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history of science

Painting of "The School of Athens" by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino

Article

Science through time: Stone Age to Scientific Revolution

Science in the 21st century can be defined as a body of knowledge, a range of methods for increasing that ...

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Science over time: Standing on the shoulders of giants

Teacher PLD

Science over time: Standing on the shoulders of giants

Why is the sky blue? Why do stars twinkle? Why did the apple fall to the ground? What happens if ...

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Diagram from 1637 showing a man looking through optical apparatus

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Science through time: Age of Enlightenment and beyond

As seen in Science through time: Stone Age to Scientific Revolution, science has changed in many ways across the world ...

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Pūteketeke – it’s OK to laugh at Bird of the Century

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Pūteketeke – it’s OK to laugh at Bird of the Century

After a heated contest, New Zealand’s Bird of the Century was named in November 2023 – the puking and pompadoured pūteketeke. The victory isn’t just for ...

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The history of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance

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The history of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance

Infectious diseases have been a feature of life and death throughout history. Humans have been treating infections for millennia, including use of materials with antimicrobial properties ...

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Can customary harvesting of our native species be sustainable?

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Can customary harvesting of our native species be sustainable?

An overhaul of the conservation laws of Aotearoa could allow Māori to resume traditional harvesting practices of some native species. This article was originally titled Can ...

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Refining dates for human habitation in the South Pacific

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Refining dates for human habitation in the South Pacific

Associate Professor Fiona Petchey, Deputy Director of the University of Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, is researching ways to refine the marine calibration curve used for converting ...

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Ancestral Māori adapted quickly in the face of rapid climate change

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Ancestral Māori adapted quickly in the face of rapid climate change

A more precise timeline now shows Aotearoa was first settled in the North Island before the settlers expanded south and then retreated again when the climate ...

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How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants

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How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants

The most controversial feature of the New Zealand flora is the plethora of small-leaved trees and shrubs with wiry interlaced branches. This article has been republished ...

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CAPSTONE – returning humans to the Moon

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CAPSTONE – returning humans to the Moon

On 20 July 1969, around 600 million people stopped to watch humans first set foot on the Moon. The words, “That’s one small step for man, ...

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Cover page from 2020 Connected journal article: Squawkzilla

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Squawkzilla

This Connected article by Sophie Fern covers the discovery of Squawkzilla – a giant parrot that lived in New Zealand 19 million years ago. Two leg ...

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Te tapa ingoa

Article

Te tapa ingoa

This Connected article by Priscilla Wehi and Hemi Whaanga explores how early Māori named and grouped the plants and animals they found around them. Discover what ...

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Cover page from article: Whakaotirangi and her Kete of Kūmara

Article

Whakaotirangi and her kete of kūmara

This Connected article recounts an important story from the oral tradition of Tainui. It tells of how the iwi’s ancestor Whakaotirangi first brought kūmara and other ...

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Florence Nightingale – a pioneer of hand washing and hygiene for health

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Florence Nightingale – a pioneer of hand washing and hygiene for health

Florence Nightingale, who was born 200 years ago, is rightly famed for revolutionising nursing. Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) was a social reformer and statistician and is regarded ...

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Betty Batham: biologist

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Betty Batham: biologist

This comic biography tells the story of Betty Batham. Betty was a pioneering female scientist and the founder of the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre in ...

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Gallium

Article

Gallium

Gallium is perhaps best known as a metal that is a solid when you pick it up and melts when it sits in your hand. Elemental ...

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Mercury

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Mercury

Mercury – named after a Roman god known for speed and agility – is a chemical element that has fascinated humans for thousands of years. Mercury ...

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Gold

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Gold

Gold is the stuff of dreams and legends. Empires have been toppled for it, pirates have plundered it and misers have hoarded it. But what does ...

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Cobalt

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Cobalt

Cobalt is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is Co and its atomic number is ...

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Lord Ernest Rutherford

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Lord Ernest Rutherford

If asked to name a famous Kiwi scientist, most New Zealanders will reply with Ernest Rutherford. He is featured on the New Zealand $100 note, and ...

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Zealandia – the submerged continent

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Zealandia – the submerged continent

New Zealand – isolated islands or part of a continent? New Zealand – the country – has a total land area of 268,000 km2 . Zealandia/Te ...

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Weather forecasting

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Weather forecasting

Weather has been important for human survival throughout history, affecting a wide range of human activities such as travel, navigation, events and celebrations, planting, harvesting, hunting ...

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Antimicrobial resistance explained

Article

Antimicrobial resistance explained

Microbes – friend or foe? Some microbes are essential to life, while others cause sickness in plants and animals, including humans. For decades, we have kept ...

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Climate change, science and controversy

Article

Climate change, science and controversy

Lately I’ve noticed something odd happening in the world of science. For the first time in my lifetime, scientists are under attack. Simon Lamb This is ...

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Antarctica: early discoveries – timeline

Article

Antarctica: early discoveries and significant events – timeline

It’s just over 200 years since people first stepped foot onto Antarctica. Explore this timeline to see some key dates in the early discoveries of this ...

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History of microscopy – timeline

Article

History of microscopy – timeline

Microscopes let us view an invisible world – the objects around us that are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This timeline provides ...

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History of gases and plasmas – timeline

Article

History of gases and plasmas – timeline

Use this timeline for a look at some of the historical aspects in the development of our understanding of gases and plasmas. 1644 – Invention of ...

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