Murray Jackson says he would rather die than suffer again the 19 violent jolts he received from a small defibrillator that had been implanted within his chest.

A small but ambitious group of investors has a novel plan to mine asteroids for fun and profit. But it is possibly illegal.

What makes one person seek out the spiciest chillis, while another enjoys only bland foods?

People could perceive your post-surgery personality differently, too, new research suggests.

Is there anyone out there? The answer is almost certainly yes, says a top Nasa scientist who believes we may know for sure within a decade.

That cool pinot gris you enjoy after a tough day at the office is really just a mutant spin-out of pinot noir - or so scientists have found.

A new type of HIV treatment involving the transfusion of a synthetic antibody has shown startling trial results.

Men are up to five times more likely to commit a sex crime than the average male if their father or brothers have been convicted of a serious sexual offence.

Sexual behaviour is notoriously difficult to measure, and the findings often dubious. Rowan Pelling meets the Cambridge academic who is analysing our most intimate secrets.

New Zealand has been blasted as "stupid" by a top space engineer for not investing more in science and engineering.

A new form of commercial fishing has improved the survival rates for by-catch, scientists involved in the NZ project said.

Stargazers around the country were treated to a total lunar eclipse over the weekend - the last chance to witness the spectacle for several years.

NZ is home to tens of thousands of endemic plant, animal, insect and marine species. Jamie Morton looks at 10 new finds.

Venus may get its name from the goddess of love but it is more like a vision of medieval hell.

Too many energy drinks can trigger sudden heart attacks even in healthy people, according to scientists, who have warned parents to watch how many cans their children consume.

Why do we laugh? The obvious answer is that something is funny. But if we look closer at when and how laughter occurs in ordinary social situations, we see that it's not so simple.

There will be a need to uproot communities and retreat from some areas because of climate change, the chief executive of Local Government New Zealand says.

A hospital known for pioneering face transplant surgery has carried out its most complex operation yet, reconstructing a man's lower face and neck.

The Government has relented to a campaign to ban animal trials for the second time in a year, this time within the cosmetics industry.

A thousand-year-old medieval remedy for eye infections which was discovered in a manuscript in the British Library has been found to kill the superbug MRSA.

Scientists have mapped the features of the world's most beautiful men and women - and Natalie Portman and David Gandy are the closest real-life examples.

A new method that screens embryos for more than 200 disorders is already making dreams come true, reports Sarah Knapton from London.

A state-of-the-art underwater glider - the first of its kind in New Zealand - is set to uncover new insights into our offshore environment.