Adventure Ausrama Blog

Jellyfish are spineless little devils. I do mean that in a good way. They are the most efficient swimmers on Earth, pulling their way forward rather than pushing. The "immortal jellyfish" rises phoenix-like from the dead. When it dies the decomposing body puts out stolon stalks which become babies. They are rapidly increasing in the world's oceans due mainly to Man. Most variations breed under man-made marine structures such as piers. The killing off of predatory fish for human food allows the transparent creatures to vastly increase in number. Cyaneidae have caused many problems over the years. Those going for a swim regularly get stung. In 2006 the seemingly invulnerable USS Ronald Reagan was put out of action by masses of jellyfish clogging the cooling system. Power plants and desalination facilities have also been stalled. Two million workers became unemployed when the comb jelly native to North America invaded the Black Sea in 1980 and destroyed anchovy

Corals at high-latitude locations in Australia, i.e., towards the south, can change their chemistry in order to adapt to colder conditions. Unfortunately, the sea is heating up not cooling down. The analysis was done by the Australian Research Centre (ARC) at the University of WA. (Australia western). A warmer ocean could be expected to slow down coral growth in Bremer Bay but the animals altered their chemical composition. Indeed, they are flourishing. It seems that growing in a cold condition is what they do best. The two-year study showed that it is only tropical reefs that are under threat. There is more food available in cooler regions. By extrapolation it can be surmised that corals situated in hotter areas get less nutrition with global warming. % ai corals za high-latitude oh reefs gu internal ex coral el chemistry oi growth ta temperatures % + a corals i high-latitude oh reefs ah internal by coral id chemistry my growth ax temperatures as ross an cooler am wester

Australian scientists are discovering new Species every day. It certainly seems this way. Spiders are on the new knowledge table at the moment. Many have been unknowingly in the Queensland museum for a very long time. The new arachnids are in the Dendrolycosa, Dolomedes, Ornodolomedes, Megadolomedes and Mangromedes genera. They are all spiders of the water. New ones in the Ornodolmedes category are the most beautiful of all. Striking patterns and colors abound. The Queensland Museum Network includes existing collections and field trips by scientists recording discoveries. New kinds of arthropods have been found in all Australian states as well as New Caledonia Naming of recent additions have taken a turn as well. They carry the names of celebrities such Mick Fanning, Jack Nicholson and Professor Brian Greene. Soon there will be Blondie, Boy George or perhaps Kiss. Jokes aside, This is an interesting field. Why are there so many spiders that hunt on the surface of water?

It is accepted that early photography was a difficult path for an enthusiast to take. Cameras were bulky and heavy. The person who took photos had to be a virtual specialist chemist. It is so different from the ease of trapping a moment in the present. A pioneer in this field was Ducos du Haurun a brilliant Frenchman. He took color photographs. Three different colored filters were used to capture negative shots developed on gelatin film. The yellow, red and blue layers were then assembled to produce a single print. Over time, Ducos du Hauron introduced practises to speed up the process. French investigators have analyzed some of the 18th century pictures. They used x-ray florescent spectroscopy, synchrotron-based infrared (IR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to determine the chemicals used as pigments for the different colors. Photographs taken in 1878 showed that Prussian blue was the ingredient used for the blue gelatin layer. Carmine lake was the foundation pigmen

It is odd really why Mankind has evolved differences in humans when the "sports" appear not to be absolutely necessary. Caucasians do not need the complex narrow nasal system to survive in very cold conditions such as ice ages. Black people live happily in Alaska when their facial structure is designed to breath in the thin air of a hot climate, again not really needed. Black skin is good protection from the damaging rays of the sun. However, mainly white older adults die of skin cancer in Australia not younger people in the prime of species reproduction. Unless those under 20 years of age actually die from a particular trait there is no need to change to a new variant. It must be noted that until a hundred years ago most had children when they were under 20. Some things such as dimples do not serve any purpose. They continue in some by genetic inheritance. This is a dominant feature and parents pass it on to their children. Earlobe attachment is spread across the

Australia is one of the fattest countries on the planet. Now, 60 percent of people are overweight. By 2025 it will increase to four out of five Aussies. The government does not care. There is no federally funded organized program to combat this. The closest the government has come is the Health Star rating system on product labeling and the Food Partnership to inform about healthy eating. There are problem with these strategies: Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Kelloggs and Nestle helped set the policies. Groups pushing for action said that the food industry should not be on the committee : consumption goods producers should be directed to change according to rational directives. Health Star is not mandatory: this was decided by big company muscle. What many want is a sugar tax. Obviously, sugary product manufacturers do not want this. They already donate millions to lobby their case with political parties. The Beverage Council is the major lobbyist against a tax on sugar. While parties ar

Australians on welfare cannot afford to pay rent even with the $67 weekly subsidy. They get a job which is usually part-time, but they find that they are no better off. Fuel for their car, if they have one, or transport costs are at least $100 a week. With Centrelink now docking payments when recipients do the slightest thing wrong in their job applications, they are being pushed onto the streets. The number of homeless is going through the roof. It is rising at an alarming rate. Not only single people are affected. Parents with large families are in hardship as well. Of more than 65,000 houses surveyed just 10 could be secured by those on Newstart. Homes are available; though they can be taken only by renters on a good income. Buying a place to live will never be possible for low-income citizens. It is out of the question for all of them. Indeed, many families who successfully rent are having to make do with one and two bedroom residences. They need help now. Rents have