Stories by Alison Ballance

Trevor the caterpillar and Julie the dragonfly are soft robots that can walk and flap using electricity that powers artificial muscles, without a printed circuit board in sight.

Four scientists talk about genetics and how it can help in the conservation of rare birds such as little spotted kiwi.

Kiwi canine DNA has been collected as part of a global project, called Darwin's Dogs, investigating the genes behind the personalities of dogs.

Migraines are debilitating headaches, and Debbie Hay says that new drugs targeting the pain hormone CGRP are showing lots of promise.

What is the Waiwhetu aquifer, where does its water come from, and what does it mean for the Wellington region - Alison Ballance investigates.

Putauhinu, one of the southern Tītī Islands, has become a remarkable rat-free sanctuary, gifting rare land birds to other islands.

A lab-on-a-chip developed at the University of Canterbury is allowing biologists to measure the minute force generated by a single fungal thread.

Amber is beautiful to look at - and it is also an incredible window into the prehistoric past.

Geologists are using a vertical cannon to test how different roofing materials - and even hard hats - can withstand the impact of flying volcanic rocks.

Microbes, such as the fungi-like kauri dieback disease, use chemicals to sense their world - and understanding this might help us to develop new treatments.

Stem cells have the potential to cure many diseases, but first, we need to find the best ways of growing them in the lab - and their physical environment may be key.

As more microbes develop resistance to every kind of antimicrobial treatment, the threat of dying from even common infectious diseases is increasing - so what should we be doing about it?

The Ash Lab at the University of Canterbury is where geologists test the impact of volcanic ash on all sorts of vital infrastructure.

Kim Mellor suspects that fructose, as well as glucose, is causing diabetic heart disease and she is looking at its effect on heart cells and heart muscle.

Massey University acoustics researchers have been working with childcare centres that are keen to lower noise levels and protect the hearing of young children.

Some antibiotics are designed to target the ribosomes of bacteria and disrupt the production of proteins - so how do the bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance?

Six months after the destructive magnitude 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake, scientists are still unravelling what happened during this very complex seismic event.

Tim Muller is a scientist by day and a comedian by night. He brings his one-man science-themed show to the NZ International Comedy Festival.

Ahi Pepe | Moth Net is a Te Reo-focused citizen science project involving primary schools collecting information about moths in their neighbourhoods.

Genetic tools will help New Zealand meets its aim of being Predator Free by 2050 - but we need to understand what they are and have a public conversation about their use.

Wyatt Page is concerned that the noisy world we live in and our increasing use of loud headphones is bad for our hearing.

Understanding the 'dress code' that allows clover plants to recognise friendly nitrogen-fixing bacteria could help us improve farming efficiency.

A project to develop and commercialise better bone grafting material using the antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles is underway at the University of Otago.

As Cyclone Cook passes over New Zealand's east coast, cutting power and closing roads, Alison Ballance looks at the science of tropical cyclones.

The Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust has been trying to solve the many mysteries of our smallest seabird, the New Zealand storm petrel, which breeds on Hauturu / Little Barrier Island.