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Grape-ripening approach attracts interest
For the past six seasons Chris Henry has been honing the scientific pursuit of enhancing the maturity of wine grapes.

2016 blazing to Earth's hottest year ever
The recent cold southerlies aside, 2016 is well on the way to become Earth's hottest year ever, say Nasa scientists.

How did the planets get their names?
For as long as there have been lights in the night sky, humans have been coming up with names for them.

Govt accused of gutting major child study
The Government has been accused of gutting a major longitudinal study tracking the experiences of kids growing up in New Zealand, after a funding cut resulted in the number of its participants being slashed by two thirds.

Global interest in Kiwi anti-ageing drug grows
Global interest in a Kiwi company's anti-aging drug is ramping up, with three major clinical trials now under way to test it against a range of ailments.

You're storing tomatoes wrong
As tomatoes come in to season, research reveals the common place you shouldn't store them - unless you're hell bent on killing their flavour.

Hidden promise of vitamins A, C revealed
The powerful combination of two vitamins could be a hidden key to curing human diseases through regenerative medicine.

Walk after meals helps manage diabetes
A walk after a meal could help people with type-2 diabetes better manage their blood-sugar levels, new research has found.

Scientists brace for 'six minutes of terror'
British scientists will face "six minutes of terror" this week as the Schiaparelli space probe plunges to the surface of Mars after a seven-month journey.

When Pokemon Go players stop
Rich Bell made headlines when he started playing Pokemon Go. In a single month, the 29-year-old lost more than 4kg chasing Zubats and Spearows.

Kiwi star Jamie Curry off to Antarctica
Internet sensation Jamie Curry is teaming up with a top Kiwi journalist for an adventure to the coldest, driest, windiest continent on the planet.

Science at the end of the Earth
As top Kiwi scientists fly south for NZ's 60th research season in Antarctica, Jamie Morton takes a look at some of the fascinating studies planned.

Watch: Purely Medicinal - cut price cannabis
“Medicinal cannabis prices are set to tumble after the Government approved a new Canadian product, for an Auckland woman. Campaigners say high costs and inaccessibility have driven tens of thousands of pain sufferers to the black market for medical marijuana. A handful of law-abiding patients have been paying more than $1000 a month for the only legal alternative.”

Watch: Inside Antarctica's Dry Valleys
Professor Craig Cary, director of the Waikato University-based International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR), is leading a new study investigating how a changing climate and human impacts are affecting Antarctica's famous Dry Valleys.

Inside the creepy clown craze
As stories of sinister clown encounters surface in NZ and around the world, sociologists talk to Russell Blackstock about what is driving this dark fad.

Does gin and tonic make me a psycho?
COMMENT: How on earth do these findings translate to people who drink gin, coffee or beer being probable psychopaths? Quite simply, they don't.

Nano Girl: Eating a 3D printed pancake
COMMENT: This week I ate a 3D printed pancake. The printer used standard pancake batter as its "ink" and printed it on to a non-stick hot-plate.

Footprints from dawn of humanity found
"Somebody was walking through this exact spot, at this moment in time, thousands of years ago," said scientist Kevin Hatala.

Virus may have stolen DNA from black widow spiders
This bizarre virus infects bacteria that infect spiders. It makes a spider-bacteria-virus-spider turducken.

International scientists beam in to Whaka village (+video)
VILLAGE SCIENCE: Te Whakarewarewa Village Charitable Trust chairman James Warbrick with an air sampling cartridge, along with village

Why volcanoes are 'so cool'
Collating data on eruptions, earthquakes and gas emissions promise new predictive tools.

$3.7m study to reveal deep-sea mining impacts
The potential environmental impacts of controversial off-shore mining will be investigated in a new multi-million dollar study.

Why 'baby talk' is good for your baby
COMMENT: Baby talk plays an important role in development and babies prefer it to other types of speech.

Kiwi's space dream a giant leap closer
Sarah Kessans spent the "best week of her life" at a Nasa training centre in Texas.

Nanogirl: The science of car airbags
COMMENT: Following the recall of faulty airbags by Japanese manufacturer Takata, it's timely to look at the science behind these livesaving devices.

Great white's long-lost ancestor
Scientists have just discovered a new species of heavyweight shark - but we're 20 million years too late to have seen it.

How sleep problems are hurting our kids
A visiting world-renowned expert on childhood behavioural disorders is set to share insights into how kids' sleep problems can hurt their academic performance and later success in life.

Ants: coming to a restaurant near you
Kiwi food company's product range includes wild ants, huhu grubs, locusts and cricket powder.

$1m genetics project key to 'pest-free NZ'
A new million-dollar study could deliver the key to the Government's bold bid to clear the nation of pest predators by 2050.