Double Helix

Looking for seriously fun science, technology, engineering, and maths news for your curious kids or tech-talented teens? We've got you covered! Inside every issue you'll find articles, activities, puzzles, comics, and prizes galore. Perfect reading for enquiring minds, CSIRO's Double Helix magazine is packed with news, features, fun experiments, giveaways and more. Each issue focuses on a different theme, from smells to spaceships and beyond! With clear language and eye-catching design, the content promotes critical thinking, strengthens literacy skills and is the perfect fuel to spark or sustain an interest in STEM. Double Helix is published eight times a year. It is ideal for 8 to 13-year-olds and enjoyed by older readers as well.

Double Helix

HELIX HQ

ON THE DOUBLE

SAND CIRCLE SECRETS • For years, divers in Japanese waters marvelled at circular sand structures on the seabed. Were these natural wonders – as wide as beach umbrellas – formed by water currents? Or were they the result of forces at work under the seabed?

SELF-DRIVING WHEELCHAIRS • CSIRO has teamed up with Australian company Control Bionics and Deakin University to create the world’s first self-driving wheelchair.

DRONES TO THE RESCUE! • Emergency – snake bite! When people need medical help fast, drones can get life-saving supplies to them faster than any ambulance can. Drones can carry blood, vaccines, antivenom, and even heart defibrillators.

SPIDER UNDERCOVER • Scientists from Peking University in China have found a jumping spider that pretends to be an ant!

AIR TAXIS NO LONGER SCIENCE FICTION • Imagine this: You’re late for school, the car is at the mechanic and it’s too far to ride. You tap on an app. Next thing you know, you’re the passenger in a flying taxi!

SINGING AURORAS

TACKLING WEEDS FROM THE SKY • It’s easy to pull out a few garden weeds. But what about a whole army of weeds camouflaging themselves in fields of greens? Leave it to artificial intelligence (AI)-piloted drones.

BY THE NUMBERS: MISSION DRAGONFLY

SAY GOODBYE TO CHARGING CABLES • Scientists in Melbourne have made a world-first discovery. It’s a unique way to power our electronic gadgets from the air we breathe!

CURIOUS RATS SOLVE PUZZLES • Did you know that rats, like people, have unique personalities? And rats can also solve problems through curiosity and learning!

MANY EYES ON NEW JELLYFISH • Scientists have discovered a new sea jelly related to Australia’s very own tropical stinger – the box jellyfish.

WALKING SHARKS SAVE THE REEF • Gunaikurnai scientist Courtney Burns is passionate about caring for ocean Country. She explores connections between sharks, climate change and First Nations Peoples.

DESKTOP-DRIVING MINING MACHINES • From their workstations in Perth, modern-day miners drive machines in the Pilbara – 1,500 kilometres away.

FLIGHT OVER ANOTHER WORLD

TRACKING THE SWIFT PARROT

A DRONE’S EYE VIEW OF FUTURE FARMING • The drone boots up with a cheerful tune that sounds a bit like a clown car. But when its 6 propellers start to turn, it makes a serious buzzing noise. As the drone flies higher and higher, the camera it carries gets a powerful view of the farm below.

POSTER

Universal Guide to the Night Sky

Do Penguins’ Feet Freeze? Wild answers to wacky questions from nature! • BY NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM LONDON, ENGLAND

Jack & Joins Time-Traveling Shed

THE JUICE ON JUPITER • The European Space Agency’s JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission has launched.

SELF-DRIVING PROBLEMS • Ten years ago, self-driving cars were ‘only a few years away’. So what’s taking so long, and why might this be a good thing?

THE ROAD TO THE FUTURE

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