Science
Climate change evidence is clear
![BIG LOSS: Tasman Glacier, from the moraine wall. Fifteen per cent of the total ice volume of the Southern Alps has been lost between 1976 and 2008.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/z/g/g/3/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13zfwl.png/1425890044564.jpg)
OPINION: Mankind cannot ignore the evidence on climate change, write David Wratt, Andy Reisinger and James Renwick.
A peacock spider? That's just weird
![PEACOCK SPIDER: Meet Sparklemuffin, the new peacock spider species discovered in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/x/y/j/w/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13y4gb.png/1425755950529.jpg)
Meet Sparklemuffin, the peacock spider so cute it could cure arachnophobia... maybe.
Spacecraft makes history
![MAKING HISTORY: Nasa's Dawn spacecraft heads toward the dwarf planet Ceres in an artist's conception.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/x/q/4/l/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13xqe8.png/1425673458104.jpg)
The Dawn spacecraft is the first human-made object to visit a dwarf planet. Now it's time to look for evidence of liquid water.
The wisdom of orca grandmothers
![An orca pod in tight configuration. Did grandma teach the little ones not to stray?](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/w/r/g/x/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13wrcm.png/1425595060613.jpg)
Why do female orca live long beyond menopause? They still have a lot to offer their families.
Man gets drunk on chips
![OTHER 001 BEER.MELB.011206.BRW.PIC BY JESSICA SHAPIRO... BEER GENERIC, ALCOHOL, FESTIVE SEASON, PARTY, DRINK, DRUNK... BRW/FIRST USE PLEASE](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/w/k/p/d/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13wnu5.png/1425587320471.jpg)
Chowing down on a box of chips sends one British man into a drunken, vulgar state.
Fascination inspiration
![Starry eyed: Dave John Owen has opened a new space centre in Kihikihi to teach Kiwis about astronomy and space exploration.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/s/2/r/z/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13s2nl.png/1425331966854.jpg)
A man with a keen interest in the final frontier has launched his own space centre which aims to educate others on life outside of Earth.
Phone ET, why don't we?
![ET phones home in the beloved 1980s children's movie.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/r/v/4/j/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13rv3k.png/1425180005403.png)
We've been listening to the stars since 1960, and they haven't spoken. Is it time to shout into space?
Follow the gamma-rays
![SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE: Some types of supermassive black holes shoot out jets of electromagnetic radiation including radio waves which can be detected by radio telescopes.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/r/r/g/q/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13rrdo.png/1425169118251.jpg)
Warkworth's observatory has pinpointed a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy.
Strange creatures of the Antarctic waters
![Antarctic toothfish](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/q/w/o/i/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13qjsq.png/1425010813841.jpg)
Researchers on board the Niwa research ship Tangaroa are pulling an array of strange creatures out of icy Antarctic waters as they investigate the health of the foodweb supporting the prized commercial species toothfish.
When will the sun go dark?
![Experts estimate the sun will continue to shine for another five billion years.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/q/g/z/r/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13qev2.png/1425326237974.jpg)
Will the sun last forever? Experts estimate how long our big star has left.
Great depths for silverfish study
![Terra Nova Bay. Photograph by Dave Allen on 21 February 2015.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/p/c/v/b/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13pa1g.png/1424913367408.jpg)
An echosounder will sit deep under the water off the coast of Antarctica for 200 days in a bid to learn more about a key species in the area's food chain.
DNA + tech = your face
![Composite image of Ellen McRae Greytak, bioinformatics manager at Parabon Nanolabs, alongside computer-generated profile of her created from a sample of her DNA.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/o/0/a/t/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13nylr.png/1424817082984.jpg)
New technology uses tiny amounts of DNA to computer-generate illustration of a criminal suspect's face.
Why do we blush?
![Gina Grimshaw, from Victoria University's School of Psychology.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/m/v/7/l/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13fpxt.png/1424724713987.jpg)
Victoria University researchers explain why the most honest and uncontrollable expression of emotion occurs.
Space photo of 'sunglint' over NZ
![PHENOMENAL: An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this image with a Nikon D4 digital camera last month.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/m/j/6/k/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13mjfb.png/1424771579849.jpg)
Nasa releases spectacular photo of NZ - while dissing our weather and mangling our geography.
The tip of the iceberg
![Blake Hornblow (left) and Zac Penman (right) on the 'Monkey Island' in Terra Nova Bay.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/m/6/t/x/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13m6st.png/1424805647462.jpg)
First-year science students Zach and Blake are on the adventure of a lifetime in Antarctica.
Why cannabis gives you the munchies
![Synthetic cannabis... "It's a chemical compound that they are smoking - it's not meant for human consumption."](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/2/q/v/t/p/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13iy27.png/1424309933703.jpg)
It's well-known that smoking marijuana causes an appetite for junk food. But why?
Pictures: Through the ice
![Ice](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/i/s/7/u/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13itbw.png/1424295414042.jpg)
These stunning photos and time-lapse video were sent from the Niwa research vessel Tangaroa, which is cruising through Antarctica's Ross Sea.
Student gets under fake skin
![SKIN DEEP: Hamish McIntosh.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/i/n/1/0/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13imai.png/1424251986162.jpg)
A Wellington student hopes his 3D printed skin will help trainee doctors perfect their stitches.
Life on Earth 3 billion years ago?
![IT WAS LIFE, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT: New findings have pushed back scientists' understanding of when life on our planet was widespread.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/h/m/6/t/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13hm9o.png/1424213600933.jpg)
New findings push back scientists' understanding of when life on our planet was widespread.
Kiwi in Mars mission countdown
![Mission to Mars](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/g/j/k/w/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13gnoq.png/1424198399129.jpg)
An Iranian migrant living in Auckland reaches the final selection stage for a planned mission to Mars.
Bees on the radio
![BUZZING OUT: Ashleigh Weatherall.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/g/i/j/f/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13gi6p.png/1424122821592.jpg)
Waikato student Ashleigh Weatherall has been attaching radio transmitters to bees.
A big, blue friend
![SURFACED: Scientists have spotted several Antarctic blue whales in the Southern Ocean](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/g/8/a/t/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13g89n.png/1424065397641.jpg)
A rare Antarctic blue whale has taken a shine to a Niwa research vessel, tracking it across the Southern Ocean.
Geoengineering to cool the planet?
![COOL IT: Scientists say "geoengineering" may be necessary to combat climate change caused by human activity, such as this coal-fired power station near Liverpool, England.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/g/7/v/2/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13g7jz.png/1424339050254.jpg)
A panel of experts is calling for tests to find ways to combat global warming.
First of three Friday 13s
![SUPERSTITIOUS?: The black cat, another icon of ill fortune.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/d/m/l/0/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13djyc.png/1423781455427.jpg)
For the superstitious, 2015 is shaping up to be a stressful year - there are three Friday 13ths on the calendar.
World dumping 8.8 million tons of plastics into oceans each year
![Rubbish: Jenna Jambeck, an environment engineering professor at the University of Georgia, holds a plastic bag with trash collected from a clean up at Panama Beach, Florida, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Jose, California.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/d/i/6/s/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13di34.png/1423770605879.jpg)
New study reveals each year about 8.8 million tons of plastic ends up in the world oceans, a quantity much higher than previous estimates.
Scientists unravel what makes popcorn pop
![Exploded pieces of popcorn from the French researchers' study.](/web/20150309233120im_/http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/c/w/z/n/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.13cvmf.png/1423713903635.png)
French researchers didn't take for granted how a simple kernel of corn can metamorphose into a fluffy treat.