Value the darkness before it goes
Value the darkness before it goes
A confession: I am not, by nature, a political animal. I prefer my debates to be settled by photons rather than policy.
Chaste fish doing fine
Chaste fish doing fine
Ground-breaking research was recently published on the longevity and genetic integrity of the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), a clonal, parthenogenetic fish that defies the expectations of...
When you have an itch to scratch
When you have an itch to scratch
Some birds have no problem putting their finger on the source of an irritating problem, Marcus Richards writes.
The shared world of our villages
The shared world of our villages
Human connection is what underpins community and a person’s village.
Cuddling up to the computer
Cuddling up to the computer
We are increasingly looking to digital companions to satisfy our emotional needs, James Muldoon writes in his new book Love Machines.
Two visions of the same aurora
Two visions of the same aurora
Autumn has arrived in Middlemarch.
Gypsum proves to be a remarkable preserver of Roman history
Gypsum proves to be a remarkable preserver of Roman history
Liquid gypsum is used today to improve the quality of clay soil, but in Roman times, it had a quite different application.
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Burn time
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Burn time
Another summer has left its legacy of sunburn as skin cancer warnings lose a battle with online influencers.
Scrolling in a sewer
Scrolling in a sewer
What do teenage boys see on TikTok?
Food for exercise
Holistic fitness: Food for exercise
If we think of fats, proteins and carbohydrates as the building blocks of our food, then vitamins and minerals are the nuts and bolts.
Recognising the impact of female archaeologists
Recognising the impact of female archaeologists
As I am writing this it is International Women’s Day, and how appropriate to look back on the many contributions that women have made to understanding our human past.
Slow down for secondhand style
Slow down for secondhand style
There is a pair of jeans in my wardrobe I have worn and patched and worn again more times than I can count.
Visitors among us
Visitors among us
Every now and then an astronomer finds themselves asking a question that sounds faintly ridiculous but is, in fact, perfectly reasonable.
Working together to learn more
Working together to learn more
On calm nights in Middlemarch, when the wind drops and the paddocks fall quiet, my usual practice is to step outside before bed and gaze upwards.
Setting suffrage story straight
Setting suffrage story straight
The role of leading Dunedin suffrage campaigner Harriet Morison has been cancelled, Jane Tolerton argues. It is past time the fervent unionist and feminist was given her due.
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Heading north to meet his mum
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Heading north to meet his mum
Reet enough, the Yorkshireman and I are off to the north, the far north and Scotland in a couple of months to meet his mum.
Splashing out of the gene pool
Splashing out of the gene pool
Whenever we have out of town visitors staying, I take them on an expedition to the Aramoana mole, at the mouth of Otago Harbour. There, without fail, we can see New Zealand fur-seals on the rocks...
Steam dreams roll out at scale
Steam dreams roll out at scale
Steam didn’t get the traction in the South that some expected, Peter Read writes. But for some it was still the very model of progress.
Virtual museums make finds more accessible
Virtual museums make finds more accessible
When I began studying archaeology nearly 70 years ago, my professor illustrated his lectures with the aid of glass slides projected through an antediluvian machine known as an epidiascope.
Days of the pioneers
Days of the pioneers
Long before the likes of Lord of the Rings and The Power of the Dog discovered the stunning backdrops of Otago’s outback, there was a locally made TV drama that set the benchmark of what was to follow.
