Latest from Science

Is there anyone out there?

Is there anyone out there? The answer is almost certainly yes, says a top Nasa scientist who believes we may know for sure within a decade.

Ancient deaths sound an alert

Scientists make HIV drug breakthrough

A new type of HIV treatment involving the transfusion of a synthetic antibody has shown startling trial results.

Is sex crime 'genetically influenced'?

Men are up to five times more likely to commit a sex crime than the average male if their father or brothers have been convicted of a serious sexual offence.

Violet's new face thanks to 3D printing

Violet Pietrok is two minutes older than her twin sister. She was born with a Tessier Cleft, a rare condition that left a fissure in her skull, so the facial bones didn't fully come together.

Tuatara nest has scientists shellshocked

Tuatara have hatched in the wild in the South Island for possibly the first time in several hundred years, experts say.

Sex stats under microscope

Sexual behaviour is notoriously difficult to measure, and the findings often dubious. Rowan Pelling meets the Cambridge academic who is analysing our most intimate secrets.

New Zealand 'stupid' - top space engineer

New Zealand has been blasted as "stupid" by a top space engineer for not investing more in science and engineering.

New phone battery - charges up in less than a minute

Energy drinks can trigger heart attacks

Too many energy drinks can trigger sudden heart attacks even in healthy people, according to scientists, who have warned parents to watch how many cans their children consume.

We laughed before we talked

Why do we laugh? The obvious answer is that something is funny. But if we look closer at when and how laughter occurs in ordinary social situations, we see that it's not so simple.

Climate change: Communities uproot

There will be a need to uproot communities and retreat from some areas because of climate change, the chief executive of Local Government New Zealand says.

Man's face and neck rebuilt in 27 hour procedure

A hospital known for pioneering face transplant surgery has carried out its most complex operation yet, reconstructing a man's lower face and neck.

Forestry industry to trial drones

Makeup tests on animals banned

The Government has relented to a campaign to ban animal trials for the second time in a year, this time within the cosmetics industry.

Medieval remedy kills...superbug MRSA

A thousand-year-old medieval remedy for eye infections which was discovered in a manuscript in the British Library has been found to kill the superbug MRSA.

Chance of El Nino weather doubles

World's most beautiful faces

Scientists have mapped the features of the world's most beautiful men and women - and Natalie Portman and David Gandy are the closest real-life examples.