Adventure Ausrama Blog

When humans first arrived in Australia, sea level was much lower than it is now. People could have taken the Northern route through Sulawesi, island hopping across the sea, then reaching Papua New Guinea which was joined to Australia. It is the most logical path because land could always be seen in the distance in times of good weather. The southern route is much more difficult in terms of resources and energy. It involves travel across large islands of the Indonesian archipelago from Sumatra to Timor then a considerably long sea journey to the northern part of Australia. Early arrivals obviously did not plan their journey, so using the easiest and most effective route was not an issue. They just moved east to new pastures as resources were depleted with new people moving into inhabited regions. It is possible that Australia was reached by travel along both routes. Artifacts in the rock shelter at Madjedbebe in Australia have been dated at 65,000 years before the present. Not much ar...

The common Sydney octopus does not look like a happy chappy, but he always looks gloomy. It is just the way he is. Not doing so well in the sea around New South Wales he has moved down to the cooler waters off Tasmania. Because they increased in number from a few early arrivals their genetic diversity is less than those on the east coast. More are arriving from NSW and Victoria so things are improving. The exodus began in the mid-2000s. A joint project between James Cook University, the Centre for Marine Socioecology (CMS) at the University of Tasmania and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) is researching the genetics of the species. Gloomy octopuses have been found as far south as the waters near Hobart. A new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests the species is thriving in Tasmanian waters with a healthy mix of genes from local and interstate populations. The species, also referred to as the common Sydney octopus, or octopus ...

According to new research humans purposefully set out to reach Australia. It seems scientists can read minds now - what a great leap forward! Seriously though, knowing what individuals are thinking is an impossible thing to do, largely because people perceive settings differently. No two people are exactly alike not even twins. Perception is a function of consciousness as perceived through the senses which differs for everyone. Sea levels were lower in 65,000 BP, so islands off the coast of northern Australia could be seen from high points on islands off Indonesia. There is a problem here, however, in that there are major racial differences between Australian Aboriginals and Indonesians. Surely, some dark skinned inhabitants of the South East Asian archipelago would have remained and interbred with "typical" Asians we see today. Note, Papua New Guineans are different than Australian "natives". To say that an assembly of about 100 boats were organized...

 ▶ Kaskawulsh Glacier stops the flow of the Slims Rivers.| direction news.| glacier to changes as lakes as river of canada slims lost water glacier of direction or Kaskawulsh canada alsek ◀ | Despite some dissenters, the great majority of people have accepted that climate change is fact. The Arctic is rapidly shrinking as glaciers melt. This can be seen from satellites in space.  Countries are experiencing extreme fluctuations in weather conditions.    ||| slims Kaskawulsh glacier it changes to river of canada in direction is or changes in Kaskawulsh | In the Yukon in Canada a glacier fed the Slims River which meandered across Alaska into the Bering Sea. The Glacier is no more. In just four days the river vanished.  It can happen without glaciation, but is does not take place so quickly.     |||changes as glacier it go | direction on at changes in Kaskawulsh arctic | ||     Hot weather in early 2016 hit the Kaskawulsh ...

A little penguin just flies through ocean water. The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) literally flies through the water. It is uniquely adapted to live in the sea. The aerodynamically shaped wings of the penguin provide "flight" while their tiny legs are used as rudders.     little penguin water White bellies blend in when viewed from below. Dark blue on the back makes it difficult to pick out when seen from above. Short oily feathers insulate them from sea water.        little penguin summer At night little penguins return to familiar colonies on land. Animals brought to Australia by Europeans are an imminent danger to them. Dogs, Cats and foxes will quickly snap them up.    penguin water The birds use old burrows to breed. one parent sits on two eggs while the other gathers food. They alternate roles each day. As youngsters grow they remain outside the burrow waiting for parents to return to satisfy their ravenous ap...

Carbon dioxide changes behavior. Higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be making us stupid. Research has shown that greater concentration s of CO 2  c auses neurological impairment in fish. Sea water stores the dangerous element - the ocean has become more acidic because of its increased presence. The test subjects were Damsel fish  (Acathochromis polyacanthus) , which live in coral reefs. Half were kept in a normal atmosphere. The other half were put in an atmosphere with elevated CO 2 . Brain chemistry, blood and behavior were measured. The behavior test involved the fish choosing between entering normal sea water or going to water containing injured fish. The smell of the injured fish should have stopped the damselfish from choosing to enter that water. However, the fish exposed to higher CO 2   ignored or did not pick up the chemical warning : the injured fish didn't bother them. This is ground breaking stuff. It could show what will ha...

