RNZ: This Way Up

A user's guide to lightning. So what causes lightning and what should you do when you get caught in a thunderstorm? With Metservice extreme weather forecaster Erick Brenstrum.

Tech correspondent Peter Griffin on how Google's search results are getting tweaked to punish alleged copyright infringers. Plus the new wave of social networks; could paid-for or invite-only social networks be the way of the future?

Bart Weetjens of APOPO is training giant rats in Africa to sniff out landmines.

Bikinis have been banned from the upcoming Miss Italy competition. Also the smell of cash is being used to catch people smuggling money over the border. Tom Kington lives in Italy and writes for The Guardian.

Alexander Grainger is on a team of young Canadian inventors using off the shelf gaming technology to make buildings more energy efficient.

It's hard to imagine the internet as a physical place...it exists as a sort of abstract notion, at least until your internet connection stops working! That's what happened to Andrew Blum who had to confront the fact that the internet is made up of tubes, lots of tubes. We speak to Andrew about his book 'Tubes: Behind the Scenes at the Internet'.

Bedbug numbers are on the the rise worldwide and infestations can costs businesses millions of dollars, with hotels and pest controllers fighting costly legal cases. Toby Fountain is using genetic fingerprinting techniques to track down the source of bedbug breakouts.

With global populations rising, and with more cash to spend on food, the world's protein demands are set to increase. Dr Mike Boland of The Riddet Institute is working on the Proteos Project; its focus is on protein and on finding ways to produce more of it.

Plants respond to light and chemicals, and can even make sounds. But are they able to communicate? Dr Monica Gagliano of the University of Western Australia is investigating bioacoustics in plants.

Medical matters with Dr Lynn McBain. As any migraine sufferer will tell you they're excruciatingly painful. So what's the difference between a migraine and a normal headache?

Professor David Edwards of Harvard University is working on a new form of edible, washable food packaging called wikicells.

The latest science news from around the world with Dr Chris Smith. This week, the discovery of stem cells in tumours explains how cancers spread, and could help future treatments.

Christian Brüggemann is on a team of young German inventors working on smarter in-car GPS that can save you time and fuel when mapping a journey.

After decades of declining interest and bankruptcies, the kibbutz movement in Israel is undergoing a revival. We find out why with Harriet Sherwood.

Australian writer Gideon Haigh's just written a comprehensive history of the office, and its place in our culture.