In praise of darkness
In praise of darkness
George Eliot wrote that if we could truly perceive the fullness of ordinary life, it would be like hearing the grass grow.
The roads not taken, the mounds not dug
The roads not taken, the mounds not dug
In 1961, I spent the summer in Macedonia, excavating a Neolithic village occupied about 8000 years ago.
Bacan’s beefy bee a big, boisterous bug
Bacan’s beefy bee a big, boisterous bug
I was recently asked to name the world’s largest bee. This giant is Megachile pluto.
Jesus took centuries to grow a beard
Jesus took centuries to grow a beard
May 29, 1453 was a momentous day.
Belonging in the universe
Belonging in the universe
There is a letter in my files that I occasionally take out and read.
When the hills come alive
![Anna Caselberg (née Woollaston, 1942-2004), Mihiwhaka [sic] Hills, 3a, 1980, oil on board:...](https://www.odt.co.nz/sites/default/files/styles/odt_square_2col/public/story/2026/06/hocken_image_3.jpg?itok=MonQmjRO)
When the hills come alive
We need not regard our landscape as fixed, Phoebe Thompson writes.
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Don’t push me cos I’m close to the edge
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Don’t push me cos I’m close to the edge
ARGH!!!!! How’s the ol’ nervous system?
In a trailblazer’s wake
In a trailblazer’s wake
A new name for the South’s marine reserves carries a legacy of charting new horizons, Tom McKinlay and Luke Chapman report.
Be it ever so humble
Be it ever so humble
Entering someone’s house uninvited is not to be taken lightly.
A moon to watch with pumpkin soup
A moon to watch with pumpkin soup
A reporter called to ask me about the strawberry moon. That’s what they’re calling Sunday night’s full moon.
A tentacle’s tender embrace
A tentacle’s tender embrace
The documentary My Octopus Teacher is a true account of a common South African octopus with which the documentary film-maker and naturalist Craig Foster formed a close acquaintance.
Climate remains the crisis of our times
Climate remains the crisis of our times
The urgency of the climate crisis demands we remain focused on solutions, despite all the distractions, writes Prof Janet Stephenson.
Weaving a welcome
Weaving a welcome
Ana Teofilo’s design for a new carpet at Tūhura Otago Museum draws from the rich visual language of Pacific cultures, she tells Kim Dungey.
7 Weight-loss myths exposed
7 Weight-loss myths exposed
Gary Dawkins dispels some myths about losing weight.
We’re still subsidising emissions
We’re still subsidising emissions
Farmers should be supported to take climate action, not shielded from it, Sean Connelly writes.
Seaweed washes up at museum
Seaweed washes up at museum
Mystery surrounds the origin of a seaweed collection at Tūhura Otago Museum, writes On Le Lau.
The genius of metal
The genius of metal
Sometimes we can take technological breakthroughs by genius ancestors for granted.
The universe we don’t see
The universe we don’t see
The night sky we share online is not quite the one we actually stand beneath.
Fungus behind growths that can fell trees
Fungus behind growths that can fell trees
An Acacia dealbata branch bearing large, brown, lobed, and inflated galls on the mature seed pods was brought to the museum for identification.
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Epic new epoch
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Epic new epoch
Four young Dunedin bands are drawing on the city’s rock ’n’ roll heritage to create new possibilities, Tom McKinlay writes.
