Drones might be best known for their death strikes on Taleban and al-Qaeda hideouts, but their use in the non-military world is spreading rapidly.

Swept by winds reaching up to 320km/h, Antarctica's Dry Valleys rank among the most extreme and uninhabitable deserts on Earth.

The liquefaction that swamped Christchurch East streets with tonnes of silt and sludge has become one of the most enduring images of the city's earthquakes.

Well, it was only a matter of time ... but yes, I'm pleased to announce there's been another sighting of the Agogwe in Africa.

It is a scenario that could have emerged from the imagination of a science fiction writer - killing machines stalking battlefields with heat-seeking weapons so human soldiers do not have to risk their lives.

A new study suggests the number of dolphins being captured and killed in commercial trawling nets could dive if vessels changed their fishing methods.

The priorities are clearly badly wrong, writes Bryan Walker. NZ needs to turn its back on a prosperity resulting in severe threats to the human future and build an economy which flourishes on green energy sources.

Data from nuclear bomb testing helped New Zealand scientists pinpoint the age of a skeleton found in Australia, leading to a decades-old cold case being reopened.

Making plastic out of dead animals might seem slightly gruesome but it could turn out to be a real money-spinner for one Kiwi start-up.

Another giant space rock is set to sail by the Earth just a few months after our last close encounter - but an expert says asteroid armageddon isn't something we need to worry about any time soon.

The Prime Minister's chief science adviser says a hitlist of 10 big issues for our top brains to tackle will be "transformational", despite criticism that they lack imagination.

Parasites that live inside humans could find life a bit tougher in future, thanks to the University of Otago and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Packing winds of up to 320km, the killer tornado that laid waste to Oklahoma on Monday grasped at the deadliest end of the Enhanced Fujita scale.

Editorial: Science has been a black hole for taxpayers' money. Governments of all stripes agree that science is something they should fund without knowing very much about it.

The first time I met palaeontologist Dan Fisher was in a hotel in the Arctic frontier town of Salekhard, in Siberia.

The Sun has unleashed three potent solar flares in just under 24 hours, marking the most intense activity yet this year and causing limited interruptions to high-frequency radio communications.

Scientists have finally recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos, a longstanding goal that could lead to new treatments for such illnesses as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

A Canterbury astrophysicist will fly to Europe next week to be presented with the Einstein Medal from the Albert Einstein Society.

Sir Ray Avery's Vigil Monitoring - which is developing a wristband that monitors a patient's vitals and uploads the information - has received funding to help get the invention to market.

Very few people will ever have the chance to see NZ 370km from space, but thanks to two astronauts returning to Earth today Kiwis won't have to make the journey.

A Soyuz space capsule carrying a three-man international crew has landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and Nasa’s Thomas Marshburn have become well known for their amazing photos of planet earth, regularly tweeted out to their thousands of fans. Here are 10 of the best.

The Natural History Museum has about 300 experts on its staff.

Scientists have uncovered what, for some couples, may be an uncomfortable truth: all people of European descent are related.

Sherry Turkle shows up begging for a latte. She's left her wallet in her hotel room. She's exhausted, she says, and could do with a coffee.

Some stroke victims may eventually recover lost hand function thanks to smart new computer system designed to fool the brain.