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.

ON THE COVER

Double Helix

HELIX HQ

ON THE DOUBLE

PALEO-DETECTIVES DISCOVER NEW BIG CAT

FROM PLASTIC WASTE TO JET FUEL • Thanks to researchers in the United States, you might soon be flying in a plane fuelled by empty plastic bottles!

FANGS RULE! • From spider fangs to dinosaur teeth, a new mathematical rule can predict tooth size and shape.

SUBSCRIBE

GUT BACTERIA BOOST VACCINES

DEEP SLEEP TEACHERS

BIGGER BRAIN, LONGER YAWN • You do it, I do it, and many other animals and birds do it too. Yawn.

BY THE NUMBERS: EXTREMES

SCUBA-DIVING LIZARDS

NO DIG MINING

SUPER SWIMMERS • No wonder seals and sea lions are fantastic swimmers. They’ve had 30 million years to perfect their skills.

THREE THUMBS UP! • Have you ever thought to yourself, “I just don’t have enough thumbs for this”? Well, a new robotic thumb has got you covered.

Native green plums ripe for research • Meet the green plum. It’s small, sweet and packs a powerful nutritional punch. In northern Australia, they’ve been eating it for more than 50,000 years. And soon, you might be able to buy them!

AUSTRALIA’S EXTREMES

PUSHING THE LIMITS • The human body is pretty amazing, full stop. But what are its limits, and how are we pushing them?

EXTREME FUNGI!

CREEPY CRITTERS: LIVING LIFE TO THE EXTREME

POSTER

WITH A LITTLE KELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: THE SECRET LIFE OF SEAWEED

PLANTING PEACE: THE STORY OF WANGARI MAATHAI

DINOSAUR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS!

NATURE BOOK WEEK: 6–12 SEPTEMBER!

SAILING THROUGH SPACE

UNDERWATER HOMES • Two space stations orbit our planet, but space isn’t the only airless place that scientists live. Some researchers work in laboratories underwater!

Circling string • How long is a piece of string wrapped around the equator? How much longer is it if it’s one metre above the ground?

WHAT’S YOUR QUESTION? • Got a weird and wonderful question about science, technology, engineering or maths? If you don’t know who to ask, let us help you out! We’ll find answers to the best questions and publish them here. EMAIL helix.editor@csiro.au TWEET @CSIROhelix #DHMicroscope

EVERY EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

TIME-TRAVELLING SHED

UNDER PRESSURE: MAKE WATER BOIL

EGG SEPARATION

EDIBLE ANTARCTICA

MAKE IT COMIC

HUMPBACK WHALE MIGRATION

BOXY BACTERIA

PRIZES