Research spanning the effects of hormones on a pregnant mother's brain to the potentially negative health effects that pets may have on families can begin.

Bare-knuckle fighting has left its mark on the human face, according to scientists who believe it helped to shape how we look today.

Scientists are being told to use art and poetry to win public support in the battle to curb climate change.

The fossil of a squid-like creature wiped out with the dinosaurs has been discovered in a Hawkes Bay streambed. What makes it such a 'significant' find for NZ?

"Sea," said King Canute, the 11th-century Danish King of England, "I command you to come no further!"

A pesticide made from spider venom has been found to kill insects without harming honeybees.

Scientists in America are hopeful of a breakthrough in curing Alzheimer's, following a study that shows a way of bringing back the lost memories of dementia patients.

Six University of Canterbury students are taking part in what has been called a once-in-a-lifetime research opportunity.

Australian and Kiwi researchers have edged closer to the "holy grail" of plant science with a groundbreaking study that could change the way farmers irrigate and fertilise their land as the world warms.

Debate over New Zealand's stance on genetic engineering is set to reignite with a review of the rules defining what is - and what isn't - GM research.

Sea ice, winds and invertebrates will go under the microscope in the next stage of a major science programme turning to Antarctica to answer crucial questions about how the Earth will respond to climate change.

An animal believed to have been extinct for four million years has been found near Picton.

Large waves are apparently to blame for breaking up sea ice on a larger scale than thought, explaining a rapid decrease in Arctic ice.

A sleek Gulfstream V worth nearly $100 million is set to soar into the South Island next month, but it won't be carrying magnates or celebrities.

A "ghost snail", a tiny fringed fairyfly named Tinkerbell and a pale yellow sea anemone that is at home under a glacier are on an international list of the 10 top species discovered last year.

When scientist Dr Kimberlee Jordan returned to New Zealand after 10 years of study abroad, she couldn't face another research paper.

Students' needs increasingly met online but printed books still seen as key

The Antarctic ice sheet is disappearing at twice the speed of when it was last surveyed, losing 159 billion tonnes of ice to the ocean every year.

A quarter of people are unable to name a single famous female scientist, either living or dead, a European-wide study will reveal this week.

Calls are being made to remove dissections from first-year courses as the killing of animals at universities comes under fresh scrutiny.

Start-ups pouring money into research and development will get a cash-flow boost under a tax measure that is seen as a "great response" to the sector's challenges.

It is said that lightning never strikes twice. But scientists have long been puzzled as to how lightning even strikes at all.