energy

This is both a simple and complex question. Energy is in everything – it is often described as ‘the ability...

What is energy? The standard definition of energy is the capacity to do work, which describes what energy can do...

Explore the impact that the huge Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption in January 2022 has had on volcanologists theories on volcanoes. The article below has been republished...

In January 2022 the world was shocked to hear of a sudden huge volcanic eruption close to Tonga, causing a tsunami and volcanic ash to cover...

Ruminants are mammals with specialised digestive systems that use fermentation processes to gain nutrients from plant material. Cattle, sheep, deer, goats and camels are all ruminants....

We hear a lot about greenhouse gases – and the huge amounts that humans are responsible for pumping into the atmosphere each year. It might be...

This article explores the aerodynamics of cycling and the steps cyclists can take to minimise pressure drag and friction drag. It tells the story of a...

This article documents the history of the electric car – first developed in 1890, and uses diagrams and text to explain the technology electric cars and...

Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It does not disappear when we use it – it changes from one form of energy to another. Let’s look...

What is energy? The standard definition of energy is the capacity to do work, which describes what energy can do but not really what it is....

Climate change is a complex topic, and this article breaks key aspects down into accessible, bite-sized sections. It concisely explains some of the science ideas associated...

In a wave, the material on which the wave is travelling is moving. However, the material itself does not move along with the wave. Consider the...

What is a wave? Most of us think of the waves we see at the beach. The waves come in from out in the ocean and...

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) assessed the flammability of a variety of exotic and native...

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) looked at the impacts of exotic plant species on fires....

Glow-worms are New Zealand’s underground stars. Small but bright, it is no wonder why they attract so many tourists to places such as Waitomo and Paparoa...

In 2018, NASA launched a thrilling mission unlike any other to date. From Cape Canaveral, the Parker Solar Probe was scheduled to launch within a small...

Monitoring our world using artificial sensors Artificial sensors enable us to overcome the limitations of our human senses and extend them in novel and useful ways,...

REV it UP is a Taranaki-based Participatory Science Platform (PSP) project supported by the New Zealand Government. New Plymouth Boys’ High School and local engineering firm...

This resource provides explanations of the key concepts encountered when exploring getting the sporting edge, applying science to improve sporting performance. Sports science helps athletes gain...

Food’s macronutrients undergo chemical breakdown as they move through the digestive system. Learn more about the digestion process and its hormonal control with these explanations of...

Use this timeline for a look at some of the historical aspects in the development of our understanding of gases and plasmas. 1644 – Invention of...

The haukāinga (local residents) of the Rotorua area – Te Arawa, Tūhourangi and Ngāti Wāhiao – have lived in this highly active geothermal region for generations....

Taking science and technology to new heights. Rocket science includes ideas of forces and motion, how rockets work and some of the challenges for those wanting...

Drones, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), droids, flying robots – no matter what you call them, they are fast becoming the latest must-have technology. Need to check...

Isn’t it funny to think that the Earth is moving! If we stand perfectly still and look into the distance, the Earth appears to be perfectly...