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Get serious about science with the Double Helix quiz. We put you to the test with rocket science and radiation, as well as plants and petrology! If you’re after more fun science for kids, subscribe to Double Helix magazine!  

Learn about the different parts of plants, as well as the science of preservation, by making your own pretty potpourri. Safety: Vegetable peelers are sharp. Ask an adult to help.

Interview by Nic Gill Double Helix talks to weed hunter and botanist, Laura Williams. Read on to find out about her research on Macquarie Island, a remote subantarctic island fondly referred to as ‘Macca’.

Written by Sarah Kellett Wheat is Australia’s main winter crop. Sown in autumn and harvested in spring or summer, it provides us with flour to make our daily bread. We eat wheat as toast with vegemite, or sandwiches for lunch. But wheat is not for everyone

Written by Sarah Kellett Cross-species communication between citrus plants, bacteria, jumping plant lice and wasps begins with a fresh, minty smell.

Written by Neha Karl Plants are a gift of nature. They provide food to eat, release oxygen into the air we breathe, and make our world a whole lot greener. And soon, they could be a supercharged source of energy! Just as plants grow and develop, so does technology.

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 reached new heights as part of the protective aeroshell that insulated the Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity from the intense heat of entering the Martian atmosphere.

Welcome to Double Helix magazine’s Q&A section – Microscope. We take a close look at small questions full of big ideas. Q: What makes some plants have purple leaves? The Helix reader, Sudashree from South Australia

Having trouble finding a four-leafed clover? This activity explains why! If you’re getting ready for some gardening, keep this activity in the back of your mind as you marvel at Mother Nature’s mathematics.

Written by Alice Ryder Actors in Christmas nativity plays take note – the three wise men may come up one present short for baby Jesus this year, because the world’s supply of frankincense is in danger.