Koala Anwen’s lucky-unlucky day
animalsWith bandaged paws, singed ears and scorched fur, Anwen is one very lucky koala, receiving good care and on the mend after her home was burned in bushfires
Black hole spits out star
spaceAustralian scientists have identified a star spat out and flung into infinity by our galaxy’s supermassive black hole. The star is travelling at six million kmh, 10 times the speed of most stars
Alive! Creature thought extinct found
animalsA tiny, deer-like creature that “seemingly only existed as part of our imagination” has been found in a forest almost 30 years after the last official sighting
Weary firefighters hailed as heroes
humanitiesUPDATED THURSDAY As NSW continues to deal with the impact of Tuesday's “catastrophic” fire conditions, we look at the incredible efforts of firefighters on the ground day and night across NSW and Qld
Koala Anwen’s lucky-unlucky day
animalsWith bandaged paws, singed ears and scorched fur, Anwen is one very lucky koala, receiving good care and on the mend after her home was burned in bushfires
Black hole spits out star
spaceAustralian scientists have identified a star spat out and flung into infinity by our galaxy’s supermassive black hole. The star is travelling at six million kmh, 10 times the speed of most stars
Alive! Creature thought extinct found
animalsA tiny, deer-like creature that “seemingly only existed as part of our imagination” has been found in a forest almost 30 years after the last official sighting
Weary firefighters hailed as heroes
humanitiesUPDATED THURSDAY As NSW continues to deal with the impact of Tuesday's “catastrophic” fire conditions, we look at the incredible efforts of firefighters on the ground day and night across NSW and Qld
Free Book Club
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Know your landmarks?
Can you name all the famous places in the world and beat the Quiz Word clock?
Short story competition
Our short story writing competition has now closed. Winners will be announced before the end of November
Spelling Bee
National competition for Years 3-8. Class and school champion levels. Coming soon. Click HERE to register interest.
Epic flight Australia almost forgot
historyOne hundreds years ago, two Adelaide brothers made history with their world-first flight from England to Australia in a cloth-covered, open cockpit, two-engine biplane
Revealed: Invisible ink invention
scienceScientists have discovered a new kind of invisible ink that we all use every day that’s virtually free. Unfortunately, to get it to work, you also need a super-hi-tech piece of coated paper
Ice eggs cover beach in rare weather event
weatherIce eggs the size of footballs have engulfed an entire beach in Finland in a rare weather event that requires ice, wind, water and freezing temperatures
Veterans go ‘back to Hell’ through VR films
historyAs we mark Remembrance Day today, stunning new virtual reality films are allowing all Australians to learn about some of the forgotten and darkest chapters of our World War II history
‘Missing link’ between apes and humans
humanitiesThe bones of an ape-like species that walked on two legs and lived 12 million years ago have been discovered in Germany and experts think it could be the ‘missing link’ between apes and humans
Perry says dream big and believe in yourself
sportEllyse Perry is one of Australia’s greatest female cricketers. Here she talks about how having dreams as a kid, being resilient and how always believing in yourself can help you reach the top
An Aussie Cup win … I’ll drink to that!
