40 years ago in Ethiopia has pushed the fossil record of modern humans back further than previously thought. Researchers of Stony Brook University in New York estimate the specimen's age dates back 195,000 years, give or take 5,000 years. The previously oldest-known fossils of Homo sapiens were found in Ethiopia, dating back 160,000 years. The study's author says the new discovery brings the fossil record more in line with genetic estimates of Homo sapiens arising about 200,000 years ago.

The researchers made the discovery after revisiting the locations of the skull shards and skeletal bones near the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia. They analysed the geology of the site and tested rock samples with more modern dating techniques, and found that both specimens are 195,000-years-old rather than 130,000 as previously thought when found in 1967. The study is published in the journal "Nature".

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

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