Nic Rawlence • Feb 28, 2022 •
On the computer screen, little pieces of genetic code are being slotted together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Slowly but surely, the genetic whakapapa of an extinct creature from the distant past is being stitched together in front of your eyes. Far from being Frankenstein’s monster … Read More
Guest Author • Mar 29, 2019 •
Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie Recently, I was wrapping up some revisions on a phenology paper and to comply with the journal’s style for taxonomy, I needed to know the authority on a species of white violets that a Maine hunting guide had noted in his diaries in the mid-twentieth century. Obviously, I turned to Wikipedia. Ecologists who study phenology (or anything!) … Read More
Nic Rawlence • Jul 23, 2018 •
In an unassuming building at the top of Tory Street in Wellington lies buried treasure: the remains of a lost world that rivals Smaug’s hoard, but the equivalent of the five armies is closing in. The proposed restructure of our national museum means we are in danger of losing the key to unlocking the secrets these biological taonga hold. Read More
Jean Balchin • Feb 23, 2018 •
“Ridiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential.” You’ve heard of Dumbo the Elephant (if you haven’t, you are missing out!), but have you heard of Dumbo the Octopod? In a report in Current Biology on February 19, researchers have described a deep sea “dumbo” octopod. These young octopods look … Read More
Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Dec 14, 2016 •
You may have already devoured H is for Hawk, but Helen Macdonald’s precursor is worth a visit (or revisit) for its marvellous story telling of the cultural and natural history of falcons. Better known for her acclaimed H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald’s precursor book Falcon has been re-released on its tenth anniversary. I’ve yet to read H is for Hawk, … Read More
Victoria Metcalf • Apr 25, 2016 •
Children have a wealth of information to teach us if we pause to observe their simple rituals as collectors and curators. They’d been playing happily on the wharf, my daughter and a new same-age friend she’d met just minutes before in the restaurant where we’d just eaten lunch. They’d cemented their bonding whilst peering down the hole around a wharf pile in the … Read More
Waiology • Dec 09, 2014 •
By Daniel Collins Over the past two months, Waiology’s Freshwater in Focus series on natural history has published 14 articles, from 13 authors and seven institutions, describing the diversity, complexity, and beauty of New Zealand’s freshwaters. From atmosphere to lithosphere and mountain to coast, we have seen examples of how water shapes the landscapes and ecosystems, and what traits plants … Read More
Hilary Miller • Jan 15, 2010 •
Hot on the heels of Forest and Bird’s “Bird of the year” competition comes the NZ Plant Conservation Network’s 2009 favourite plant poll. The winner was announced just before Christmas but I must have missed it in the Christmas rush. While voters in the bird of the year poll managed to display a stunning lack [...] … Read More