Nic Rawlence

New information about one of New Zealands mysterious extinct birds has come to light. Associate Professor Nic Rawlence is the Director of Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory at the University of Otago… Audio

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 Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week. Audio

A dwindling workforce and tricky legal territory is putting the world of fossil hunting on shaky ground. Audio

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

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

A groundbreaking "bone bath" technique developed by researchers at the University of Otago now allows researchers to access ancient DNA non-destructively.  Audio, Gallery

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

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

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

Dr Nic Rawlence talks to Jesse about what's been discovered. Audio

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

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

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

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

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