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

AT THE POOL

A NEST OF NOUNS

THE EARS HAVE IT! • From passport photos to CCTV footage, matching pictures to a person’s face can be difficult. Here’s the thing – just 6 minutes of training has been shown to boost these matching skills!

WHAT DO YOU CALL A FLIGHTLESS FLY?

GOFFIN’S COCKATOOS USE 'GOLF CLUBS' • A composite tool has 2 separate parts used together, like a hammer and anvil. Some monkeys, apes, crows and parrots are among the few animals that use them. Now, Goffin’s cockatoos have joined the ranks of these clever critters, solving a ‘golf club task’ to get a cashew nut.

BRISTLE POWER! • Featherwing beetles are tiny specks, but they fly with the speed and agility of stronger, larger beetles. How come a bug so small can fly so well?

CHIMP-CARE • Chimpanzees in West Africa use an unusual medical treatment on cuts – insects! Here’s the lowdown.

FLYING IN A FARADAY CAGE

FAKE POOP HELPS OWLS FEEL AT HOME • Moving house is never easy, especially for burrowing owls – unless you can make them feel at home! Burrowing owls have been losing their homes to growing cities and towns, including in areas of southern California. Biologists have tried moving the owls to protected grasslands, but are finding it difficult to make the owls accept their new neighbourhoods.

BY THE NUMBERS: TRUE TALES

DNA IN THIN AIR • Traces of DNA found in the environment, known as environmental DNA (eDNA), can be used to identify nearby animals without ever seeing them. This is because living things shed their DNA all the time – in saliva, fur, poo, and even when they breathe.

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DAMAGED CORAL REEFS BANK ON STANDBY BABIES • Typhoon-damaged reefs have surprised researchers by quickly recovering, thanks to ‘seed banks’ of baby corals on standby.

SELLING BUSH FOODS SAFELY

NIGHTMARES All you have to fear is fear itself. • Waking up from a nightmare can be an upsetting experience. But even though they can be truly terrifying, bad dreams are also a normal part of growing up. So what exactly are nightmares, and why do we have them? More importantly, is there anything we can do to stop our dreams turning bad?

BUSTING ANIMAL MYTHS • FROM GOLDFISH WITH 3-SECOND MEMORIES TO BATS BEING BLIND, PLENTY OF ANIMAL MYTHS ARE FLOATING AROUND. READ ON TO SORT FACT FROM FICTION…

THE MARVELLOUS MR. ELLIS • The wonderful world of magic has been a lifetime pursuit for masterful magician Tim Ellis. He has won many awards, including the World Championships in Switzerland and Japan, and has dedicated his life to fine tuning his craft.

CREATURES OF THE DEEP • Thousands of metres below the sea’s surface, it’s dark and cold with crushing pressure. Welcome to the deep ocean of our blue planet: a world of weird marvels and unique survival skills. Let’s meet some creatures of the deep.

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THE BRICKTIONARY: THE ULTIMATE LEGO® A–Z

POO, SPEW AND OTHER GROSS THINGS ANIMALS DO

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