As part of its planning for a 2024 mission to the Moon, NASA has launched a competition offering almost $30,000 for the design of a space toilet that works in lunar gravity

A giant wombat the size of a black bear that roamed Australia 25 million years ago has been classified as a new category of marsupial after almost 50 years of study

The NSW government has bought more than 1500 square kilometres of the state for a new national park to protect 25 threatened animal species and important habitat

Grace and Chloe knew how much comfort a cuddly toy could be during the stressful times of social isolation, so they decided to spread the joy and make ISO bears for people to adopt

Soccer stars and fans are celebrating after Australia and New Zealand were chosen as joint hosts of one of the globe’s biggest sporting events, the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Are you struggling to come up with an idea for the Kids News Short Story competition? Don’t worry, these tips from Matt Stanton will get your imagination flowing. But hurry, time is running out to enter.

A tourist’s accidental photo of a strange aquatic creature about 2.5m long has sparked new excitement about Scotland’s Loch Ness monster, the mysterious creature people love wondering about

A WWII Lancaster bomber aeroplane in the COVID-test queue? Our lives have changed so much in recent months not much surprises us any more, writes cartoonist Mark Knight

Ask people what they know about the Dead Sea and most will tell you that it’s impossible to sink when you’re swimming in it, but not everyone knows why. Kids News did some research

Archaeologists have discovered a major prehistoric monument of 20 or more massive shafts arranged in a perfect circle more than 2km wide, suggesting ancient people could measure and count

Keeping up with world news gave author Amaeh Reed an idea for her winning 2019 Kids News short story competition entry. Amaeh explains how she got from the idea to the finished story

Northern Australia is about to be treated to a special kind of solar eclipse, when the Moon moves in front of the Sun and blocks our view of the centre of our star. Here’s how to see it happen

A tiny, critically endangered marsupial has amazed conservationists on Kangaroo Island, after being spotted scampering in bushland destroyed in bushfires

Thousands of spiders are busily creating a rare natural silk sculpture in an Adelaide park. The social sheet-weaver spiders are working together like a community of ants to trap their prey

Lego master builder Kieran Jiwa — whose job it is to play and create with Lego for most of every day — has known he wanted this career since he was six years old

Rose Pullinger’s Emily to the Rescue was a winning entry in the Kids News 2019 Short Story Competition. She’s keen to enter the 2020 competition and shares some tips about story writing

Three young Brisbane siblings are turning a passion for baking into a sellout success, barely keeping up with demand for their scrumptious creations.

Collingwood and Richmond rebooted the 2020 footy season after a two-month break, with a bizarre low-scoring draw to kick off the most long-awaited round 2 in the history of the game

For the first time, scientists have found a beautifully preserved, fossilised meal inside the skeleton of a dinosaur, including fern fronds and spores, leaves and even charcoal from a bushfire

In this weekly series for Kids News, Mark Knight explains the news and the creative process behind one of his latest cartoons. Mark imagines Pies fans would have been outraged!

Architects who designed a foldable origami habitat called Lunark for humans for living on the Moon and other harsh environments are preparing to test it out later this year

Carers at a Queensland aquarium waved a happy goodbye this week to a precious green sea turtle, who swam back to freedom after recovering in captivity from injury

Optical illusions show us that a picture or an object in front of our eyes is only part of what we “see”. Our brain makes up the rest. Test yourself on these cool illusions to find out for yourself

Divers are using the quiet pandemic period to grow and replant coral at popular tourist diving and snorkelling spots on the Great Barrier Reef.

The SpaceX launch of two NASA astronauts is getting a lot of people excited about space travel. But becoming an astronaut requires much more than just enthusiasm. Here’s how to succeed

Four asteroids have zoomed past Earth this week at 80,000kmh, one thought to be about 44m wide. NASA had put them all on its ‘close approach’ list, but there’s no risk they’ll crash into us

As clubs and players prepare to return to training and playing sport, people are working to find solutions to COVID-19-related challenges, including how to legally sanitise a cricket ball

One of the important roles of zookeepers, vets and scientists is looking at animal poo as an indicator of health. Monarto Safari Park keepers share some of their poo knowledge with Kids News

Pint-sized Molly loves to run — and she’s planning to do it all the way from her Melbourne home to Canberra to raise money for children’s brain cancer.

UPDATED Two NASA astronauts have launched in a SpaceX rocket and arrived safely at the ISS, the first time in nearly a decade that the US has launched astronauts into orbit from the US

Kids are returning to school as COVID-19 restrictions ease. After working from home with his kids, Mark Knight wonders who in each household is most looking forward to getting back to normal

Footy is finally back, with millions of sports-starved viewers around the globe expected to watch the return round of rugby league.

They’re cute and very cheeky. And now you can create your own, with this step-by-step guide to drawing and animating a minion – just like in the movies

Giant kangaroos, enormous crocodiles, massive wombats and a marsupial “lion” that lived 40,000 years ago in tropical Northern Australia died out because of climate change, a study has found

Australians are being invited to record their coronavirus experiences for future generations in a new campaign by the country’s postal service

The wait is over for footy fans desperate to know who, when and where their beloved club will play as the league announces the fixture for rounds two to five, including several blockbusters

Life in lockdown can be pretty dull, even for penguins. But the day got a light brighter for these little birds when they had an excursion from their zoo enclosure to an art museum.

Ever wondered where your family came from? Why not research and create a family tree. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

There’s a small light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel with the AFL’s announcement of a restart to the footy season. Mark Knight imagines how Tigers star Dustin Martin could help

For the first time, astronomers have watched what they believe was the birth of a new planet, seen within a huge disk of gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star bigger than our Sun

Lego Masters is over for 2020, but one of the competitors still gets to play with lots of toys. We take a look at Trent Cucchiarelli’s incredible collection of action figures, vehicles and play sets

Researchers have discovered what is thought to be the last film of a thylacine, taken two years later than any other known record and casting doubt on its reputation as an aggressive animal

Basketball star Michael Jordan’s 35-year-old second-hand shoes that aren’t even a matching pair just sold for $873,000 at auction, but that doesn’t quite make them the most expensive shoes ever

Do you have brown eyes? If that’s a yes, you’re in the majority. In fact, it’s thought that 10,000 years ago, every human had brown eyes. Kids News researched the science of eye colour

A fresh look at a fossil found at a Victorian beach and thought to belong to a pterosaur has resulted in the discovery of the first elaphrosaur dinosaur ever from Australia

A photo of a mountain hare in a snowstorm that took the photographer several freezing weeks to capture has won this year’s BigPicture international nature photography competition

A famous UK sports commentator in lockdown at home has narrated Phillip ­Island’s penguin parade 17,000km away to make up for the lack of live sports events

A visit with grandma and grandpa, a return to school or a kick of the footy with friends? What do the easing of coronavirus lockdown rules mean for you?

Scientists have found that urea, the main chemical ingredient in urine, would make a good lunar concrete for building a Moon base, reducing the need to launch supplies from Earth

It looks like they’re just having a bit of fun, but new research has found that juggling stones is a sign that an otter’s tummy is rumbling and they’re ready for a feed

Start thinking and then roll up your sleeves to start working on your winning entry for the 2020 Kids News Short Story competition. First prize winners will have their story turned into a published book

Kids News has produced a ‘time capsule’ activity book so children can document their time in isolation and how it’s made them feel so they can always remember this unique period in their life

In his weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explores the PM’s National Cabinet meeting where one leader is pulling out all the stops to protect his citizens from coronavirus

Silly walking is encouraged along the Tasmanian town of Latrobe’s main street after the mayor declared it a jurisdiction of the Ministry of Silly Walks during the COVID-19 disruption

Celebrating mothers on a special day of the year isn’t a modern idea. Kids News researched the history of honouring and thanking mothers across Australia and around the world

One of the largest Moon rocks on Earth is up for sale, probably chipped off the surface of the Moon by a collision with an asteroid or comet and then plunging down in the Sahara Desert

Ancient debris from Halley’s comet will zoom across the night sky this week, creating the eta Aquariid meteor shower with up to 20 meteors an hour to watch out for

A man known as Thor and The Mountain has broken the world deadlift record after successfully lifting an incredible 501kg, making the polar-bear-sized lift look easy

Sea turtles are nesting in record numbers across the world as humans stay inside to stop the spread of COVID-19. The turtles are thriving with crowd-free beaches and less pollution

People everywhere are covering footpaths with beautiful chalk art to spread joy during COVID-19, providing meaning to their lives, connecting communities and keeping children entertained

In his weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight captures the spirit of the Anzacs and the ghostly impact the coronavirus had on one of Australia’s most sacred days

A pod of dolphins has been filmed dancing and surfing through waves full of bioluminescent plankton. Kids News looks at the science behind the living things that glow

Three videos of UFOs have been officially released by the US navy, sparking new interest in the hobby of researching sightings of flying objects that can’t be explained by science

Just one year after being named the Rising Star of the AFLW, Carlton midfielder Madison Prespakis has now taken home the league’s best and fairest award

Experts have discovered cold-blooded frogs once lived on a warm Antarctica 40 million years ago PLUS Australian scientists need your help for a frog-finding mission closer to home

Children in China are finally returning to classrooms after months of online learning, using creative thinking to find fun ways to keep their distance to help slow the spread of the coronavirus

The Hubble Space Telescope has reached its 30th year in orbit and we’re celebrating with a look at some of Hubble’s best photos of our incredible universe. Which is your favourite?

