Congratulations to seven year old Kaelan Hancock, the winner of our ‘Super Spider’ competition! Kaelan told us all about the peacock spider – tiny spiders found across southern Australia that are brightly coloured and like to dance! Congratulations Kaelan, your prize pack of a jumping Solar Spider, a pack of Miracle Tattoos (including a giant spider that crawls up your arm when viewed through a phone app) and a copy of Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff is on its way to you. If you are curious to see some peacock spiders in action, here is a dancing peacock spider [...]

This DIY 'heart rate monitor' will open your eyes to the amazing muscle that keeps you alive and kicking. All you need is a drinking straw and a lump of putty, plasticine or blu-tac. What to do: Poke the straw into the putty. Okay, so it looks nothing like an expensive ECG monitor but wait till you see what this thing can do! Lay on your back and find the pulse in your neck. Lay the putty on top of this spot so that the tip of the straw is just above your eye. Now watch what happens... it's a [...]

In 2012, champion South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius became the first para-athlete to be allowed to compete with ‘able-bodied’ athletes in the Olympic games. Pistorius is a double lower-leg amputee who wore special prosthetic legs, called ‘blades’ to run. In 2008, he was banned from competing with able bodied athletes, on the grounds that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. Several expert scientists analysed his running technique. They concluded there was insufficient evidence for an unfair advantage, the ban was overturned, and Pistorius went on to run at the Olympics and the Paralympics of 2012. Blade technology continues to [...]

Did you know that Mad About Science is available to present science shows at kids birthday parties? Our team member Lucy loves to present at parties. Lucy grew up on the Gold Coast, then moved to Canberra to attend the Australian National University at 18. Lucie has a Bachelor of Science/ Bachelor of Arts in Astrophysics, Philosophy and Biological Anthropology. She worked on several research projects at university, including the SkyMapper telescope. In addition to working for Mad About Science, Lucie is very interested in food sciences. In a former job she developed a new dairy product for a business. [...]

Beautiful thundereggs are round, nodule-like rocks with a surprise in the centre - they are full of gorgeous crystals. Thunderbird Park, at Queensland's Tambourine Mountain, boasts the worlds largest thunderegg mine. You can fossick for a thunderegg of your own in prehistoric volcanic lava. More Information

Try this simple experiment to find out why the arch shape is used as a weight-bearing feature in structures such as bridges: Carefully cut or crack two eggs in halves. Clean out the insides (this is easier if you boil the eggs first). Ensure that the edges of the cut are smooth and not jagged. You can wrap a little tape over the edge to help with this. Place the 4 halves down on a table to mark out the four corners of a rectangle. Carefully place one book or magazine on top of the four egg halves so that [...]

There is no better excuse than Easter to indulge in everyone's favourite treat - chocolate. And to make that chocolate egg even sweeter, there is a growing body of scientific research to support the health benefits of eating chocolate, in moderation. From improving blood flow around the body by dilating (or widening) arteries to protecting DNA from damage. This article from Science News for Students describes how chocolate is grown and produced, and summarises the research findings into the benefits of eating chocolate. Read article

Workshop of the Week: Kitchen Chemistry If all this talk of eggas has got you feeling hungry, check out our ‘Kitchen Chemistry’ workshop – a fun food workshop challenging you to think about everyday food in a whole new way. Experiment with a variety of food-related chemicals, and you even get to take home a bag of sweet, tongue tingling sherbet! This workshop is suitable for Foundation to Level 2 students, and is available in a 60 or 90 minute format. We recommend a 90 minute format if budget and timetabling constraints allow. Each workshop can cater to a [...]

Congratulations to Owen Wilson from Oran Park in NSW! Owen correctly stated that 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Owen, a terrific prize pack of a salt water spider bot, a pack of growing beads  (just add water and watch them grow) and a pack of super water absorber  (otherwise known as ‘nappy powder’ or ‘fake snow’) is on its way to you. Remember that our ‘Spider fun fact’ competition is still running – entries close Thursday 29th March.

Try making a rubbery, bouncy egg over the Easter break. All you need to do is hard boil an egg, and soak it in vinegar (shell and all) for a couple of days. The vinegar slowly dissolves the calcium carbonate shell (one of the products of this chemical reaction is carbon dioxide, which is why bubbles of gas can be seen forming). Rubber Egg Experiment