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Have you ever wondered why many old paintings are so shiny? It’s not the paint they used – it’s a varnish that’s applied on top of the paint. These chemicals are designed to enhance and protect precious artworks. And CSIRO just formulated a new varnish that’s taking the art world by storm!

A magnifying glass can bend light waves to make an object look bigger. Can you make a magnifying glass for sound waves too?

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). Meet our chemistry expert and competition judge, Michelle Neil!

In this hands-on activity, you’ll make your own vacuum chamber and watch marshmallows turn into fluffy clouds of sugar!

Here’s a balancing game, but with a bit of practice you will always win! Why? Because you’ve set up a clever trick.

Learn some fluffy and delicious chemistry by following this marshmallow recipe.

Lava lamps look super cool, but they can be expensive and hard to find. With this activity, you can make your own bubbly lava and learn a bit about oil and water!

Have you ever wanted to draw really small pictures? Here’s a trick – you can just draw normal sized ones, and then use some special plastic to shrink them!

It’s no secret that volcanoes are dangerous. The recent eruption of Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego has taken more than 110 lives. In Hawaii, lava has covered roads, destroyed cars and set fire to buildings. So it may come as a surprise to hear that people are wondering if they can use volcanoes to toast their…

Create a cool cloud inside a jar using these instructions.