Latest from Human Science

Scientists find secret to extending life

Deleting a gene could extend life by up to 60 per cent, say scientists.

Boys 'turned gay by childhood shift in genes'

Controversial findings by scientists suggest that some boys turn homosexual during childhood because of genetic changes triggered by their environment.

Strange but true: World's ugliest rodent

A team of researchers discovered the hog-nosed rat during a expedition in a remote and mountainous area of Indonesia two years ago.

Scientists say 'runner's high' is like a marijuana high

A new study published this week challenges that notion and puts forth a theory that the 'high' feeling joggers experience can be known as a 'self-produced marijuana'.

Old dog can teach us new tricks

The teeth of a dog may provide new insight into how humans migrated across the world's largest ocean to New Zealand, and where they came from.

What flips the fertitlity master swtich

Kiwi scientists have uncovered another secret of a wonder-protein that's already been shown to play a hand in reproduction and early brain development.

A test that could wipe out every genetic defect

A blood test that can screen an unborn child for all known genetic abnormalities is to be offered to pregnant women by a private British clinic from next week.

Food preferences are written in genes

Warming to frozen IVF embryos

In vitro fertilisation cycles using thawed frozen embryos have been shown to be just as successful as fresh ones in a report today.

Little prince face of ageing software

When the midwife handed me my newborn son, my first thought was that this hideous homunculus could surely not be mine. He was bald and jaundice-yellow, his little features squashed into an expression of profound dismay at finding himself in the world.

Facebook makes you feel bad about yourself

Frequent Facebook use could be making us less happy with our bodies, according to a new study drawn from the views of thousands of Kiwis.

Strange but true

With Herald science writer Jamie Morton @jamienzherald.

You are what you like - the app says so

A vaguely disconcerting app from researchers at the University of Cambridge can guess how old you are, how smart you are and who you like to sleep with.

An egg a day is now okay

A breakfast treat once thought to be bad for your health has now been shown be part of a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Love hormone may help autistic children

The 'love hormone' shows promise as a tool for treating children with autism, says a United States scientist visiting the country.

Why are so many Kiwis obese?

Our understanding of what causes obesity in Kiwis could change dramatically with a new million-dollar study drawing on the latest DNA technology.