John Gibb

An ancient case of a mother's vitamin deficiency contributing to her infant's death ''pulls at the heart strings'', Associate Prof Sian Halcrow says.

No mirrors, no Lycra, no judgement.

If you rode it, paddled it, or flew it, St Clair, Dunedin, was the place to be yesterday, with more than 50 surfers in the water in the middle of the day.

The hatching of the first chick of the breeding season at the Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head yesterday was a ‘‘very special’’ moment.

It has been a ``great'' experience for Sean Driver to return this week, as a volunteer helper, to a University of Otago summer science camp which he first attended in 2014.

More than a dozen Dunedin bus shelters are no longer being visited by buses, after major bus route changes, but this is "not a case of money being wasted".

A rare wooden Peterborough Canadian canoe made about 1920 was sold to a Queenstown buyer for $6000 in a "very buoyant" Dunedin auction yesterday.

Dunedin's Animal Rescue Network and its 40 cat foster families are under heavy pressure caring for a record 250 stray kittens and cats.

The poor condition of hundreds of life jackets traded in last week in Otago-Southland is a big warning about boating safety.

A record 67 school pupils will next week attend a University of Otago summer camp for senior pupils from rural, small and low-decile schools throughout the country.

Some criminals do extensive planning, but when it comes to murder there is still ''no such thing as a perfect crime'', a United States forensic pathologist says.

New cutting-edge University of Otago research could pave the way for much earlier identification of diabetes-related heart disease risks, greatly improving chances of survival.

Auctioning a rare Peterborough Canadian canoe made about 1920 means a ''step into the unknown'' but auction house manager Ronnie Proctor is optimistic about the outcome.

Dunedin ACC claimant advocate Dr Denise Powell remains "in the dark'' about the future of a key ACC community liaison committee and is concerned at a year-long gap between meetings.

American sociologist Leo Barrington has given 10 West African textiles to the Otago Museum, including a large cloth worn for ceremonial occasions in Ghana.

Our human delight in solving mysteries partly explains the popularity of University of Otago courses on crime scene investigation.

The Southern police district’s first blue highway patrol car arrives in Dunedin by car transporter this week. 

University humanities departments are under pressure in several countries, but humanities education is crucial to communicate more effectively and  understand life more deeply, an historian says.