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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.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, its… a drone named SUPER! Engineers from Hong Kong have just designed a drone that can zoom through forests at night without hitting any trees or branches. This owl-like ability is quite the feat! How did the engineers do it?

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.

When astronomers first looked at the Moon through telescopes, they thought they were seeing great oceans. They gave the Moon’s big, dark patches names such as Oceanus Procellarum, and the Sea of Tranquillity. Now we know that these ‘seas’ are ancient lava flows, and that the Moon’s surface is very dry. It’s also airless.

How do insects choose their favourite weed? Scientists hoping to control weeds want to know if these insects will eat other plants or only their absolute favourite weed.

Twinkle, twinkle, giant stars! Pairs of so-called ‘heartbeat’ stars change their brightness like the rhythm of a beating heart. For the first time, new models show that they also create gigantic waves.