Features

Every day around the world billions of bowel actions take place in an "exercise that can take a few desperate seconds, or any number of interminable lonely minutes” says an Australian surgeon. Audio

Astronomer Duncan Steel specialises in defending the earth from potential impacts. Audio

If we accept that straight women's sexual preference for tall, dominant men has an evolutionary basis, it will be easier to break down cultural norms, says an Australian psychologist. Audio

Squeaky Bum Time hosts Emile Donovan and Max Towle are joined by business editor and tragic England fan Gyles Beckford and the BBC's South American correspondent Tim Vickery. Audio

Reggae group Six60 will the first ever group to perform their own headline show at one of Auckland's most iconic rock venues, Western Springs Stadium. The group are set to perform in February 2019.

Te Kōanga is the name of a new work by Gareth Farr, written for the touring Heath Quartet. It was commissioned in memory of Wellington luthier Ian Lyons. Audio

Analysis - It's a great bumper sticker. Ban foreign buyers! It's simple, it resonates and appeals to our sense of fair play. But what's the problem we're trying to fix? Writes Guyon Espiner.

Mental health is a little less intimidating to talk about if you can have a few laughs along the way, says the host of the interview podcast The Hilarious World of Depression. Video, Audio

The tap, tap, tapping of a computer keyboard is probably not what you would normally associate with Polynesian design and tattoos. Video, Audio

The police chief in Papua New Guinea's Manus province has justified the use of a curfew for refugees in Lorengau. Audio

Auckland duo and twins Lexxa introduce their song 'I Got Better Friends Now'. Audio

Ben Elms – aka Dr Compost – is a man passionate about the difference between dirt and soil. The key to great yields is 'superhero' soil and for that you'll need compost, he says. Video, Audio, Gallery

Listen again: The National Band of NZ is directed by Nigel Weeks, and recorded in Wellington by RNZ Concert. Audio

Former lawyer Pania Newton's has gone to the UN three times in a fight to preserve Ihumātao, coastal land in Mangere, where the first New Zealanders planted gardens. Video, Audio

Sixties folk-pop group The Seekers broke up 50 years ago now, but they’re far from forgotten. Kirsten Johnstone speakers with former singer Judith Durham and double bass player Athol Guy. Video, Audio

Listen again: Matthias Balzat performs Elgar's Cello Concerto with the National Youth Orchestra conducted by Guy Noble.

When Ken Perkins died, he left behind a collection of more than 80,000 records - some of them worth tens of thousands of dollars.  Audio

Three Porirua College students' rendition of the national anthem has been viewed 275,000 times within 24 hours of being posted on Facebook. Video, Audio

The King of Tonga has officially appointed Losaline Ma'asi as the country's Minister of Internal Affairs and Sports, replacing 'Akosita Lavulavu.

Multi tasking is a myth according to neuroscientist Amishi Jha. She says we need to pay more attention to attention because stress and mind wandering diminish the power of our brains to work at peak performance.  Audio

Russia's non-alcoholic drink of choice, Kvas, which is more popular than Coca-Cola in the country, is now being brewed in Christchurch. Audio

Trevor Reekie catches up with blues aficionado Gary Atkinson, who owns Document Records and plays blues inspired songs from around the world.  Audio

"The first thing that strikes you about Soil, his long-playing debut, is the voice. It’s a fine, weirdly androgynous sound, and it flutters around a lyric that imagines the physical journey his words will take upon leaving him." Audio

Social media is no longer new territory, so why do so many professionals still get it so badly wrong? Charlotte Graham-McLay investigates.