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Make a water strider
Have you ever wondered how water striders can walk on water? Wonder no longer! Gerris lacustris, commonly known as the common pond skater or common water strider You will need Thin wire (ours was 0.3...
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Weedy hungry insects
A Cabomba weevil feeds on the Cabomba weed, helping to stop its spread. Credit: CSIRO How do insects choose their favourite weed? Scientists hoping to control weeds want to know if these insects will...
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Top 5 activities of 2024
This year, we designed and tested a whopping 22 hands-on STEM activities! Here’s a roundup of the five most popular to keep you busy all summer: Pom pom cannon (engineering) Logic puzzles (maths)...
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Brainteaser: Everywhere is south
Difficulty: Fun A famous person built a square house so that the windows on all four sides look south. Where is this house? (And can you name the famous person?) Need a hint? Think of where you are on...
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Planetary post: Australia’s Moon rover
An Australian-built rover is headed to the Moon! Credit: AROSE artists impression Greetings, Earthlings. Gail Lexy here, getting ready for lunar living! When astronomers first looked at the Moon...
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Microscope: Why does my voice sound different on recordings?
Double Helix is looking for your questions! Our Microscope column answers the most intriguing science, tech, engineering and maths queries you can throw at us. Comment down below with your question,...
View ArticleThe 2024 Megaquiz!
2024 is winding to a close and 2025 is just around the corner. What better way to celebrate than with a science quiz! This quiz contains (almost) all of the science trivia questions featured in Double...
View ArticleEight eights brainteaser
Difficulty: Fun Here are eight 8s 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Put some plus signs in there to make 1000. Need a hint? Grab a piece of paper and just try it out! If you don’t have a plus sign between the 8s,...
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The quantum bee
Credit: tracielouise / Getty Images What’s all this buzz about quantum? Maybe you’ve heard it in science class or maybe in a sci-fi movie! No matter where you’ve come across it, you probably know it’s...
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Top brainteasers of 2024
Double Helix Extra readers really got busy with brainteasers in 2024! Let’s do a count down of your top 5: To begin a brainteaser, it’s often a good idea to take a seat. Make sure you find the right...
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The quantum choose-your-own-adventure
Credit: Malte Mueller / Getty Images Maybe you’ve heard about quantum in science class or maybe in a sci-fi book! No matter where you’ve come across it, you probably know it’s a bit strange, maybe...
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20 STEM activities to celebrate summer!
It’s summer! To a scientist, that means the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. And to young Australians, it means lots of school holidays! To celebrate, we’ve hand-picked 20 hands-on STEM...
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The top 7 news stories of 2024
Mary using the lasso-like grip to shower her back. Credit: Urban et al./Current Biology Hey, did you hear the news? We published over 20 articles covering the latest news in science, technology,...
View ArticleSummer – A quick quiz
We’re bringing the heat with this summery quiz! Can you breeze through all 5 questions? QUIZ START The post Summer – A quick quiz appeared first on Double Helix.
View ArticleBrainteaser: A lamington and a half
Difficulty: Tricky Rita is making lamingtons for her birthday party and cuts them precisely into 5-centimetre cubes. While playing around with an antique balance scale, she discovers that one...
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Look into the past with fossil poo from a giant bird
The upland moa left behind fossil poo for researchers to study. Credit: George Edward Lodge via Wikimedia Commons. The biggest birds today are the ostrich and Australia’s emu. Ostriches can be 2.7m...
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Make wombat poo lamingtons
Did you know that wombat poo is shaped like cubes? Celebrate the fascinating reasons for how and why while making some delicious mini lamingtons. You will need Vanilla sponge cake (homemade or...
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Why quantum scientists are like aliens
Artist’s impression of an alien world with alien cities. Credit: NASA/Jay Freidlander What’s all this buzz about quantum? Maybe you’ve heard it in science class or maybe in a sci-fi movie! No matter...
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Interview with an author
Double Helix reviewer, Elvie, had questions after reading The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals, here’s what author Sami Bayly had to say. Sami Bayly, author and illustrator Q: What are some...
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A SUPERhero drone
SUPER moves fast and avoids obstacles, much like a bird. Credit: The University of Hong Kong. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, its… a drone named SUPER! Engineers from Hong Kong have just designed a drone...
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