Adventure Ausrama Blog

Everyone knows that Australia is a hot country, perhaps not as hot as Africa. Nonetheless, it can get "stinking hot" here. In the past, some regions have experienced 10 days or more with temperatures close to 40 degrees Centigrade (100 Fahrenheit). We are going through a cool period now with La Niña . However, this winter has been the warmest on record. There seems to be rain along the coast, hardly any inland. This is an odd situation. La Niña should make it wet everywhere. Australians treat heat as a way of life, knowing that the cool will end and the scorchers will soon arrive. Most do not know that heat is the country's greatest killer. If asked in the street, most would not believe this. Combine deaths caused by bushfires, storms and cyclones. The number will not be near as many who die from heat. Research has shown that most heat related deaths occur on January 27. This is a day after Australia Day, a bank holiday where people celebrate wit

Can nature beat science? This is an open question but it will be put to the test. Teflon is a material created by scientists. It does not occur naturally. Will it stand the test and be unique, unfettered by mother nature? Geckos can run along many surfaces, whether vertical or upside-down. Their toes are covered in in rows of keratin ridges called lamellae. They are like very fine hairs that attach to just about anything. Students at the University of Akron's Auburn Science Centre tested the ability of geckos to run along vertical teflon sheets. And yes, they could not cross it! By adding water, however, they ran along it quite happily. Apparently, the presence of moisture is a must for geckos to get around. Any surface that repels water is playground for geckos. An adhesive has been developed that will stick things together underwater based on research done on this interesting little creature. Science by Ty Buchanan http://www.adventure--australia.

"You have to cool down in the right place." Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/ http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com/atom.xml http://www.technorati.com/blogs/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vista Computer Solutions Blog        Australian Blog ★                          ALL BLOG ARTICLES · ──► ( BLOG HOME PAGE) Share Article

Why does your skin shrivel up when you stay in the bath too long? you would think that science would have solved this mystery long ago, but this is not the case. There has been a breakthrough though. German scientists have found the mechanism that makes skin go all crinkly then return to its normal state. This could have an impact on materials used by Mankind in the future. Our wonderful Internet world means that every new discovery is advanced by someone or some institution. Now let's get back to wrinkly skin. The outer layer of skin is composed of keratin protein filaments. This quickly absorbs water when you get into the bath. It is created in a matrix system of interlaced fibers. Thus producing counteracting pressure that pushes the water out when you get out of the water..  There we have it - simple wasn't it? It is amazing how science and discovery go parallel with each other. The reason for wrinkly skin was discovered when elastic woven fiber made b

We are getting very hot conditions with flooding. This is seen by many as unusual. Australia has very hot dry weather followed by cooler wet weather in its regular pattern. There is a 100 year cycle in El Niño and La Niña events.  In other words severity peaks every century. Australia is currently in a transition period.  The La Niña could continue or it could change to El Niño.  There is presently a lot of rain. Oddly there is also a drought inland. If it were an El Niño cycle things would be a lot worse. It seems global warming is making La Niña years very hot. Australia is now getting hot La Niñas along with very hot El Niños. This is bad for the whole world because all continents are affected by weather in the Pacific Ocean. Some El Niños reach a critical temperature with dry periods being severe. Global warming means that more of them will go over this critical point. The average of extreme El Niños has been one in twenty years. Australians fear hot dry periods.

It seems the first signs of general acceptance of extreme weather from climate change are forming. Some scientists are openly declaring that change in weather patterns will be permanent or worsen as climate change takes hold. This past year has been one of the wettest on record in eastern Australia. This is blamed on damage to the environment by human activity. Change is regional with heavy rains in Europe, east Asia and Oceania. The US and Africa were very dry. Greenhouse gasses caused a warming of oceans. This put more moisture into the atmosphere to fall as rain in the large land masses of Europe, Asia and Oceania. A downpour occurred in New Zealand that was a once in 500 years event. Just  why the US remains dry is a problem. It should have received more rain, but weather patterns tends to vary around the world due a balancing effect in humidity. Hurricane Sandy indicates the probable future damage from extreme weather due to climate change. Rising sea levels inc

It seems the Earth is trying to balance out global warming itself. There could be a natural balance level that the planet is attempting to reach. In Australia an unusual phenomenon has taken place. We have had a lot of rain in coastal regions, while inland it remains dry. The arid regions have soaked up the excess water only gradually releasing it to the ocean, so sea levels have not increased. Indeed, sea level has fallen 7 millimeters. Damaging floods cost Queenslanders millions of dollars. It was so bad that insurance companies refused to reinsured low-lying towns. Even the dry Northern Territory had floods. One of two very close La Ninas was the strongest ever recorded. The year 2012 was rain, rain and more rain. This is not something that global warming critics should put forward as a natural solution. Only in Australia does the unusual geographic structure of the continent exist. Humid air moved slowly east but moved as far south as Melbourne, pushing up rainfall 20 pe

Geckos are being studied to find out how they can climb across ceilings without falling off. Their toe pads can support weight equivalent to two people. Like many animals with the capacity to "stick" to things, the main reason they can hold on is the many tiny hairs on their suckers. A hair is further divided into hundreds of gripping setae. The attraction between molecules in the surface and the millions of setae add up to significant sticking power. Water is their enemy. If a surface is wet they fall off. Even on a dry surface, when gecko's feet are soaked in water they cannot hold on. Water tends to stop the superhydrophobic attracted between molecules. This is why geckos lose their wonderful climbing ability. In the wild they would be open to attack from predators in wet conditions. Furthermore, the hope of creating a new adhesive based on geckos is dashed. http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/ http://www.feeds.fe

"I'm ready to come in now." http://vistacomputersolutions.blogspot.com/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Funny Animal Photos

"The chores are never done." http://vistacomputersolutions.blogspot.com/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Funny Animal Photos

"I am not a plastic model!" http://vistacomputersolutions.blogspot.com/ ~~~~~ Funny Animal Photos ~~~~~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .