Latest from Science

<i>Project Auckland:</i> City's biotechnology industry waiting for its 'poster child'

Western obesity may have been caused by 'fat bug'

Researchers have discovered new evidence suggesting a virus may be to blame for the obesity epidemic.

R&D funds of $190m up for grabs

Scientists identify brain's region for introspection

Researchers found people who were more introspective tended to have larger volumes of nerve tissue in an area of the prefrontal cortex.

The science of counting whales

In the long winter months while we quaff red wine and lay down a bit of winter fat, Port Ross turns into a veritable whale orgy.

Ozone hole gets smaller

The price of love: Two of your closest friends

Falling in love comes at a cost that does not include flowers or bar bills, a new study has found.

<i>Garth George:</i> Screening on slippery slope to eugenics

Garth George writes that an expanded screening programme for Down Syndrome may go against the rights of the disabled.

B vitamin research gives clues to fight Alzheimer's

What lies beneath the Canterbury Plains? A fault revealed

It is very possible that faults buried beneath the ephemeral surface of the Canterbury Plains may not have been discovered yet.

<i>Peter Wood:</i> Use quake lessons to build disaster resilience

Peter Wood writes on the importance of resuming commerce after an emergency.

Haiti: 230,000 deaths, Canterbury: 0 deaths. Why?

With planning and a bit of luck it's possible to survive a natural disaster without major loss of life.

Male moa stayed at home to sit on eggs

<i>Anthony Doesburg</i>: Virtual thinkers solving real world problems

Citizen cyberscience is a grass-roots initiative that harnesses the power of online volunteers.

Fault lay quiet for at least 16,000 years

The fault that ruptured the surface of Canterbury paddocks and produced the magnitude 7.1 earthquake has been quiet for at least 16,000 years.

When solid ground is shaken to mush

Large tracts of silty, low-lying land compounded the effects of the Christchurch earthquake, as whole streets were transformed from firm land to sludge.