Wominjeka, science reporter Jacinta Bowler here.

We all know to avoid redback spiders, but did you know about their weird mating habits?

They're one of the spider species that undertake cannibalistic mating rituals, with the male ending his life by doing a dance before leaping into the female's mouth to be devoured.

A story today by my colleague Ellen Phiddian looks into research asking why the redback's New Zealand relative — the katipō — doesn't do the same. The secret might be in their genes.

And of course — it's almost science Christmas! National Science Week starts next week and the stories are already rolling in celebrating Australia's native flowers.

We've got stories about native public gardens, Australian flowers' complex relationship with fire, and how volunteers helped try and save an endangered spider orchid.

And if you want to make sure everyone knows how cool you are this Science Week, you can also get Radio National Science Week merch.

Plus, of course, don't forget to get your votes in for Australia's most amazing native wildflower.

Personally, I'm voting for the underground orchid — you can't beat something that is hidden for so long and then pops up like a creature from a horror movie, with its dozens of tiny flowers that look like a gaping mouth.

Check out all the candidates and cast your vote here.

That's all for this week, if you have feedback about the newsletter or a sciency photo to share, get in touch by sending an email.

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Male redback spiders somersault onto the female's fangs while mating and are killed. Researchers crossbred the Aussie spiders with their NZ cousins to find out why.

Many of Australia's floral species have evolved over millions of years alongside fire, but are bushfires becoming too frequent for some flowers to survive?

The targeted vaccination of 5,000 penguins is claimed to be the largest wild bird vaccination program undertaken globally.

It takes years of work, dozens of volunteers, picky pollinators and a special fungus to save Australia's endangered orchids. Here's why people drive from all over the country to do it anyway.

You may have spotted more native plants popping up in your local park or on the side of the road. It's part of a push to create hardier, more beautiful council plantings across Australia.

The highest-resolution imagery of the Sun's surface ever taken reveals dizzying currents, and clues about our star's magnetic fields.