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CSIRO scientists have found a species of fish to add to Australian aquaculture and, hopefully, Aussie diets. Trachinotus anak, known as the pompano, oyster pompano, giant oystercracker or dart, is a white-flesh fish endemic to northern Australia, and CSIRO’s top choice for farming.

The 1980 Mount St Helens eruption in the USA led to a surprising discovery. The eruption killed 57 people and destroyed 350 km2 of forest. In an effort to restore the ecosystem of the plains, in 1983, scientists captured 2 wild gophers, placing each into a small, fenced off area on the volcanic plain. The gophers dug for twenty-four hours before the scientists removed them. A new study published in 2024 shows the long-lasting effects the gophers had on the ecosystem.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re giving you our heartiest quiz yet! Can you beat these five questions or will the pressure be too much?

Double Helix reviewer, Elvie, had questions after reading The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals, here’s what author Sami Bayly had to say.

What’s all this buzz about quantum? Maybe you’ve heard it in science class or maybe in a sci-fi movie! No matter where you’ve come across it, you probably know it’s a bit strange, maybe confusing but also possibly an important part of the future. And all these things are true!

The biggest birds today are the ostrich and Australia’s emu. Ostriches can be 2.7m tall and weigh 140kg! In the past, some birds were even bigger. Some of them, called moa, lived in New Zealand. One species of moa could grow to more than 3m tall and weigh a whopping 250kg! Moa went extinct about 600 years ago, soon after humans first made it to New Zealand.

Hey, did you hear the news? We published over 20 articles covering the latest news in science, technology, engineering and maths in 2024! Here are the seven most surprising headlines:

Maybe you’ve heard about quantum in science class or maybe in a sci-fi book! No matter where you’ve come across it, you probably know it’s a bit strange, maybe confusing but also possibly an important part of the future. And all these things are true!

Nathan K. Long is a Participant in the 2024 Quantum Explained Challenge put on by the Australian Institute of Physics, Cosmos and Double Helix Extra. This entry impressed our panel of expert judges for making a quantum concept clear to a middle school audience in less than 250 words.

2024 is winding to a close and 2025 is just around the corner. What better way to celebrate than with a science quiz! This quiz contains (almost) all of the science trivia questions featured in Double Helix Extra throughout 2024. There’s over 100 science questions to discover!