Adventure Ausrama Blog

Fire caused tuberculosis according to new archaeological theory. Evolution is very powerful. A change in climate leads to the survival of those who suit the new climate more adequately. A series of ice ages meant hairy people with narrow nasal passages (to warm the damaging cold air on it way into the lungs) passed on their genes. People living in central Africa remained in a warm climate, so they did not have to adapt. A new premise is that the adoption of fire by early humans caused the emergence of tuberculosis. Apparently, many people crouching around a fire set the ideal conditions for TB to take hold. Just a minute though. Didn't Africans also cook meat on fires and kept near to it for warmth on cold nights? They certainly did. No, this new theory does not hold up. It is assumed that TB is mainly a thing of cold climates.  More correctly, molecular archaeological evidence shows that TB began in Africa. Just how scientists reached the conclusion that humans ...

Vegemite beer could be good for society. There is a myth about Vegemite. It is assumed by many Australians to be unique. This isn't the case. Marmite and Bovril are the same product. It is yeast residue, the stuff at the bottom of the container when you brew your own beer with a lot of salt added. Of course, the yeast is dormant and can still be activated. This is the case despite Vegemite spread being sterilized. The tasty "treat" is banned in Victorian prisons because it can be used to make an alcoholic concoction loosely called beer. Scientists actually made beer with Vegemite to prove that this is possible. Vegemite acted as a booster in the fermentation process. This made it possible for basic raw materials to be used to make beer. There is one proviso: some natural yeast has to be obtained from somewhere else. Yeast naturally occurs on the skin of fruit and berries, so it is easy to get.  Just get some flour and add water.  It will start fermentin...

More jobs for the US economy. Globalization has failed. Countries are distinct cultures. Working life may be the same, but the values people live by are much different, particularly in regards to religion. Jobs have been lost in developed countries as so called developing countries keep labor costs down by manipulating their currencies and not giving their workers social welfare support. Americans want jobs A case in point is Australia's compulsory superannuation. This was a silly idea to begin with as companies went to the wall and workers lost all their super. This is a cost burden on wage costs. Employees must live now, so wages rose to leave enough current spending after paying in superannuation. This is seldom mentioned by economists let alone governments. Developing countries do not have this cost burden. No wonder Donald Trump is supported by a large slice of the American population. He promises to put up trade barriers to create jobs at home. His re...

A cashless society will not happen despite predictions by economist and journalists. In the near future some countries could legislate to ban the use of coins and notes. This will be a drastic move. Indeed, people in the United States would argue that it is a protected right in the Constitution if it passed both governmental houses there. A shop would be stupid to put this sign out A myth is promulgated throughout the world that Singapore is a cashless society. This certainly isn't true. Ninety per cent of consumers in Singapore prefer to use cash rather than electronic payment. Just why there is a push to get rid of cash is a mystery. One can understand governments wanting to keep all transactions visible - it will stop tax evasion. However, there would be no benefit for people generally to use cards and transfers to buy everything. Economists and journalists have got the future totally wrong. How could cash be abandoned when it has almost universal appeal? I...

The chemistry is altered in the cave water below a bushfire. Raging fires on the surface of the planet affect caves that intertwine below. Research into climate history is now complicated by this finding. Australian and UK scientists analysed water dripping in cave after a fire and found that the chemistry of moisture changed. There could be a new horizon, however. Stalagmites and stalactites store information about fires. The caves tested have clear data stretching back 200,000 years. Oxygen-16 is lighter than oxygen-18 and it evapourates quicker, so dripwater with more oxygen-18 would indicate fires or hot spells above. Pauline Treble of the University of New South Wales found that sites in a cave only 23 meters apart had different water chemical readings. This was caused by a recent bushfire in 2005 localized to one of the cave sections. ◆ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Tys Country Amusing Animal Photos Odd Weird Things Articles News Reviews ● Vis...

New technology automates sexing of chicks. Fattening up male chicks is a waste of resources. Furthermore, having to manually check the sex of chicks that are sold to producers is a costly burden. There must be an easier way. In Europe a way of determining the sex of chicks while still in the egg will revolutionize the industry. Female chickens fatten up much quicker than males. Moreover, males do not lay eggs. It may be possible to on-sale the "rejected" eggs for production of egg powder. The new system is 95 per cent effective after the ninth day of gestation. The way male chicks are disposed of at present is not pretty: they are crushed alive by an industrial crusher. At first, Wouter Bruins of the Netherlands had the aim of ending this mass euthanizing. Now it is seen as a potential extremely profitable enterprise. Sexing can be done at the rate of 4,500 an hour. ◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Tys Countr y Amusing Animal Photos Odd Weird Thin...

Politics: Malcolm Turnbull favors is own class. Malcom Turnbull is hitting at the lower working class and the poor - blaming them for their situation. Though Australia appears to be a relatively "level" society, this is not the case. There is the same inequality here as in other Western countries. Increasing the cost of university places hits poor families. His children have been spoon-fed from the honey jar all their lives. The Prime Minister does not know what poverty is. The arrogance of the man when he says the states will pay the full cost of public schools while the federal government will subsidize private schools. It is obvious who he really cares about - the well-off. Increasing job finding training for the long-term unemployed is treating the effect not the cause. Unless the unemployed get better work skills they will remain on the dole. This is not their fault. Where are the poor going to get the money to pay for TAFE training now the government...