This year scientists have been making new discoveries as far away as Mars and as close to home as inside the human gut.
The Mars rover Curiosity has been Auckland University nanotechnology expert Michelle Dickinson's favourite story of the year.
And Massey University biosciences lecturer Heather Hendrickson has been fascinated by developments in fossil DNA research, which has shed new light on human evolution.
There have also been breakthroughs in understanding how the human body works, particularly how microbes in our gut can affect our mental health, and other bodily and brain functions.
And lab-grown meat has opened up the possibility of eating delicious burgers without having to kill anything.
Watch the video for the full interview with Michelle Dickinson and Heather Hendrickson.
source: newshub archive
