Stories by Ellen Rykers

From the puzzles of our mind to the deep sea and the far-flung subantarctic islands, these podcast episodes have explored our changing world in 2024.

Researchers are spinning a web of perfumed lies to trap invasive redback spiders.

Analysis - For the last 10 years, the NZ science ecosystem has featured a series of 11 big, keystone projects on big, gnarly challenges.

Caves created by rivers of lava underlie New Zealand’s biggest city. A new research project is documenting Auckland's lava caves, hoping to protect this hidden geological heritage and understand what…

Every year, tens to hundreds of seabirds fall out of the sky across Auckland city. Disoriented by the bright lights, Cook's petrels crash-land and collide with buildings – but a dedicated group of…

Sunfish are the world's largest bony fish species – and yet scientists know little about their lives. This week, Our Changing World meets a sunfish researcher unravelling mola mysteries and dives into…

The eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai in January triggered a tsunami of unprecedented proportions, impacting the entire Pacific. How did this volcanic eruption lead to a tsunami detected across…