Three inexperienced surfers are counting their lucky starfish after getting caught in a rip and being sucked out to sea yesterday.

Labour's new emergency housing promise is a vast improvement on its last effort.

Researchers at Otago University have found that electronic cigarettes pose potential health risks to users.

When Claire French was attacked and left for dead by machete-wielding robbers in Tanzania last year, her planned graduation was the last thing on her mind.

How do you stop cows burping? Or override Parkinson's disease? Jamie Morton celebrates 10 top pieces of Kiwi science and innovation.

University of Otago student asked: Can you do my assignment?

Dentistry students at the University of Otago have got something to smile about - the course has been ranked the 12th best dentistry course in the world.

Five arrests as Otago University's Orientation Week turns feral.

Buzzword has been cited as a major reason for problem drinking.

University of Otago staff who avoided campus on the day of gun threat will have their annual leave deducted.

University of Otago domestic students face a 3 per cent increase on "already huge" tuition fees for next year, meaning more than $900 more per year for some courses.

Police are ''following a number of lines of inquiry'' as they tried to track down the person responsible for an online shooting threat at the University of Otago.

Police warn students told that "small jokes" at Otago University will be taken seriously following online shooting threat.

Police are warning students and staff to be vigilant as Otago University opens for ''business as usual'' following online threat.

University of Otago researchers joined almost 200 scientists from around the world to head out to take marine samples as part of the second Ocean Sampling Day yesterday.

Researchers have linked an ancient marine dolphin fossil, found in Waitaki, with an endangered dolphin that lives in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

The creator of a Facebook ''party'' themed on a harassed Dunedin woman says the event is intended to be ''harmless'' fun.

An NZ-born former banker who refused to pay child support, claiming he was broke, has been berated by a judge for jet-setting around Europe.

Otago University researchers have come out on top in health awards scooping up more than $1.8 million in funding for research.

A national television programme about Dunedin student drinking culture was criticised at a University of Otago council meeting yesterday.

A woman who complained about drunk and disorderly Dunedin students says she's been harassed in person and online since appearing on TV.

US student Allison Willen was making her way, alone, through flood water covering a section of the Young Valley walking track when she was swept to her death.

An American tourist found dead in a river near Wanaka yesterday had previously described her first tramping trip in a column published by Otago University’s student magazine Critic.

Allison "Ally" Willen was last seen on the Gillespie Pass track on April 25, Senior Sergeant Ben Butterfield said.

Milking cows under the cover of darkness has helped to produce a milk powder high in the sleep-promoting hormone Melatonin.

A process that could turn harmful gases into useful products like car tyres shows why scientists need to keep challenging our understanding of what are the proteins vital to all life on Earth.

Otago University's Dental School has been recognised as among the top 10 in the world.

Brains, brawn and beauty helped University of Otago medical student Deborah Lambie win the 2015 Miss World New Zealand crown.