Adventure Ausrama Blog

Chemistry: Weeds are becoming resistant to selective herbicides. Herbicides have officially been used since 1890, though common salt could have used to kill weeds for possibly a thousand years before. The first selective herbicide was identified in 1940. It later became 2,4-D compound and was released in 1946.  Seventy years later we face the problem of weed resistance to selective chemicals. Western Australia can no longer get significant kill of weeds growing around crops. It is costing farmers a fortune. Project Kangaroo has been initiated. It is managed by Australia’s Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and receives assistance from Bayer of Germany. Money from growers is funding it: they are paying $45 million in levies. The Federal Government is promising money. Knowing how government has behaved recently the project might get a dollar! Wild radish and ryegrass are the main culprits affecting crops. Glyphosphate was used widely to control these weed...

Technology: Scramjet is tested at Woomera. Technology never stands still. Mankind progressed very slowly for centuries, but now things move forward at a rapid pace. Air transport could change dramatically in coming decades. The US and Australia are testing a hypersonic rocket that can travel at five times the speed of sound. Because of the angle of liftoff, together with takeoff and landing speeds, you couldn't really enjoy a lunch and drink while sitting in your seat. Woomera in South Australia is the busy testing site. The project is not aimed at space flight. Passenger travel is the main goal. A journey from London to Sydney is estimated to take two hours. The arduous passage though would mean taking your meal preferably after the flight. Australia helped develop the scramjet which uses oxygen from the atmosphere for power as the jet rockets upward. Consequently, it does not have to carry heavy and expensive fuel. Tests began in 2009. Norway and Germany are ...

Genetics: Identification of the genome of the carrot has just been complete by researchers. Though the carrot is a mundane vegetable it is important for a rounded, varied diet. Haven't you heard that carrots are good for your eyesight - I bet you have never seen a rabbit wearing glasses have you? Ah well, a little less of the frivolity! Scientists sequenced the genome of the humble carrot only a week ago. Increasing the level of nutrients in the vegetable is the prime objective. Vitamin A is present in high levels naturally. This does benefit one's eyes. Side issues include disease resistant and greater yields. This does directly improve life for farmers. Overall ,consumers get a better product at a lower price. Ironically, vegetables have more genes than humans: 32,000 compared to 20,000. It seems that Man is nothing special after all. Plants are more complex than us. Carrots are probably more useful than people to the planet - they don't destroy it. ...

Health: We know the correct foods to eat but we ignore it. Understanding good nutrition is very easy. Eat plenty of vegetables in as wide a range as possible. Have meat about every other day. Only eat processed food if you have to for social reasons. That couldn't be simpler could it? However, people are still looking for fad ways to change their body to idealized proportions. We also know the best way to live our lives but we ignore it. People like the taste of takeaway food and consume it in extreme amounts. Frozen processed meals contain huge amount of added sugar, salt a already processed ingredients. Young people do not buy and prepare fresh vegetables for cooking anymore. Most of us also do not do enough exercise. Many imbibe alcohol while watching a downloaded movie just about every night. There isn't much doubt that eating copious amounts of tasty food is a pleasant pastime. Food certainly isn't consumed to stay alive. It is an end in itself...

Chemistry: Psychedelic drugs are again in vogue to treat addictions and PTSD. What goes around comes around. That's how history is. Things that were old become young and "new" to a rising generation. Remember in the 1960s when experimentation with psychedelic was condemned as dangerous? Well now in many Western countries a lot of regulated trials are being done. It has been found that the drugs are effective in treating addiction of things like alcohol dependency and cigarettes. Those who suffer from anxiety and depression can also benefit. Whether taking psychedelic drugs in addictive in itself is not yet clear. The most interesting and successful discovery was 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Victims of sexual assault, emergency responders, and police showed amazing results when given MDMA along with intensive psychotherapy. It is hoped that the Federal Drug Administration will enable it to be used...

Technology: Telstra is being dishonest and is treating Australian consumers like fools. Telstra is doing something that the federal government did not foresee. The telco is only using half of the nation's copper wiring originally laid a century ago. In Australia there are two pairs of telephone wires in the cable laid to each house. This was to enable each house to have two telephone connections. The system worked well with ADSL: each phone could have its separate modem and ADSL service. With the NBN this has all changed. When the NBN began its roll out it allowed Telstra to set the rules. Telstra chose the rule: ONE PROPERTY ONE NBN CONNECTION. This is fine if you have a detached house. However, if you have a granny flat that has its own phone because the main telephone line has been split at the box on the house, one line will be scrapped and will no longer be used. It will lay dead in the ground forever due to Telstra's policy. Furthermore, if you rent out...

Anthropologists say the Hobbit of Flores did exist. The naysayers have had to accept that the Hobbit discovered on the island of Flores in Indonesia did exist. They survived until about 15,000 years ago. Anthropologists should have taken notice of local folklore. Stories were handed down to the present about tiny "people" raiding food crops at night. Remains have been closely examined by scientists. It was a tiny version of Australopithecus a human predecessor which lived in Africa from 4.5 million to 2 million years ago. The creature grew to small stature because it was trapped on an island. Short legs made it hard for them to walk but they did nonetheless - large trees do not grow on Flores. Despite having a small brain Homo floresiensis  developed stone tools to a complexity equalled only by humans. Its teeth were closer to human teeth than any other ape-like pre-human. This accounts for its naming as homo rather than Australopithecus . The real mystery ...