Adventure Ausrama Blog

More research is proving that the theory of animals becoming bolder with climate is correct.  Sea water is retaining more carbon dioxide.  This is altering the body chemistry of some animals. Tests were done on the hermit crab and a "toy" of its main predator the octopus.  In a laboratory, hermit crabs were split into two group and put into aquariums.  The water in one aquarium was at a pH of 7.6; the other had a pH of 7.1.  This may seem to be only a small amount of difference in acidity but it was significant on behavior. The flicking of antennae (testing for danger of preying animals) and oxygen levels were measured.  The hermit crabs in the more acidic pH 7.1 water flicked their antennae less often.  Crabs in the 7.6 aquarium definitely responded much quicker when a toy octopus was dipped into the water. Visitors at the Third International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World had a good laugh at the crab behavior.  A more serious pro...

Can nanobots have muscles? Researchers have made very strong, flexible muscles that could be used by nanobots to travel around the body diagnosing and treating medical conditions. As flexible limbs much like octopus tentacles, artificial muscles can move objects a thousand times heavier. Thinner than a human hair, the "yarns" are cheap to make. They could potentially be used for pumps, valves, stirrers and flagella for drug discovery. They were created by applying an electrochemical charge to spun carbon nanotubes making them twist into helical yarns. They are ideal to attach to bots as a tiny tail, a flagella, to propel the bot forward. This was a truly international breakthrough. Participants in the work were the University of Wollongong, Australia, the University of Texas and Hanyang University of Korea. http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/ http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia http://www.technorati.com/blog...