The Herald's science writer Jamie Morton on the latest discoveries you need to know about.

Is it right to be worried about Murdoch's new part stake in National Geographic's media arm?

Whale specimens with long surfboard-like snouts have been identified by University of Otago palaeontology researchers.

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.

A report revealing the extent of bullying among surgeons has shocked the profession, and it is vowing to change.

As it gets harder to tear our eyes away from smartphones, TV sets, tablets and computers, concerns are growing over a blue light emitted by their screens, blamed for harming the retina and causing interrupted sleep.

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

An invasive species of ants has been discovered to carry a virus linked to the deaths of honey bees.

A Rotorua geyser which has been dormant for more than 35 years has caught locals off guard after suddenly erupting.

Kiwi will use a major new science fellowship to probe clues to future climate change buried deep beneath Antarctica's seafloor.

The study's results would support the 2010 New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement, which called for protection of surfbreaks deemed "of national significance".

Wanted: Right-handed, English-speaking male dope smokers aged between 18 and 45 for a university study on brain activity.

Using modern smartphone applications to keep track of your vital signs can be a good thing ... as long as you don't read too much into tiny data anomalies.

Cancer treatments could be more effective when they are combined with aspirin, a British study has suggested.

New Zealand scientist Jilly Evans will have you believe it was luck that made her one of the world's leading researchers in the development of therapies for cancer and arthritis.

Dr Michelle Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, is an Auckland University nanotechnologist who is passionate about getting Kiwis hooked on science. Tweet her your science questions @medickinson.

With Herald science writer Jamie Morton @jamienzherald.

Research shows that people who grow up on farms have way fewer allergy and asthma problems than the rest of us.

Humans are responsible for having wiped out nearly half of the trees on earth, according to new research co-authored by a Kiwi scientist.

What goes on beneath Earth's crust is one of the biggest mysteries facing geophysicists.

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.

It's one of the longest-standing mysteries surrounding our nation's cultural heritage - where exactly did our first settlers arrive from and how many stepped ashore?

Six people have shut themselves inside a dome in Hawaii for a year, in the longest US isolation experiment aimed at helping Nasa prepare for a pioneering journey to Mars.

Our natural honey products could be used against the bane of teenagers everywhere - acne - in major findings which open up a market potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to New Zealand.

Superconductivity research stinks! Rotorua, famous for its lake, geyser and distinctive smell, may have been hiding a secret resource for years.

Being neurotic can mean constant worry - but amid all of that gloom lies some pretty powerful bursts of creativity.

Scientist's challenge: work out if asexual returning expat stick insects still need male suitors.

According to a type of trend article popular in certain circles these days, the web is some kind of social parasite, eating our decency, confidence and good humour away.