artsIn our weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explains why he added an Aussie tradition to his Melbourne Cup drawing after local horse Vow and Declare finished first past the post
Australia’s most incredible weather photos
weatherRainbows, aurora australis and massive, fluffy clouds that make you want to bounce on them star in the year’s best weather photos, as judged by the Bureau of Meteorology
World’s scientists unite on climate
environmentMore than 11,000 scientists have signed a declaration warning of a climate emergency and offered six clear measures they believe could avoid “untold human suffering”
Matildas and Socceroos to get equal pay
sportIn what’s believed to be a world-first deal, Australia’s two national soccer teams will be paid equally and all income from both teams will be split 50/50
Fight on over futuristic hi-tech city
technologyGoogle is trying to get everyone to agree on its plans to redevelop a neglected piece of land to build a hi-tech city complete with heated footpaths and self-driving shuttles
Aussie Vow and Declare wins 2019 Melbourne Cup
sportThe Melbourne Cup is coming home to Australia after local horse Vow and Declare, ridden by jockey Craig Williams, finishes first in a tight contest at Flemington Racecourse
How Archer won the first Melbourne Cup
historyArcher was a big horse with a funny running style and a habit of hanging his tongue out. But in 1861, no horse was better than the NSW import when he took home the very first Melbourne Cup
Macca’s burger still ‘fresh’ after 10 years
healthThere’s a story that McDonald’s burgers last forever, so one fan kept a burger and fries from 2009 to see if it was true. Today, they still look fine to eat, with no sign of mould or decay
Baking choc-chip cookies in space
spaceAstronauts on the International Space Station are getting a special delivery: an oven for baking choc-chip cookies. The dough is already up there waiting to be cooked and eaten
Life-changing day for man with 14 toes
humanitiesA fortune teller said this man’s extra toes were a gift from heaven, but after a lifetime of coping with this rare condition called polydactyly, he has had them surgically removed
Mountaineer smashes world record by seven years
humanitiesA Nepalese mountaineer has climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in just 189 days, his incredible feat smashing the previous record by more than seven years
Australia’s knight in shining armour
sportPhil Leitch lives in a castle, wears a suit of armour and is the current World Jousting Champion. He’s also a real, professional, full-time knight known as Sir Reynard. True story!
Dreaming of an Uluru without climbers
newsIn our weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explains why he drew Uluru as an indigenous character dreaming of a life without interference on spiritual land
Sun goes all spooky for Halloween
just for funNASA gets into the Halloween spirit by releasing a spooky image of the Sun looking like a jack-o’-lantern PLUS Check out the kooky canines and creepy cats
Footy-shaped subs to swarm the seas
geographyAn Australian company is preparing to send a swarm of footy-shaped, mini-submarines into the world’s oceans, lakes and waterways to create an underwater version of Google Street View
Found: exact location of first humans’ home
geographyAn Australian-led team of scientists has identified the exact place in northern Botswana that was the home of the earliest ancestors of everyone alive today
Mars rover sends selfie back to Earth
spaceNASA’s Curiosity robot is hard at work on the surface of Mars, taking selfies and conducting chemistry experiments in the portable lab inside its belly
Love animals? Here’s what a zookeeper does in a day
explainersDanielle Ridgway has only been a zookeeper for just over a year but she has already coached a lazy, cheating cheetah to sprint and worked towards saving critically endangered native species
Need for world-record speed runs in family
sportDaredevil Australian Dave Warby is preparing to break the world water speed record of 511kmh. If he succeeds, there will be no one prouder than his dad, current record holder Ken
Swim and survive with virtual reality
technologyA new water-safety program designed to prevent drownings uses 360 degree, lifelike, interactive videos to place kids inside virtual rips and teach them how to escape and survive
Small town strikes it lucky in big dry
weatherTenterfield — battling drought and, recently, bushfires — has struck it lucky with the discovery of underground water only 126 days before the town’s supply was due to run dry
Tiny computer makes quantum leap
technologyGoogle has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing, developing a processor that took minutes to do what would take the world’s best supercomputer thousands of years
End of an era as Uluru climb closes
civicsParks Australia plans to start dismantling the world famous Uluru climb two days after it closes on October 26, despite pressure to reconsider the climbing ban
Abuse of ex-racehorses is a crying shame
artsIn our weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explains his moving cartoon about the cruel abuse of ex-racehorses and why it’s a topic he feels deeply saddened by
Six clever rules to help you write a top short story
book clubWith the Kids News short story writing competition closing on October 31, we asked children’s author Jackie French for tips on adding colour and imagination into stories. So … get writing!
Too many dirty hands to be healthy
healthNew research has exposed the “gross” hygiene habits of some Australians, with some admitting they don’t always wash their hands after going to the toilet or before touching food
