Scientists are to harness the power of ultra-fast lasers to finally reveal how an intriguing and complex UV filter within our bodies protect us from the sun.

COMMENT: Having a song stuck in one's head, known as an earworm, is an experience that over 90% of us have on a regular basis.

The hottest year on record globally in 2015 could be an average year by 2025 and beyond if carbon emissions continue to rise at the same rate, new research has found.

Two-headed sharks sound like a monster ripped straight out of a B-list horror movie, but scientists are increasingly finding more of them worldwide.

COMMENT: DiCaprio's documentary has been viewed more than six million times and will raise public consciousness.

Scientists say pudgy older fathers live longer, are more attractive to women and are better at passing on their genes.

Eating plenty of tomatoes could stave off wrinkles - and even skin cancer, say scientists.

Scientists will reconstruct more than 20,000 years of NZ's ecological history to better understand how our species will respond to climate change.

Ultra-sensitive fibre-optic sensors extending nearly a kilometre below the Southern Alps will transform what we know about one of the biggest earthquake threats facing New Zealand.

This month marks a decade since icebergs thrust Otago into the world spotlight, ODT illustrations editor Stephen Jaquiery recalls how it played out.

Scientists have struck upon a simple equation that shows the true effect of greenhouse gases.

Kiwis are set to be treated with the most spectacular "supermoon" since 1948 - if bad weather doesn't hide it from us.

Auckland University chemical scientist Dr Erin Leitao, searching for what could be the next wonder-material, has been honoured with a major award. Leitao, who just received the 2016 New Zealand Fellow of the L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme, talks about her work.

A Kiwi expedition to the far-flung Kermadec Islands has put scientists up close with some of the ocean's most fascinating residents.

A new study explains the birth order puzzle, and the impact of changes to parenting behaviours.

Research to find new Earth-like planets, clean up our waterways and boost our health have just received $65 million from the Marsden Fund. We look at 10 of the best.

Hotter than average temperatures can be expected across the entire country over the next three months - but the warm won't come without rain.

Scientists who sought to solve mysteries about hammerhead sharks were only left with another when one of the first adults ever tagged ended up eluding them.

Drones and GPS-tracking dummies are being deployed at Kiwi beaches to boost our understanding of the country's deadliest rips.

Science reporter Jamie Morton talks to GNS Science earthquake geologist Dr Rob Langridge about a renewed effort to catalogue a nationwide web of active faults threatening New Zealand.

A wayward scientific instrument has completed a remarkable year-long journey across the Tasman Sea, delighting the Aussie researchers who thought it'd been lost for good.

An asteroid is buzzing by today. But we had advance warning of the 25m chunk of rock and ice thanks to a new NASA 'intruder alert' system.

A new study confirms the reason for the puppet's ever-growing proboscis: the more we practice prevarication, the easier it gets.

Water contaminations like that which recently left thousands of people sick in Havelock North could be quickly traced with new DNA-based technology.

Robot mall cops, a vaccine for dengue and 98 more of the greatest innovations of the year are highlighted in the latest issue of Popular Science.

The idea of eating bugs has created a buzz in foodie and international development circles as a more sustainable alternative to consuming meat and fish.

Medical professionals are tapping into a wealth of online data in a bid to speed up the diagnosing of patients.

Pickled grey matter has given scientists incredible insight to dinosaur brains.

Today's landmark agreement to protect the Ross Sea - a pristine corner of the planet dubbed "the last ocean" - is one all Kiwis should celebrate. Filmmaker Peter Young explains why.

What we eat - as opposed to how much we eat - is a hot topic to study, so can we confidently say that avoiding meat will increase your lifespan?