RNZ: This Way Up

There's a growing interest in breeding and consuming bugs as a more eco-friendly and sustainable protein source than farmed meat. Malcolm Diack is a locust farmer breeding what he calls "sky prawns" in his garden shed in Dunedin.

This week, ground-breaking research into how and why flamingoes can stand on one leg; why we tend to shun people who are sick; and the survival of human sperm in space.

A new private ambulance service has launched in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh... but this one's not for people, it's for cows. Plus, as solar power prices fall to a record low, India is becoming a major market for green energy.

A Dunedin tech company is aiming to put viewers right onboard a racing America's Cup boat with the help of an aerodynamic 360-degree camera.

360 degree sailing at the America's Cup, India's ambulance service for cows, the 248 mile high club and bugs for breakfast?

Not every weevil's evil, but the red palm weevil is threatening global date supplies. This could mean fewer date scones, and more importantly, could contribute to greater political instability in the Middle East.

This week, Google's offerings from its annual I/O developer conference; the latest fallout from the WannaCry ransomware attack; and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) votes 2:1 to overturn some legislation protecting net neutrality.

New Zealand is reputed to have more working dogs per capita than anywhere else in the world. So what's in a day's work? A groundbreaking study is using canine fit bits to find out.

At a recent conference in New York, 250 scientists from 10 countries discussed the ethics of creating genomes. They also pitched ideas, including plants that can sniff out explosives and microbes that could fight obesity.

Synthetic life: can we build it? Tracking farm dogs, net neutrality and the date crisis involving an evil weevil.

There are over 200 million cases of malaria recorded worldwide every year and it kills more than 400,000 people annually, according to the World Health Organisation.. Although it can be treated by taking medicines, in parts of Africa it's estimated that up to half of the anti-malarials on the market are counterfeits with no active ingredients. Ben Wilson of the Intellectual Ventures Laboratory and his team have taken a cheap infrared scanner and connected it to a smartphone app to tell counterfeit from genuine medicines on the spot, without having to send samples to a lab for testing.

Saffron is the most expensive spice on the planet. We find out from a Central Otago saffron farmer how to cook with it, how to store it and how to know it's genuine. 

Virtual reality technology is already touted as a safe, effective way to train pilots, parole officers, surgeons, soldiers and bus drivers. A pilot study at Waitemata DHB is now using VR to train junior doctors in how to respond in emergencies.

A new book claims almost half of us have some kind of behavioural addiction involving screens or the internet, and that has worrying implications for us as social beings.  

Tech addiction: clicking for kicks, training junior doctors using VR, growing saffron the world's most expensive spice, and fake drug detection.