Science

Deodorants mainly target bacteria, using antimicrobial ingredients to slow their growth and fragrances to mask residual smells.

Why some body areas smell more strongly than others, and what to do about it

The biology behind body odour, from sweat glands to skin bacteria.

Wed, Mar 11

Amateur astronomer looking at the evening skies, observing planets, stars, Moon and other celestial objects with binoculars. (File image).

Lunar occultation: What is it, and when can you catch a glimpse?

Keen amateur astronomers will only have about an hour to view the natural phenomenon tonight.

Tue, Mar 10

How a hardy native plant could help combat forever chemicals

Researchers at Auckland University have found a native New Zealand flax may soon help address one of the world's most stubborn pollution problems.

Sun, Mar 8

If you wake up during or just after REM sleep, you are much more likely to remember a dream.

Is it true that some people don't dream while others remember all their dreams?

You might know people who think they do not dream. However, the reality is we all do. Sometimes we have many in one night.

Sun, Mar 8

In this image provided by NASA, an impact plume emerges from the asteroid Dimorphos, left, after DART collides into it on September 26, 2022, orbiting the larger asteroid Dimorphos.

Spacecraft changes asteroid's orbit in a save-the-Earth test

It’s the first time that a celestial body’s orbit around the sun was deliberately changed.

Sat, Mar 7

Why some body areas smell more strongly than others, and what to do about it

The biology behind body odour, from sweat glands to skin bacteria.

Wed, Mar 11

Lunar occultation: What is it, and when can you catch a glimpse?

Keen amateur astronomers will only have about an hour to view the natural phenomenon tonight.

Tue, Mar 10

How a hardy native plant could help combat forever chemicals

Researchers at Auckland University have found a native New Zealand flax may soon help address one of the world's most stubborn pollution problems.

Sun, Mar 8

Is it true that some people don't dream while others remember all their dreams?

You might know people who think they do not dream. However, the reality is we all do. Sometimes we have many in one night.

Sun, Mar 8

Spacecraft changes asteroid's orbit in a save-the-Earth test

It’s the first time that a celestial body’s orbit around the sun was deliberately changed.

Sat, Mar 7

Dilrukshan Kumara looks at the ocean as he stands by the remains of his family's home in Iranawila, Sri Lanka, June 15, 2023.

Study finds seas higher than first thought, putting millions more at risk

Researchers studied hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90% of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 30 centimetres.

Thu, Mar 5

The blood moon lights up the sky during a total lunar eclipse in Christchurch, New Zealand, on September 8, 2025.

What to know about tonight's 'special' blood moon, lunar eclipse

Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki says this one is extra special as Kiwis will get to witness it in its entirety.

Tue, Mar 3

February 2026

Dr Riley Elliot warns the global shark population faces the dire consequences of marine reserves environmental failings.

Why shark sightings are rising even as numbers decline

Despite the seasonal uptick in sightings, the global shark population faces the dire consequences of marine reserves' environmental failings.

Tue, Feb 24

This image provided by NASA shows NASA's moon rocket sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

NASA delays astronaut moon mission again after new rocket problem

April is now the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could fly to the moon.

Sun, Feb 22

A waste picker drinks water while working during a heat wave at a garbage dump on the outskirts of Jammu, India

Scientists update El Niño label amid global temperature spike

Experts say a new study including El Nino and its counterpart La Niña can help explain the mystery of why Earth's already rising temperature has spiked to new heights.

Sat, Feb 21

Q+A's Whena Owen reports as insurance companies begin to pull out of towns facing flooding and seismic risk.

NZ's safest city from natural hazards, according to scientists

Insurance companies are in retreat from some communities deemed too dangerous to cover, so where is less risk-prone?

Mon, Feb 16

Why are new tea towels worse at drying dishes than older ones?

We all know that old faithful dries dishes better, even if we can’t quite explain why.

Wed, Feb 11

Research shows that the brain can be exercised, much like our muscles.

How to train your brain the same way you train muscles

It might come as a surprise to learn that the brain responds to training in much the same way as our muscles.

Sat, Feb 7

January 2026

Are meat eaters more likely to live to 100 than non-meat eaters?

There’s more to research findings, from 5000 adults aged 80-plus, than meets the eye.

Sat, Jan 31

NZ’s sodden January explained: what’s driven this month’s big wet?

For many people, it has felt like midsummer never really arrived. Is it simply bad luck, or is there something more going on?

Wed, Jan 28

In the new year, 24 shipping containers fell from two vessels during Storm Goretti, with chips and onions among the goods appearing on the Sussex shoreline.

Chips and onions are washing up on UK's coast. What does it tell us?

The goods re among the items appearing on the Sussex shoreline.

Sun, Jan 25

Influenza, the virus responsible for flu, is known to spread through aerosols (microscopic droplets) released when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even breathes normally (file image).

Locked in a small room with flu sufferers, but no one caught it. Why?

The unexpected finding comes from a well-designed study that set out to answer a basic question: how does flu really spread?

Fri, Jan 23

Why a tumour isn't always cancer and how to tell the difference

Not all tumours are cancer, and not all cancers are tumours. So what defines them?

Mon, Jan 19

Scientists stunned as massive black coral found off Fiordland

The discovery will provide a "vital" breeding stock for the slow growing species, researchers say.

Tue, Jan 13

A red Moon, a blue Moon, a supermoon: A guide to the southern sky in 2026

What will we see in the southern sky in 2026?

Wed, Jan 7

Heather took this picture of the sun halo in Whitianga.

Upper North Island treated to sun 'halo' in the skies

MetService shared a picture on social media of the sun's 22⁰ circular halo, visible due to a thin veil of high cloud which covered the upper North Island.

Tue, Jan 6

December 2025