Devastating Fallout from Government Research Cuts
Some scientists left homeless, suicidal due to government job cuts.
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10 Years of the Palmy Bioinfo Meeting
The Palmerston North Bioinformatics Meeting celebrated its 10 anniversary with a pot luck dinner in September. The meeting is not affiliated with any university or public research organisation. It is open to anyone interested in the practice and profession of bioinformatics. Much of the foundational work for what GFANZ has become had its start in…
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News Article: DNA analysis confirms species: Whale found at Te Kaha unusually ‘rare’
“We had a kōrero about the rarity of Wharekura and about how us taking her to be studied benefits not only marine science and everybody in Aotearoa, but us as a people, too, so we can understand more about what’s happening here in our own water. Having a taonga like Wharekura washed up so young…
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Indigenous nonhuman genomic data – Expert voices in the journal Science
Tahu Kukutai and Amanda Black argue that researchers must do much better in honoring the kaitiaki rights of Māori regarding the protection of indigenous nonhuman genomic data. Their work CARE-ing for Indigenous nonhuman genomic data — rethinking our approach was publish in the journal Science recently. This piece is well researched, clearly written, and a…
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News Article: Data Sovereignty: Practical Reality Or Pipe Dream?
When a person has sovereignty over their own data, they have the ability to control the use of that data. This ability (or lack thereof) has a strong connection with privacy. In terms of genetic or genomic data, much more than most would expect can be learned about the individual whose data it is. A…
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Save Science Coalition Panel Discussion Video & Report
GFANZ is a member of the Save Science Coalition. The coalition was formed in response to the current cuts in the public research system and concurrent loss of important research capability. On Monday the 8th of July, an event was held in Wellington featuring a panel discussion. GFANZ was well represented on the panel by…
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News Article: Patently insufficient: a new intellectual property treaty does little to protect Māori traditional knowledge
However, the new agreement is unlikely to lead to major changes to New Zealand law, or improve the rights of Māori to own or control their intellectual property and taonga (treasured possessions). Given the well-documented misappropriation of Māori knowledge and taonga, more substantive protections are still needed. Full Article
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Agreement reached at UN on biopiracy treaty
The treaty text says patent applicants will be required to disclose where the genetic resources used in an invention came from, and the indigenous people who provided the associated traditional knowledge. Read more here: https://phys.org/news/2024-05-agreement-biopiracy-treaty.html
