A third of the permanent snow and ice on the Southern Alps has vanished in less than four decades, according to an analysis of aerial surveys.

NZ is joining the space race, with Rocket Lab building a world-first launch vehicle in Auckland to make it cheaper to send satellites in to orbit.

Helping close achievement gaps in our classrooms will be a priority for a leading academic appointed to a major new science education role.

A future where a health check-up could take just a few taps of your smartphone has moved a step closer.

Australia's decision to repeal its levy limiting fossil-fuel pollution makes it the first nation to turn back from a market approach to fighting global warming.

The storms that lashed Northland last week are a taste of the weather Kiwis can expect more often, says the co-author of an international study of climate change.

Not all chimpanzees are created equal. Not only are some more intelligent than others, but about half of this variation is genetically inherited.

Puritans, Goths, avant-garde artists, hell-raising poets and fashion icon Coco Chanel all saw something special in it.

As a young child growing up in the UK, Hong Kong and the US, Dr Michelle "Nanogirl" Dickinson was fascinated by science and superheroes.

Stunt scientist Tom Pringle last night claimed a Guinness World Record by using a potato bazooka to fire nine potatoes through a tennis racket in three minutes.

Maddie Hannah, 8, earned the title of "super-taster" after triumphing at a jellybean science experiment, hosted at the NZ International Science Festival in Dunedin.

A blood test to predict if someone will develop Alzheimer's within a year has been created, in a breakthrough that raises hopes that the disease could become preventable.

Some of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the last 2,000 years have left their indelible mark deep within the pristine ice sheet of the Antarctic, a study has found.

Trevor Mallard's mind-boggling suggestion to harness science to bring the moa back to life will likely end up being much-a-dodo about nothing, writes John Armstrong.

A young Kiwi scientist has spent the past few days playing chess with Richard Branson on his private island and being served lunch in the pool via a sushi boat.

This winter was not a good one for farmers in the Fertile Crescent.

The chances of an El Nino playing with our weather this summer have become more likely, according to a just-released report from the World Meteorological Organisation.

Scientists are searching in an unlikely place for the next big breakthrough - New Zealand's postcard hot springs.

The discovery of 44 critically endangered Archey's frogs just a few kilometres from Whangamata has heartened an amphibian expert.

Cancer was the leading cause of death in New Zealand in 2010, accounting for nearly a third of all deaths, writes Simon Sutcliffe. That's an increase of nearly 13 per cent between 2000 and 2010.

Genes associated with schizophrenia may also make people more likely to use cannabis, a new study has shown.

A sea floor diva known as the “disco clam”, which earned its name from vivid displays of flashing light, has revealed the secrets of its dazzling moves.