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Nau mai, haere mai – welcome to your newsletter.
Long COVID, the lingering and incapacitating condition one in ten people experience following an initial infection, is now a significant health issue globally, causing considerable personal suffering, absences from work and high societal costs.
One of the more common symptoms is persistent fatigue, which also often accompanies chronic pain. As Hamish Wilson and John Dunbar write today, therein lies some hope for people living with Long COVID.
Chronic pain often arises from a hyper-vigilant nervous system which exaggerates pain signals even after damaged tissue has healed. Pain clinics worldwide now teach patients about this understanding and other subconscious factors that contribute to the sensation.
Our authors describe how similar neurological processes can lead to the persistent, deep exhaustion people with Long COVID or chronic fatigue syndrome experience.
“As in persistent pain, inflammation and dysfunction of the nervous system underpin the cluster of widespread problems in Long COVID. It follows that current approaches to chronic pain might also be applied to persistent fatigue syndromes – and ease recovery.”
As always, you’ll find much more to read in this newsletter and on our homepage, including an intriguing story about research that shows how supermarkets can use the smell of herbs to encourage shoppers to purchase more wholesome foods.
Finally, this is the last week of our annual fundraising campaign and we’re very close to our goal. Thank you to everyone who has supported our unique journalism model. There’s still time to help if you can.
Many thanks and until next week, mā te wā.
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Veronika Meduna
Science, Health + Environment New Zealand Editor
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Hamish Wilson, University of Otago; John Douglas Dunbar, University of Otago
Chronic pain is often caused by a hyper-vigilant nervous system which exaggerates the pain signal even after damaged tissue has healed. Similar processes are at play in persistent fatigue.
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Megan Phillips, Auckland University of Technology; Sommer Kapitan, Auckland University of Technology
New research shows how supermarkets can use the smell of mixed herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil to influence shoppers buying choices.
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Fiona Sing, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Antonia Lyons, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The government says the online safety framework infringed on free speech. But some of the world’s biggest tech companies have said they aren’t opposed to some form of regulation.
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Rachael Evans, University of Canterbury
In overturning the convictions of Peter Ellis, the Supreme Court showed Māori tikanga has a place in New Zealand’s common law. The lower courts and the law schools now need to make it work.
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Victor Gambarini, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
We know some marine microbes produce enzymes that can break down certain types of plastics. But new research found areas of high plastic pollution don’t show high concentrations of these enzymes.
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Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll, University of Canterbury
One New Zealand’s ‘Let’s Get Connected’ campaign finds humour and emotion in a story of adoption – but glosses over the pain and loss of its reality.
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Jeffrey McNeill, Massey University
Resource laws and processes have tried to keep politics out of decision making. But this technocratic approach carries its own problems. The challenge is getting the balance right.
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Myra Williamson, Auckland University of Technology
With submissions on the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill closing next month, now is the time to consider how the changes could affect New Zealand’s 1.7 million renters.
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Chrissy Severinsen, Massey University; Angelique Reweti, Massey University; Mary Breheny, Massey University
Feelings of embarrassment or shame can deter some people from seeking necessary healthcare, and their experiences are absent from conventional health surveys.
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From our foreign editions
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Holly Cullen, The University of Western Australia
The Wikileaks founder will return to Australia after years behind bars and in exile. What happens now?
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Sam Power, University of Sussex
Why we shouldn’t let the actions of a few taint the reputations of an entire political class.
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Stephanie Baker, University of Johannesburg; Andy I.R. Herries, La Trobe University; Angeline Leece; Jesse Martin, La Trobe University; Matthew Caruana, University of Johannesburg; Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Southern Cross University
This is a hugely important find. It means that one of our earlier ancestors possibly originated in southern Africa.
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Asher Kaufman, University of Notre Dame
A full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah would likely set the entire region on fire, involving Iran and its proxies, and could drag the US into direct confrontation with Tehran.
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Leah Henrickson, The University of Queensland; Dominique Carlon, Queensland University of Technology
Caryn Marjorie made $70,000 a week from her AI doppelgänger – until things got weird
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Kevin J. McMahon, Trinity College
The secret recordings of two Supreme Court justices reveal dramatic differences in how they see American political life.
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Chris Hackley, Royal Holloway University of London; Rungpaka Amy Hackley, Birkbeck, University of London
It was celebrated as a lads mag in the 90s, and now it’s making a return. What’s changed?
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Melissa Humphries, University of Adelaide; Lewis Mitchell, University of Adelaide
Contrary to what you may have heard, your mindset may be the biggest thing affecting how social media connects to your wellbeing.
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