Nic Rawlence
How the takahe are helping climate change research
They're a national treasure but the origins of the takahe have long been a point of scientific debate. Dr Nic Rawlence co-authored new research on the birds, he speaks to Jesse. Audio
The Week in Detail: COP27, Te Urewera, and Make It 16
The Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week. Audio
NZ's prehistoric past at risk of crumbling away
A dwindling workforce and tricky legal territory is putting the world of fossil hunting on shaky ground. Audio
DNA reveals history of Aotearoa’s manu
We've got new knowledge about the whakapapa of kokako, huia, and tieke saddlebacks. They're all part of the Wattle bird family, unique to Aotearoa. Audio
New Zealand needs to adopt a fossil emblem
Dr Nic Rawlence is on a mission to side line the kiwi and silver ferns as our national emblems and instead have a fossil flying on flags around the country. Audio
Dr Nic Rawlence: game-changing method to extract ancient DNA
A groundbreaking "bone bath" technique developed by researchers at the University of Otago now allows researchers to access ancient DNA non-destructively. Audio, Gallery
New giant duck discovered in St Bathans, Otago
The latest discovery at Otago's St Bathans fossil site is a new species of large, extinct, duck. Nic Rawlence of Otago's Department of Zoology, who got to name the new species, talks to Jesse. Audio
Tuatara relatives found in Arizona
Most of us know our beloved national reptile, the tuatara, as the rarest of global creatures.
Time was, however, when the tutara was just as plentiful as those other reptilian characters, and not… Audio
Kurī arrived with humans in Aotearoa and impacted biodiversity
When the first humans arrived in Aotearoa, they brought with them a few animal friends: the kiore and the now extinct kurī. Researchers have looked at how that impacted on the biodiversity. Audio
Were Moa and people co-existing on Rakiura Stewart island?
Dr Nic Rawlence talks to Jesse about what's been discovered. Audio
Concern about mining in Foulden Maar
There's serious concern from scientists that a geologically significant site may be mined by an off-shore company. Newsroom is reporting that Plaman Resources plans to dig into Foulden Maar in Otago's… Audio
Who were the Denisovans?
Archaeologists have unearthed a jawbone in Tibet which changes the way we see our pre-human relatives. Until very recently the only remains of Denisovans that we've been able to find have been in a… Audio, Gallery
Does Te Papa's new-look restructure answer its critics?
After months of uncertainty and disquiet in the science community Te Papa's restructure is out. Five roles in all have been disestablished across Te Papa, of which two are currently vacant. The… Audio
DNA in fossil bone fragments reveals NZ's lost world
Bags of bone fragments are casting a genetic spotlight on New Zealand's lost natural world, and on the impact of early Polynesians on its biota. Audio
Our Changing World for 26 July 2018
Ancient e-DNA from bits of old bones is shedding new light on New Zealand's "lost world" and the impact of humans, and concerns about Te Papa's natural history collections. Audio
Hunted to extinction - the Chatham Island sea lion
Within 200 years of settling the Chatham Islands, Moriori had hunted the local sea lion to extinction. What lessons can we learn from that? Audio
Human hunting and Stewart Island Shags
Hunting by Maori had very different effects on the Stewart Island and Otago populations of Stewart Island shags. Audio
Waitaha Penguin Out, Yellow-Eyed Penguin In
A new study shows that yellow-eyed penguins colonised New Zealand within just a few decades of the Waitaha penguin becoming extinct Audio
The extinction of the Waitaha Penguin - Dr Nic Rawlence
Research from Otago University has revealed new information on a phenomena called a 'biological transition event'. That's where one species replaces another. In this case the animal in question is the… Audio
Kiwi Evolutionary History
Meet the kiwi's close cousin, the flightless elephant bird from Madagascar, and find out what ancient DNA tells us about prehistoric New Zealand. Audio