We know Darwinian selection has shaped the evolution of humans and all other natural species - but could it apply to robots?

Watching tropical fish swim around a tank, it can seem like they don't have a care in the world.

Rising sea levels are likely to prove a "turtle disaster" and people power may be required to ensure their survival, Queensland scientists have found.

Not only is our quirky national bird flightless - it's also colour blind.

New research suggests you have little hope of keeping mosquitos at bay, with scientists describing their hunting strategy as "annoyingly robust."

This year’s Cook Strait Whale Survey counted 137 humpback whales, its highest tally in its 12 years and an encouraging indication their numbers are increasing in New Zealand. The annual four-week Department of Conservation survey, which ended on July 11, also broke its record for the highest number of humpbacks seen in a day with 27 spotted on Sunday June 21.

Scientists have discovered at least two species of sharks living in an underwater volcano near the Solomon Islands.

Scientists have uncovered fascinating new insights about the commuting habits of Antarctic killer whales.

A lamb genetically modified to contain a jellyfish protein has entered the food chain in France, plunging Europe's top agricultural research institute into crisis.

A study led by the Zoological Society of London has pinpointed an unlikely saviour for the stitchbird species - nest-hopping Casanovas.

A stroppy little penguin was glad to waddle back to his home among the shoreline rocks at Mt Maunganui this morning.

The incredible travels of a hefty great white shark named Pip are helping scientists rewrite the book on everything we thought we knew about the feared species.

Dancing, singing, and, er, peeing on yourself - it's all part of the playbook if you're a native short-tailed bat looking to get lucky with the ladies.

Conservationists say they'll probably never know what caused barracuda to maul dozens of endangered yellow-eyed penguins this year.

Last year, 9838 possums were killed throughout New Zealand and checked for tuberculosis, all turning up clean.

They have already shown that they enjoy tea parties, so it should perhaps come as no surprise they are also intelligent enough to understand cooking.

A Wellington Zoo staff member has travelled to Colombia to help a local conservation group care for endangered primates.

A new warning has sounded for the world’s smallest dolphin, with a New Zealand researcher now reporting there are less than 50 Maui’s dolphins left.

They perform feats of amazing acrobatics, create intricate works of art and some just look weird - but until last year these species were completely unknown to science.

In a paper published yesterday in Science, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describe the unique mechanism that enables the opah, a deepwater predatory fish, to keep its body warm.

Scientists have long assumed that all fish are basically cold-blooded, but all that has just changed.

A monster from the deep has washed up on a beach in Kaikoura.

The Government says sharks should benefit from a proposed ban on wire traces and shark lines in two commercial fisheries.

The Earth is on course to lose up to one in six of all its species, if carbon emissions continue as they currently are.

Scientists have found around 766 individual methane gas flares off the coast of Gisborne - a “major advance” for science and a first for New Zealand.

A visiting conservationist and molecular biologist has joined calls to save our national bird.

A creature from the past that would have looked like strange mix of unrelated dinosaurs has been discovered.

New Zealand scientists have unveiled major leaps toward cutting greenhouse gas emissions from our belching sheep and cattle, with animal-safe compounds that can slash methane emissions by up to 90 per cent.

It's no Jurassic jest - meet the Velociraptor's vegetarian cousin.

A new review calling for bold and urgent measures to control roaming cats - including compulsory microchipping - has been criticised as flawed.