Apples: crispness

Dr Roger Harker and Jason Johnston of Plant and Food Research are trying to work out why people like some apples more than others.

History of the apple

Erika Janik's written a global history of the apple. Also, Professor Julian Heyes of Massey University on New Zealand's hottest apple varieties, and how they get protected from counterfeiters.

Small solar in Africa

Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy is training illiterate African grandmothers to be solar engineers at his Barefoot College in India.

Birds: Shags

Hugh Robertson is one of the authors of The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand.

The Spark of Life

Fran Ashcroft explains the crucial role that electricity plays in the human body. So how do we generate power from within?