Family members could be kept alive forever virtually so living relatives could interact with their avatars, an academic has suggested.

The Herald's science writer Jamie Morton on this week's scientific breakthroughs.

Designer babies is getting closer to reality as scientists in China claim they're the first to use gene editing to create "designer dogs."

Women using IVF are a third more likely to develop ovarian cancer, the biggest study of fertility treatment in the world has discovered.

A set of 47 human teeth found in China is giving scientists food for thought.

Cryonics: The preservation of animals and humans at ultra-cold temperatures is booming in the US, notwithstanding the $100,000 minimum price tag.

Pig organs could soon be transplanted into human patients after Harvard University scientists found a way to genetically modify pig DNA to be more compatible with humans.

It's been called the "Genghis Khan" of the ant world, and for good reason.

Deleting a gene could extend life by up to 60 per cent, say scientists.

A new study published this week challenges that notion and puts forth a theory that the 'high' feeling joggers experience can be known as a 'self-produced marijuana'.

The teeth of a dog may provide new insight into how humans migrated across the world's largest ocean to New Zealand, and where they came from.

Kiwi scientists have uncovered another secret of a wonder-protein that's already been shown to play a hand in reproduction and early brain development.

A blood test that can screen an unborn child for all known genetic abnormalities is to be offered to pregnant women by a private British clinic from next week.

Babies are more active in the uterus when a pregnant mother lies on her left side than on her back, according to important new research.

The Herald's science writer Jamie Morton on this week's scientific breakthroughs.

24 per cent of New Zealanders have reported feeling tired on a daily basis in a Southern Cross Healthcare Group survey.

A man confined to a wheelchair is able to walk again after United States scientists reconnected his brain and legs.

Grumpy teenagers who don't want to get out of bed have had their complaints vindicated by scientists who analysed 30 years of sleep science.

What linguists call prosody describes the variations in timing, pitch and stress patterns in speech that help people convey meaning and emotion.

Scientists have looked at the issue of dairy and inflammation and have recently published a systematic review of the issue, writes Niki Bezzant.

In vitro fertilisation cycles using thawed frozen embryos have been shown to be just as successful as fresh ones in a report today.

When the midwife handed me my newborn son, my first thought was that this hideous homunculus could surely not be mine. He was bald and jaundice-yellow, his little features squashed into an expression of profound dismay at finding himself in the world.

Frequent Facebook use could be making us less happy with our bodies, according to a new study drawn from the views of thousands of Kiwis.

With Herald science writer Jamie Morton @jamienzherald.

A vaguely disconcerting app from researchers at the University of Cambridge can guess how old you are, how smart you are and who you like to sleep with.

A breakfast treat once thought to be bad for your health has now been shown be part of a healthy, well-balanced diet.

The 'love hormone' shows promise as a tool for treating children with autism, says a United States scientist visiting the country.

Our understanding of what causes obesity in Kiwis could change dramatically with a new million-dollar study drawing on the latest DNA technology.

Obese people may have brains that are hard-wired to find food irresistible, a study has found.