A Gold Coast boy named Corona has received a heartfelt letter and special gift from Hollywood actor Tom Hanks after revealing he had been bullied at school

A Queensland music shop expected tough times during COVID-19 restrictions but it’s been “busier than Christmas” as people turn to playing musical instruments for pleasure and comfort

Each year on April 25 we commemorate Anzac Day. Kids News explains how the day began, what it means, how it is observed and how this year’s Anzac Day will be different

One of the world’s oldest meteor showers is taking place again in our night sky this week. You will be able to see the glorious Lyrid meteor shower at its best tonight at your place

Despite being part of a large flock, flamingoes mostly spend time with a small group of close friends and others avoid certain individuals, suggesting some just don’t get along

Face-recognition technology has identified unknown Australian WWI soldiers in photos from a precious collection uncovered in a wooden chest in an attic in France in 2011

Zoos and wildlife parks across the country have risen to the COVID-19 challenge with livestreams from inside animal enclosures and broadcasting feedings, tours, talks and shows

A space telescope has taken the most detailed photos of the Sun, revealing surface spots filled with plasma strands hundreds of kilometres long and as hot as a million degrees Celsius

Australia’s koala population has been cut in half in the past two decades, with conservationists warning our national icon is already extinct in some areas after devastating bushfires and drought

A 7m-long procession of caterpillars parading through Alice Springs is fascinating and touching them dangerous, but to the Arrernte people, it can be a sign of a harsh winter on the way

In his weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explores how parents are coping — or not — with the need to support their children’s education from home

NASA has sparked renewed interest in the mystery of Death Valley’s sailing stones that seemingly move on their own across the desert with no human or animal help and no obvious explanation

A businessman in Vietnam has invented a rice ATM to help people who can’t afford to buy food because of the shutdowns to prevent the spread of coronavirus

NASA is making plans for humans to live on the Moon and has revealed its early thinking on where a base camp should be built and how astronauts would travel on the lunar surface

For many, Easter means chocolate eggs, bunnies, hot cross buns and church services. Kids News researched why we celebrate Easter, when it will be and how common traditions began

Top technology companies have revealed their ideas for our homes of the future — and they include smart robotic balls as playmates, machinery arms as chefs and robots to serve coffee

Wild animals including jaguars, goats and boars have started exploring quiet city streets across the world as humans stay inside during the coronavirus lockdown

JK Rowling and Harry Potter are casting a spell to banish coronavirus boredom for children around the world after launching a free website for fans of the boy wizard

They’re the hit spiders of the internet, with their fancy colouring and cool courtship dancing. And now there are seven new peacock spider species to get to know

In his weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explains why it’s impossible to laugh off the foolish behaviour of beachgoers who break social distancing rules

Visit the Great Wall of China, see the Mona Lisa or watch zoo animals without leaving home. Here are 10 top virtual experiences plus one very special out-of-this-world tour

Disney is giving fans take a sneak peek behind its famous walls and letting children discover how rollercoasters and rides are made and how its special “lands” are created

The massive 4.5 billion-year-old Huckitta meteorite from the NT, hidden from the public in a basement in SA for more than 20 years, is about to be rediscovered by a new generation

A small team of wildlife carers in Queensland is spending the COVID-19 disruption playing and swimming with tigers to keep the animals happy and prevent them from becoming lonely

Watch out … today is April Fools’ Day and it’s the day for playing pranks on unsuspecting people. We look at why we celebrate on April 1 and some of today's best jokes

Sunday update: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has limited outside gatherings to just two people and  encouraged the elderly to not leave home  as the nation continues to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus

Scientists have unearthed the fossils of a fearsome feathered dinosaur with sharp claws and a telltale scar. It lived 67 million years ago and proves dinosaurs continued to evolve until their end

Best-selling children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton has declared the first day of every working week Monster Monday. Here he explains why drawing monsters is a cure for boredom

Australian children are joining a global bear hunt inspired by the popular storybook, making walks around the neighbourhood lots of fun during the COVID-19 disruption

In his weekly series, award-winning cartoonist Mark Knight explains why he drew the Prime Minister and two state leaders as musicians playing to a different beat on schools closures