RNZ: This Way Up

Naturally occurring microbes living on plants can be used to boost the yield, nutrition and even taste of corn, soybeans, rice and tomatoes. This Way Up visits a biotech startup manipulating microbes in Missouri.

Can microbes help us grow more food? Cryptojacking, social media damage, ballooning wine glasses and the power of evaporation.

Extended warranties can cost 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price of a product, but in most cases you're paying for rights you already have under the Consumer Guarantees Act. George Block of consumer.org.nz presents our festive shopping guide covering this, how the major retailers are performing in the customer satisfaction stakes, and why it's always worth your while to haggle over price.

How can you turn junk into cash, and encourage manufacturers and consumers to do the right thing when it comes to cutting down and disposing of packaging waste?

The traditional way of diagnosing if someone has cancer involves blood tests, medical imaging and taking tissue samples or biopsies. But a team from The Broad Institute in Massachusetts are using blood tests alone to detect and monitor the disease. 

How far would you go to find a cure if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness? An emerging underground community is taking a DIY approach, looking to hack the drawn-out process of drug development, animal testing and clinical trials by researching, making and then taking their own genetic treatments at home. Kristen V Brown of Gizmodo is working on a book about this biohacker movement.

DIY gene therapies, real time tumour monitoring, turning rubbish into revenue, and retailers' extended warranties.

Science news with Dr Chris Smith, and how some parasites, like intestinal worms, suppress a hosts's immune system to stop them from being attacked. Also cancers carry microbes with them when they spread around the body, suggesting that certain bacteria might promote the process, new research reveals.

Do you fancy living longer, having better sex, increasing your memory, and building muscle tone while burning fat?! With reputed benefits like these it's no wonder that the search is on for a medication that mimics what happens when we exercise. Nicola Twilley has been following its development, and the likelihood that a so-called exercise pill will ever reach the market.

The International Robotics Exhibition is underway in Tokyo this week, with 130,000 visitors expected to attend the world's largest robotics fair. This Way Up technology correspondent Peter Griffin's been roaming the exhibition halls to check out the latest robots, from aged care assistants and exoskeletons to virtual-reality controlled robots and hospital bots. We also discuss Sky TV's controversial decision to sue 4 local internet service providers over their alleged role in promoting the spread of illegally downloaded content.

A network of wildlife sanctuaries has led to the reintroduction of many of New Zealand's native bird species, and now machine learning software could be an important tool in monitoring the survival of these birds once they leave these protected areas. With Heiko Wittmer and Victor Anton of Victoria University Wellington and Tim Rastall from NEC.

Bird protection software, the future of AI and robotics, the 'exercise pill', and bacteria: a companion for cancer?

Currently, Japan imports the bulk of its oil, coal and gas from overseas. Now, in an effort to become more energy self-sufficient, the Japanese government is making big investments in mining undersea methane hydrate reserves.

George Block of consumer.org.nz has been testing some new lawnmowers that have recently arrived on the market. He shares his best buys and advice.

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