Adventure Ausrama Blog

One evolved feature in an animal can affect another feature. Of course, the environment is the main factor in determining which feature wins out. Some animals have developed hibernation to survive harsh winters, but this can affect foetal development. Bears in particular are born very small because of a short pregnancy due to hibernation. Pandas have this trait even though they do not hibernate. They carry the genes for hibernation, though it is not expressed. Oddly, panda cubs are born weaker than other bears. Adult pandas are 900 time larger than their newborns. This ratio is higher than other bears, though polar bear have a ration of 400:1. Mammals generally have a ratio of 26:1 overall. It seems that baby pandas are born prematurely as the norm. Their bones are underdeveloped. This is making survival of the species difficult. Without help from humans the species would have become extinct. Keywords: panda, science, bears, species, birth, news, animals, pan...

It seems some scientists fall into the trap of believing they are "all knowing" and they know the truth about things. Professor emeritus William Romoser says he has photographic proof that creatures like bees and reptiles exist on Mars. His areas of specialty are viruses in arthropods, and entomology. He suggests that he can see fossilized remains and living things on the Mars' surface. Just how he can differentiate a fossil from "skeletal' remains in less that perfect low resolution photos is a mystery. His prize "fact' is in a photo of the Mars lander's track. He sees something like an insect. To most people it looks like a stone. Human beings have evolved to put order into what is seen. That is why the ancients saw animals in the stars of the night sky. The propensity to make sense of patterns is called pareidolia. It could be said that it is when scientists take their work home with them. Examining the same animal in the laboratory...

A 5,000 year old skeleton of a woman suffering from non-genetic dwarfism is found in China. Skeletal dysplasia resulted in proportionate dwarfism where the whole skeleton is small. It is rare in humans. Pediatric onset hypopituitarism and hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid and pituitary gland. This individual would need support from others to survive. It indicates that a tight social structure existed in the community. Of course, the society did not know that iodine would have prevented the ongoing damage to the person's body. Even today Chinese people suffer more from iodine deficiency than Westerners because it is lacking in their diet. There is contentious debate among archaeologists about the treatment of those with dwarfism in Ancient Chinese society. Confucian texts written in the 4th century B.C. say that those with deformities were accepted as equals. However, accounts two centuries later indicate that people with dwarfism were pushed out to live with othe...

The Australian government has opened the way for Australia to have nuclear power stations. The Liberal/National Party government (note these are not liberals: they are right wing conservatives) plan to lift the ban. Anthony Albanese leader of Labor says that the ending the ban is fantasy. Why would Australia even want such a dangerous electricity generation system when it is fourth on the planet in coal reserves and is ranked even higher on quality coal. Just like Donald Trump this business government is in gaga land. Their fantasy is to put power stations and hide the waste on Aboriginal land - let Aboriginals die of radiation poisoning. We have only to look to Japan to see what can happen. Remember Chernobyl and One Mile Island? People are filling up the planet. There nowhere to pur contaminated waste. The current Australian government treat Aboriginals as third class citizens even after illegal immigrants. Aboriginals have had their unemployment benefits taken away. Their wiv...

You are taking a walk in the bush and there it is in front of you - cubed poo. Is there an answer to this puzzle? There is now. Australian biologists have discovered how the wily Australian wombat does it. The answer lies in wombat intestines which are unique. Dr Allyn Martin, Dr Scott Carver and Dr Ashley Edwards of the University of Tasmania were awarded the lg Nobel Prize for physics for this achievement. The lg awards are given for things that make you laugh, then think. The prize giving was held at Harvard University. In the first research project to find out how cube is produced, It was noted that wombats have very long intestines about 10 meters long. More water is taken in Wombat intestines than in humans. Rather than the anus determining the shape of poo Wombat intestines make the cube shape. Wombat intestines stretch uniformly. There are also two groove along the intestines. These grooves create some rigidity allowing the intestine between them on each side to stretch ou...

Sixteen per cent of income of Australian tertiary institutions comes from Chinese students . It isn't the case of can these education bodies afford to lose the money. The real issue is, can Australia afford to have Chinese interference in Australia's internal affairs? Pro-mainland-China students in Australia It is clear that China has established a network of Chinese in Australia , some Australian citizens others short- term stayers, who spy on us and manipulate our politicians. Let's face it, under the Coalition government the education system in Australia has become a money-making machine with education chiefs blatantly touring Asia on bended knee pleading for more paying students. India is the growth region. Discounts are given to get them to study in Australia . Most Indians want residency but this is not easy to get. So some remain in Australia illegally. China, on the other hand, will always be the largest market. Universities say they are p...

Pesticides have side effects on animals and humans. A particular  neonicotinoid pesticide is making birds lose weight . In Canadian research crowned sparrows were given low and high amounts of imidaclprid on seeds. Even birds on the low dose lost weight within six hours compared to a control group. The high amount killed some birds. It seems that appetite is suppressed. White-crowned sparrow The aves who received the low dose had transmitters attached and were released. Those on the low dose did not leave for three days and those on the high dose left in four days. The control birds flew within half a day.  It is believed that imidacloprid had to be worked out of the body. Only a minuscule amount of the pesticide stopped the birds from eating. Earlier research has shown that imidacloprid kills bees. It means the whole bird and insect family is susceptible to the pesticide. Something has to be done. Both groups of birds ate agricultural seed from crops and fattene...