Old fishes telling new stories
Some of the fishes in our collection were collected over 100 years ago. Fish Collection Manager Andrew Stewart explains how these ‘time capsules of data’ are central in current research.Read more
2019-06-27
Moa vs Superman: Poignant extinction lessons via a 1970s comic
‘This Superman story is actually a great portrayal of an extinct species and its tragic fate at the hands of humankind.’ Science researcher Rodrigo Salvador tells us more.Read more
2019-06-14
Over-looked for a century: Macquarie Island shag added to the New Zealand list
‘Presumably no-one bothered to check till now whether Ogilvie-Grant knew one shag from another.’ Curator Colin Miskelly shares his research resulting in the addition of a new (or old) bird to the official New Zealand bird list.Read more
2019-06-10
Using museum collections to solve the Pink and White Terraces mystery
Scientist and aspiring field art historian George Hook shares his story on how he applied new methodology to help pin down the location of the iconic Pink and White Terraces, lost to the world with the Mt Tarawera eruption of 1886.Read more
2019-06-05
A new tree fern – or an unexpected hybrid?
In 2015, ecologists Chris Stowe and Claire Newell found a strange fern during a vegetation survey in Whirinaki Forest, in the eastern North Island. They sent a frond to Te Papa’s fern experts Leon Perrie and Patrick Brownsey, who were also puzzled. This fern was clearly a Dicksonia tree fern but didn’t match any known species. Was it a new species?Read more
2019-05-27
What would Māui do? Playing with tough topics in Te Taiao | Nature
How do you make topics like climate change and water pollution accessible and fun? Is it ok for Te Papa to take a playful approach to such serious territory? Experience Developers Jen Craddock and Ralph Upton explain how the team took on this challenge, using mischief-maker Māui as their guide.Read more
2019-05-22
How a retirement hobby has led to an expert eye for liverworts
Te Papa research associate Peter Beveridge (87) is having a very busy retirement. He recently described a new species of liverwort. Te Papa science researcher Lara Shepherd talked to Peter about how he came to be interested in these fascinating tiny plants.Read more
2019-05-20
A nature wonderland at Norfolk Island
Head of Science Susan Waugh describes her trip to Phillip Island, a few kilometres offshore from Norfolk Island, to study the Kermadec petrel.Read more
2019-04-12
Summer scholars: Working side-by-side with students
Every year, Te Papa partners with Victoria University in their Summer Research Scholarships initiative. Here, we introduce them and the projects they worked on.Read more
2019-04-01
Seeing the museum through the eyes of our youngest learners
Museums can sometimes feel like alien spaces for young learners, a place where words like ‘play’ and ‘explore’ might not always be an immediate association. But for educator Martin Langdon, these are the key drivers he keeps in mind when designing learning programmes aimed at learners under 5-years-old.Read more
2019-02-28
Backbones are overrated: Why invertebrates deserve a break
Summer research scholar Katrin O’Donnell explains why we need people to care about the weird and wonderful invertebrate animals which make up the majority of the planet’s biomass, and her investigations into how invertebrate scientists around the world can engage with non-scientists and vice-versa.Read more
2019-02-12
Valleys Between: A game to raise environmental awareness
Natural history researcher Rodrigo Salvador is out and about looking for initiatives that join science and pop culture. He did not need to venture too far in Welly to find this one, though.Read more
2019-02-07
Help us nail these 17th century bugs!
This is the second part to Dr Mark Stocker’s series of blogs asking you to help identify a number of butterflies, moths, and other insects in a series of 17th century prints by Anglo-Czech etcher Wenceslaus Hollar.Read more
2019-01-29
Prehistoric desert snails
Did you know snails can live in the desert? Natural history researcher Rodrigo Salvador tells us a little about a curious set of fossils discovered in Algeria.Read more
2018-12-13
Female fossil hunters: Mary Ann Mantell, Mary Anning, and Joan Wiffen
Despite the public image of fossil hunters as macho men with pickaxes, many women have made important contributions with their fossil discoveries. Scientist Lara Shepherd looks back at some pioneering female fossil hunters.Read more
2018-10-12