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

Spring rains in southern Cuba mark the beginning of one of nature’s mass migrations: millions of yellow, black and red female land crabs, skitter-scattering across roads and beaches to deposit their fertilized eggs in the waters of the Bay of Pigs. Mating occurs in burrows in a nearby swamp, however, once the eggs are fertilized they must hatch in the sea. Having deposited their precious cargo, the mother crabs turn around and head for home, risking being snapped up or squashed by local Cuban crocodiles, black hawks, or locals of the human variety driving along the same road. Despite all [...]