NZ Science Media Centre staff and their Oz counterparts put together their 10 top picks for the world's biggest science stories of 2013.

Adults' rate of smoking has declined to 15 per cent in the latest census, down from 20.7 per cent in 2006.

Plastered across posters and T-shirts, inspiring a play, and named by a popular blog site as word of the year, "munted" became the catch-cry amid Christchurch's post-quake devastation.

Auckland University team heads first research on giant mammals' ability to sense sound waves of prey.

The oldest known stone javelins have been discovered in Africa, predating humans by 80,000 years.

One of the world's leading earthquake scientists has called on New Zealand to adopt cutting-edge technology that could give people as much as 25 seconds' warning.

New Zealand's cute pukeko, known for its colour both in plumage and personality, has been shown to have a power-hungry, aggressive streak - quite literally.

Kiwis are being encouraged to become citizen scientists to check the health of their own lakes, rivers and streams.

Distinguished Professor Dame Anne Salmond, the current New Zealander of the Year, has been awarded the country's highest science and technology honour.

Kiwi researchers will play a star role in one of the biggest and boldest scientific projects in history - the construction of the world's largest radio telescope.

It's common knowledge that Australia gets too many of our best brains and skilled workers - but are we getting their wind-borne bugs?

Last week, microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles won the Prime Minister's Science Media Communication Prize.

Astronomers call it the monster. It was the biggest and brightest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. Had it been closer, Earth would have been toast.

DNA extracted from the arm bone of a child who died in southern Siberia about 24,000 years ago has shed light on the origins of the first people to colonise the Americas.

Kiwi scientists are combining leading cancer drug therapy research with cutting-edge computer modelling to create a simple system that could speed up the development of treatment agents.

It's been one of the mildest flu seasons in 20 years, but the young, elderly and Pacific Island and Maori people are still at serious risk from the flu.

Drug-resistant "superbugs" represent one of the gravest threats in the history of medicine, leading experts warn.

Scientists have discovered possibly the earliest signs of life on Earth - remains of bacteria that are almost three-and-a-half billion years old - in a remote region of northwest Australia.

For years, scientists have been dogged by this evolution question: Just where did man's best friend first appear?

They call him Blinky - a tiny freshwater crab fished out of the Hoteo River on the Kaipara Coast that's made a splash around the world this week, thanks to its three eyes.

New electronic signs will alert trampers on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing to increased risk of volcanic eruption. Lights on the signs

A national body representing freshwater scientists has joined other experts in hitting out at shortcomings in new government reforms to improve the controversial state of our waterways.

Picture a car you can drive for as long as you like without ever having to fill it up or plug it in.

Two University of Auckland professors whose technology stands to change the world have won this year's Prime Minister's Science Prize.

Scientists studying North Island robins, bowel bacteria and condensed matter physics are among the winners of prestigious research fellowships announced this morning.

The European Space Agency says its GOCE research satellite will crash to Earth on Sunday night or during the day on Monday, but debris is unlikely to cause any casualties.