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Cozy in cotton or warm in wool?
Safety: This activity uses hot water. Take care whenever pouring or touching an object containing hot water. Younger readers should ask an adult to help. More information can be found at the CSIRO...
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Falling from the sky
The white dot in the centre of the image is the vapour trail caused by the meteor.Image: European Space Agency A meteor caused quite a stir near Chelyabinsk in central Russia last week. While countless...
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Skipping stones
You will need small stones of different shapes. You will need Small stones of different shapes Body of flat water – such as a lake or pond What to do Drop a stone into the water. What happens? Take...
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Electric buzz
Bees are important pollinators in many ecosystems.Image: Denis Anderson/CSIRO Flowers have adaptations such as vivid colours and strong scents to attract bees. According to recent research, they might...
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Egg drop
Start with the egg on top of a tube, on top of cardboard, on a glass. Make sure the egg lines up with the glass. Have you received any Easter eggs yet? If so, you can use one to try this activity from...
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Too many positrons
Supernova remnants such as this are the source of many cosmic rays – however, this doesn’t explain the origin of many of the positrons that are found in cosmic rays.Image: NASA, ESA, CXC, SAO, the...
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Migration mysteries
Many birds such as the black-winged stilt migrate every year to breed.Image: CSIRO/Rosemary McArthur When the weather gets colder, do you sometimes wish you could pack up and head somewhere warmer?...
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Meet our Yoda of robotics
Reblogged from News @ CSIRO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSWiZR6BjJ4&feature=youtu.be Today marks a very special occassion for all geeks around the globe -International Star Wars Day (aka...
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Robotic futures
Starbug, one of CSIRO’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, has been used to monitor the Great Barrier Reef.Image: CSIRO Robots have been a popular part of science fiction for years. While robots that can...
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Powered by the sea
Harnessing the motion of waves is one way to generate electricity from the ocean.Image: CSIRO/Willem van Aken It’s hard not to be impressed by the power of the ocean. The thunderous crash of waves...
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Kite mayhem
Use this diagram to help make your kite. Check out this activity from the Science by Email archives. Kites are a great way to combine science, playfulness, patience and imagination. Want more on kites?...
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The search for life in the Universe
An artist’s impression of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, part of the SKA project. The SKA may provide data useful to astrobiologists.Image: CSIRO The idea there are living organisms,...
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Ticking away
An artist’s impression of NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock. Atomic clocks are used in space missions to synchronise with clocks back on Earth.Image: NASA It’s a question that millions of people ask every...
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Atoms go pear-shaped
The shape of Ra-224, as worked out from CERN measurements.Image: CERN Atoms – we know that they’re small. But what do they actually look like? Recent experiments suggest that some atoms have a...
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Microscope: Rainbow weight
Welcome to The Helix magazine’s Q&A section – Microscope. We take a close look at small questions full of big ideas. Q: What is the weight of a rainbow? The Helix reader, Russyl from Tasmania...
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Golden needles in rocky haystacks
While gold can be found in large nuggets, it’s usually found in much smaller concentrations in ores.Image: CSIRO Imagine you have a massive pile of rocks. You think there might be gold in the rocks,...
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Microscope: Higgs boson
Welcome to The Helix magazine’s Q&A section – Microscope. We take a close look at small questions full of big ideas. Q: I would like to know how a Higgs boson gives other particles their mass? The...
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Short stroll to 3D maps
Zebedee technology has been used to map the interior of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.Image: CSIRO Look around the room you’re in now. Imagine trying to accurately map out the details in the room. Now...
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This is a hold-up
Written by Justin McGuire This activity may splash some water around, so try it over a sink or outside. You will need Small drinking glass Piece of cardboard large enough to cover the mouth of the...
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What a corker!
Cork bark has many amazing properties.Image: Thinkstock Written by Sarah Kellett Bottles of champagne may send corks sky high, but spacecraft take cork as far as Mars. Their success depends on it. Cork...
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