Welcome to Double Helix Extra!
A little bit extra for friends of Double Helix magazine.
www.doublehelix.csiro.au
|
|
|
News: How green is a flying car?
People have been dreaming of flying cars for more than a century, and they’re almost here. There are plans to test a flying taxi from Melbourne airport as soon as next year. Flying cars are quick and oh-so-cool, but are they good for the planet?
Continue reading the story here
|
|
|
|
Flying cars could be coming soon!
Image: Dave Brenner/University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability
|
|
|
Activity: Air cannon
Want to reach out and touch something with a puff of air? This tiny air cannon shoots vortexes of air that can be felt from metres away!
See the instructions here
|
|
|
|
|
Can you hit the target with your air cannon?
|
|
|
|
Double Helix takes on the future!
 We’re doing some future gazing in this issue of Double Helix! Whether it’s the job you could have or the holidays you’ll take, we’ve got the insights. You can also learn about the future of human evolution, or find out about the length of the DNA inside you.
If you’re looking for something to do, we hope our activities make an impression! You can make a wax seal for your letters or do some forensics by casting a footprint. Or leave a gift for future humans by making a time capsule.
Subscribe before 31 August to receive this as your first issue of Double Helix magazine!
|
|
|
Quiz questions
- Which of the following is not a square number? Is it a) 169, b) 196, c) 125, or d) 64?
- Sea anemones belong to which of these kingdoms of life? Are they a) plants, b) animals, c) fungi, or d) bacteria?
- Halite can be used to season your food, but what is it more commonly called? Is it a) rock salt, b) pepper, c) vinegar, or d) margarine?
- How many atoms are in a water molecule? Is it a) 1, b) 2, c) 3, or d) 4?
- Where is the Hubble space telescope? Is it a) orbiting Earth, b) orbiting the Moon, c) halfway between Earth and Venus, or d) crashed into the Pacific Ocean?
To find the answers, visit our online quiz!
|
|
|
Poems from the periodic table
 Is there a chemical element you love the most? To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table in 2019, Double Helix is running a poetry competition for school-aged students with support from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI).
There are prizes for the best poems in both primary and secondary school. You’ll have to be quick though! Entries close 31 August.
While you prepare your entry, you can meet our chemistry expert and competition judge, Michelle Neil!
|
|
|
Brainteaser
Fred is a biologist doing an experiment with pademelons. They have a square paddock and four feeding bowls. They also have two laser detectors that each shoot a straight beam all the way across the paddock.
By setting up the lasers in a cross, Fred can divide the paddock into four areas, one for each feeding bowl. That way they can tell if the pademelons move between bowls!
Recently, Fred got three more feeding bowls. How many laser detectors will they have to get so they can keep all seven bowls separated by laser beams?
Think you've cracked the brainteaser? Check your answer here!
|
|
|
|
|
