Enzyme repurposing of a hydrolase as an emergent peroxidase upon metal binding

As an alternative to Darwinian evolution relying on catalytic promiscuity, a protein may acquire auxiliary function upon metal binding, thus providing it with a novel catalytic machinery. Here we show that addition of cupric ions to a 6-phosphogluconolactonase 6-PGLac bearing a putative metal binding site leads to the emergence of peroxidase activity (kcat7.8 × 10−2 s−1, KM 1.1 × 10−5 M). Both X-ray crystallographic and EPR data of the copper-loaded enzyme Cu·6-PGLacreveal a bis-histidine coordination site, located within a shallow binding pocket capable of accommodating the o-dianisidine substrate

Public broadcasting and the intelligent butterfly

In reality the public broadcster has much in common with the butterfly motif used for the title of this article, by settling on the map of community happenings to interview and broadcast what "appears" to be news. But freedom from economic and political pressures and freedm to select what news will be the events of the day are prime elements.&nbsp

The weather is never neutral: Then and now

Reporting on the weather may seem at first glance to be a very light story, but it can actually be a serious reflection of how we see ourselves and our changing perception of the world. In 1996, the author embarked on a light-hearted survey of 23 daily papers to find what New Zealand newspapers’ weather reports said about their attitudes to the world. In the middle of the 2020 COVID lockdown he re-ran the survey to see what had changed.   &nbsp

Outwitting repression of the media in PNG

'Papua New Guinea could possbily teach the rest of the world a thing or two about preserving press freedom. What has worked in the media's favour in PNG is the country's vibrant—you could say rampant— democracy.

FORUM: Without fear or favour: An open letter to my colleagues in journalism education:

"Polytechnics have tightend up their own regimes, making their own demands of journalism teachers in terms of internal reporting procedures, restrcturings, etc. Universities have now entered the fray bigtime, i.e. the Wellington Polytechnic takeover, Auckland Institute of Technology's redesignation as Auckland University of Technology. The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has sent a nasty shock through everyone's lives, lacing greater emphasis on increasing reasearch outputs. Rather than lessening with the years, the persssure on journalism educators has, if anything, become greater. I sometimes wonder why we do it...

Six Oceania microstates: The genesis of media accountability

Media accountability systems (M*A*S) have been slow to take root in Oceania. Apart from Papua New Guinea, Fiji is the trend-setter in the region. Following the establishment of the Fiji Media Council in the mid-1990s, several other South Pacific island countries were keen to the follow the lead. Tonga now has a similar body with a code of ethics and which includes public members empowered to receive and adjudicate on complaints against the media. In Samoa, a study has been carried out in order to establish a media council-type body. The Solomons Islands Media Council (SIMC) is an industry organisation that does not yet have a complaints procedure. It is considering including this mechanism in line with the Papua New Guinea Media Council with which it shares a website and has a cooperative agreement. This article examines the debate in six South Pacific island countries that have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, self-regulatory M*A*S mechanisms following government pressure. They are the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The article also argues that there are other M*A*S that regional media can adopt besides media councils and this action would make it harder for governments to intervene and introduce regulation

Privacy and the global media in the information age

The protection of privacy is being increasingly recognised worldwide by the courts, and media regulators, as a result of what is seen as a more powerful and intrusive media, and the effect of the internet. A right to privacy may even apply in a public place. This article examines the impact this has on the media in the information age? New Zealand now has a tort of interference with privacy. The criminal courts are also considering privacy values in issues ranging from suppression orders to release of court information to the public. The Broadcasting Standards Authority has revised its privacy principles. Codes of conduct with regard to the print media also acknowledge privacy. But the protection of privacy has its genesis in the 1890s and not in the digital age. A seminal article by Warren and Brandeis, ‘The Right to Privacy’ (1890), was a reaction to what was at that time seen as an over-powerful media. United States jurisprudence evolved to the Prosser and Keeton formulation in the 1960s. New Zealand jurisprudence has relied on this formulation to advance privacy rights. The English courts have taken a similar approach in the much publicised Douglas v Hello! and Naomi Campbell cases. The European courts, as a reaction to an overactive paparazzi, have pushed the bounds of privacy in the Peck and Princess Caroline cases. The High Court of Australia considered privacy in Lenah Game Meats Pty Ltd.  Finally, the International Covenants and protection of privacy

Different strokes for different folk: Regulatory distinctions in New Zealand media

For much of the past century there was broad acceptance of the stark contrast between the state’s involvement in the regulation of the content of broadcasting and its laissez-faire relationship with the columns of the press. The ‘failed market’ argument that substantiated regulation of the airwaves was difficult to counter. Fundamental changes in technology and media markets have, however, rendered the rationale open to challenge. Some aspects of the ‘failed market’, such as frequency scarcity, simply do not apply in the digital age. This article examines the nature of media regulation in New Zealand, noting its similarity to the dichotomous approach in Britain, Canada and Australia but also its divergence toward a more neoliberal market model that largely limits statutory oversight to matters that fall broadly into the categories of morals and ethics. It argues that, given the New Zealand government’s decision more than 15 years ago to forego regulation of ownership or the mechanisms that would serve the public good aspirations of a Reithian model, the continuing role of the state in regulation of broadcasting is questionable. A replacement model could be based on an effective regulatory body already present in the New Zealand media industry—the Advertising Standards Authorit

The death penalty: a flawed debate

Media debate on the controversy over capital punishment in Papua New Guinea has been emotional. But the arguments have been flawed and distorted

Bleak media scenarios confront Vanuatu

Lack of qualified and experienced journalists, a tendency to allow censorship and disregard for the notion of publicly funding broadcasting services belonging to the public hamper freedom of information.&nbsp