Nuclear physics used to track australian waterbirds. Australia's native birds are on the decline - those damn humans! Yes, we are destroying the planet and we have to do something about it.  Obtaining data on bird numbers is paramount. Nuclear physics is the answer.  Researchers are examining feathers recently dropped by waterbirds. It provides information on where birds have been and what they have eaten.  The I-TRAX Core Scanner shows chemical changes over time. A mass spectrometer is also used to determine oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen isotopes. Feathers are composed of keratin like hair. Water sources have different chemical composition. This is stored in the keratin, so a map can be created of where birds have been living. The method of feather analysis is much cheaper than leg banding or satellite tracking. Members of the public can contribute. At present scientists are picking up feathers then posting them to the Australian Nuclear Science and Te...

Strange fish from Area 51. "I am the latest out of Area 51.  "Yeah, invisible to radar." Funny Animal Pictures Australian Blog   Adventure Australia Funny Weird Things Articles News Reviews ● Vista Computer Solutions Blog ✤ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . free funny animals photos amusing comical strange peculiar odd free news images weird funny creature fish from area 51 bottom of sea Ridiculous Varmint Depictions Comical Critter Portrayals Humorous Creature Snaps Amusing Zoological Shots Entertaining Feral Images Ludicrous Monster Depictions Playful Varmint Likenesses Silly Beast Snapshots Jolly quadruped Pictures snicker Views grin free news money cash internet surf Awful Accouterments Creepy Trappings Absurd Curious Business Eerie Doings Hilarious Ghastly Concerns Haunting Matters Kooky Miscellaneous Jolly Strange Tangibles Farcical Peculiar Objects Whimsical Far-Out Matte...

Technology: It is surprising how people and government bodies live with a problem for decades when the answer is in front of their noses. Quite frequently rescue helicopter crash into the sea. There is usually a "ho-hum" - another helicopter has fallen from the sky. Helicopters that can take off and land in the sea have been around for years. It is old technology. Obviously rescue organizations could have used them. However, they seem to feel that it best to reinvent the wheel. They plan to modify existing helicopters. A self-inflating buoyancy balloon will be attached to standard helicopters. When a sensor detects water, automatic inflation will occur. Australian defence is throwing $4 million at the project. Marise Payne the Defence Minister is lauding it, saying "this is a fabulous innovation, by Australian minds, Australian brains, Australian workers...."  Let us hope it is not just a silly idea! ◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Adventur...

Genetics: Scientists work on whales instead of cattle. Work on cattle genetics has shown the way to determine the sex of whales using a sample taken from blow holes. Specimens are composed of water and mucous membrane material.  They are collected from the sea by people in dingies, canoes and kayaks. The process involves scooping with a six-metre long carbon-fibre pole. A team of researchers has enjoyed the chance to get away from working with cattle. They have also done a genetic study of koalas. Improving cattle and meat are their priorities, however.  A few hundred samples are to be taken.  This compares to a half a million already collected from cattle. While blow hole samples are used for whales, hair is taken from cattle. Researchers have identified favourable traits for cattle from DNA. The real problem is getting these into cattle. Farmers are the ones who breed animals, not researchers. It is no surprise to find the more direct work on whales a welcom...

Chemistry: Life began near an active volcano in a freshwater puddle. Use your imagination and assume that life began in a puddle of fresh water near an active volcano. Molecules begin to "see" each other and unite into a larger whole. They become membranes, the envelopes of future life. Like a chicken's egg the membrane shell is the holding structure where chemicals are assembled for incubating lifeforms. RNA was the first significant biological molecule. This has a basic form of repeating subunits. A simple molecule perhaps. but difficult for a primitive Earth to "create". Yet it came into existence. Membrane were required for chemicals to grow into RNA. The fatty, lipid molecules in membranes formed easily. Lipids assist the building of RNA, then it forms a protective coating. This was the first primitive cell. As soon as some RNA replicated, lifeforms began to evolve becoming more complex. This occurred in fresh water which was heated and coo...