RNZ: This Way Up

Growing human skin in the lab, the hated wasp, and Amazon conquers the world.

Faulty airbags are endangering the lives of New Zealand drivers and their passengers, part of a problem affecting 100 million cars worldwide.  A voluntary recall was announced in 2013 but so far barely one-third of affected cars have had airbags replaced. Last government announced the compulsory recall of 50,000 cars fitted with Takata's most dangerous Alpha-type airbags. This requires suppliers to contact owners and replace all of these airbags by no later than December 2019 or face penalties of up to $600,000. Meanwhile, a ban on the import of all new and used cars fitted with these airbags comes into force next month. In the past week 250,000 people have visited the website set up to help consumers check if their car is one of those affected, and the recall has been widened to include more recent Japanese models. Consumer.org.nz's Head of Testing Paul Smith tells us what you need to know to stay safe.

Peter Griffin and NZ Privacy Commissioner John Edwards review Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's response to probing questions from US lawmakers this week – and the implications. Plus, the local impact of new European privacy laws and concerns the new US CLOUD Act erodes international data privacy.

Could a new version of football – developed in NZ and played in what looks like a circular bouncy castle – conquer the globe?

Hungerball: a new flavour of football, Bits+Bytes: Facebook's privacy revelations and killer airbags: what you need to know.

New European privacy laws that come into force next month will change the internet forever and make privacy and data protection a legal right. Bits+Bytes, with Peter Griffin and Emily Wang, explores what the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR will mean for New Zealand internet users and businesses, as well as for global tech players like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple.

Immunologist Daniel Davis is passionate about the healing potential of the human immune system. He explores its mysteries and gifts in his book The Beautiful Cure.

Lou Clifton has taught hundreds of people in New Zealand to craft their own footwear. We go to her Wellington Shoe School to meet her and some of the people attending her 5-day shoemaking course.

Shoe School, the past and the future of the human immune system and how new EU privacy protections could change the internet.

Would daily reminders of death change the way you live? The app WeCroak sends its users mortality-themed messages “at random times and at any moment, just like death”. Creator Hansa Bergwall tells us how he came up with the idea.

Best-selling author David Adam experimented with 'smart pills', brain zappers and memory-enhancing music for his new book about the cognitive enhancement industry, The Genius Within.

Knowing where and when a landslide will occur is currently more of an art than a science, but a Wellington research team is figuring out how cheap GPS sensors could help predict them.

For the first time ever, a UK design team have grown and harvested a crop without a single human being setting foot in the field.

Farms without farmers? Sensing slips: better landslide detection. Adventures in Intelligence: testing smart pills and brain hacks, and reflecting on mortality with the WeCroak app.

Who are the main players, who protects your security and privacy best, and why does Apple keep sending alerts that your iCloud is full? Peter Griffin looks at the options for safely storing data and photos.