Our Changing World for Thursday 22 November 2007

On this Programme:

Science

Recent advances in DNA analysis are putting genetic testing into the hands of ordinary consumers. Commercial DNA tests are increasingly affordable and they're being marketed as a source of information about ethnic origins and family heritage. Dacia Herbulock talks to anthropologist Deborah Bolnick, Jason Eschlemann of Trace Genetics and her own father, Joe, about what genetic ancestry testing can and can't tell you, where the industry is headed - and what it's like to go through the process yourself.

Autonomous robots have been shown to influence and control group behaviour in cockroaches… even more surprisingly, the insects have the same persuasive power over the robots! The BBC's Sue Broom talks to José Halloy about how cockroaches - together with miniature robots - can make collective decisions about where to seek shelter. And we find out what this means for the future of studies in animal behaviour.

(Audio from this segment not available due to copyright restrictions)

Environment

Forest & Bird's third Best Fish Guide is just out. Amelia And Dacia went along to the launch at Martin Bosley's in Wellington to find out what the criteria are and which fish you can feel the least guilty about eating.

Chef Martin Bosley Fish!

Health

Lifting and moving objects accounts for 1 in 3 injuries in the workplace. One of the occupations which features prominently in manual handing injury statistics is nursing. Dealing with those who are unconscious, or physically impaired after surgery can be heavy and dangerous work. However new methods of moving patients are reducing industrial accidents for hospital staff, as Louise Wallace discovered when she met with Kate Browne, a manual handling skills trainer.

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