We are all unique. Even monozygotic twins, who are genetically identical, always have some variation in the way they look...
In this activity, students use an interactive or paper-based graphic organiser to explore common alternative conceptions about genetics. This activity...
Plastic and microplastic pollution of oceans is a wicked problem. Using bioinformatics and statistical analysis, scientist Victor Gambarini looked to correlate marine microbes that could degrade...
Extremophilic microorganisms are called extremophiles and live in environments considered hostile to most forms of life. Scientists have only discovered life in these extreme environments in...
Green rolling hills studded with fluffy white sheep is an image New Zealand has traded on for decades, both to promote our wool and meat and...
In any one species, there is a large amount of genetic variation. The survival of a species is often linked with the extent of genetic variation...
Population biology is a field of study that explores populations and how they interact with their environment. Scientists observe all factors influencing a population within an...
Scientifically, takahē have been something of a mystery. For several decades, it was assumed that takahē were extinct in both the North and South Islands –...
In November 2010, the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae (Psa) was discovered in a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard. Psa had previously decimated kiwifruit crops in other...
Humans have been manipulating living organisms for thousands of years. Examples of early biotechnologies include domesticating plants and animals and then selectively breeding them for specific...
PCR is shorthand for a simple but very useful procedure in molecular biology called the polymerase chain reaction. It is a technique used to amplify a...
Genomics has opened up our understanding of ancient hominins and human evolution. Genomics is an area within genetics that concerns the sequencing and analysis of an...
As humans, we’re curious about ourselves. Where did we come from? How did we evolve? Hominins Like all living things, early humans are classified using the...
New technologies can extend our scientific understanding. They can also mean we have to throw out earlier ideas. Prior to the 1950s and the ‘radiocarbon revolution’,...
Here are some interesting facts about forensics and DNA: New Zealand was the second country in the world to establish a databank of DNA profiles. Find...
Wētā have been in New Zealand for around 190 million years. Do they live on school grounds? And if so, what do they eat at mealtime?...
What makes you, you and me, me? Genes or environment? How we look and act is the result of the interaction of our genes with our...
Coralline algae are classified in the red algae (Rhodophyta) phylum and are found in three orders (Corallinales, Hapalidialaes and Sporolithales). Coralline algal species can be found...
The Auckland Islands are often described as a hotspot of biodiversity, with a wide variety of seabirds, invertebrates and marine mammals and a range of hardy...
Medical researchers from the UK, the US and Canada have developed a new tool that identifies mutating genes to detect the early stages of oesophageal cancer....
A bit of genetic trickery may hold the key to controlling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria. Scientists mosquitoes in the lab to produce...
A DNA study of extinct elephant bird specimens held at Wellington’s Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa have revealed the birds to be the kiwi’s...
A large international team of researchers from National Geographic's global Genographic Project has shown for the first time that DNA can be used to trace modern...
An international team of researchers has identified the specific gene fault that causes a type of early-onset melanoma that accounts for about 3% of the cases...
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia. In New Zealand, it is most commonly associated with gardening activities. Christchurch Hospital now tests every pneumonia patient...
Television dramas like CSI Bones and Criminal Minds – can create false expectations and impressions of forensic science, especially in the courtroom. Listen to this radio...
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