Adventure Ausrama Blog

A plane landed on a grazier's property to rescue the owner from a flood.  Onlookers were aghast to see that the pilot was a woman.  This was the 1930s and female pilots were only accepted in the United States.  Nancy Bird Walton was the pilot - she had the right name. The woman who would not take no for an answer had initially taken flying lessons from the famous aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Because she was short he told her to bring a cushion.  Her pilots' test involved a climbing to 450 meters then landing near a fixed spot on the ground.  She passed gaining an A grade licence.  her career began in 1928 flying a yellow Gypsy Moth at an air pageant in New South Wales. In those days a commercial pilot had to be a mechanic as well.  She was capable.  Securing a log book, knowledge of meteorology and navigation skills she was on her way.  The Gypsy Moth was ideal for Barnstorming around the country.  She saved some money.  Her purchase of Leopard Moth set her up in

Chemistry: Stomata on plant leaves shows the way to predict climate change. It looks like the future is going to be very hot - in Asia at least. Oddly it will not get drier. With more carbon around plants will not need as much water, so grass will grow everywhere. A 5 degree rise in temperature is expected by mid-century. High humidity will make life unbearable.. Plants have a significant effect on the climate in general. This has been ignored in the past. Scientists are now examining it. More efficient use of water means less water in the atmosphere which increases temperature during the day.   Spring will arrive earlier as the climate itself changes. A study of stomata, tiny spores on leaves involved in carbon dioxide absorption and the shedding of water, has provided information on how plants affect the weather. It was initially for understanding how plants work, but it has ultimately been applied to the study of climate change. ◆ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan   ◆

Science: Extroverts and introverts are on a continuum. Do you mix with others easily?  Are you a loner?  Human beings can be categorized as extrovert or introvert.  There appears not to be a continuum to give variety to the species.  You are either one or the other. Don't get me wrong here.  Introverts can rise to the occasion and mix in a group.  Oddly, many introverts become entertainers to bring themselves out and beat their fears.  Clearly though, extroverts love other people and get lonely quickly, whereas introverts thrive doing things on their own. After a noisy party where alcohol has temporarily changed introverts into extroverts.  The basically quieter type starts worrying about what he/she said at the bash.  The mixers just get on with life and don't fear anything. Wait on.  Research has shown the people do fit on a continuum.  We cannot all be divided into either mixer or loner, not totally.  To make it simpler scientists have coined the phrase "

Technology: It is surprising how people and government bodies live with a problem for decades when the answer is in front of their noses. Quite frequently rescue helicopter crash into the sea. There is usually a "ho-hum" - another helicopter has fallen from the sky. Helicopters that can take off and land in the sea have been around for years. It is old technology. Obviously rescue organizations could have used them. However, they seem to feel that it best to reinvent the wheel. They plan to modify existing helicopters. A self-inflating buoyancy balloon will be attached to standard helicopters. When a sensor detects water, automatic inflation will occur. Australian defence is throwing $4 million at the project. Marise Payne the Defence Minister is lauding it, saying "this is a fabulous innovation, by Australian minds, Australian brains, Australian workers...."  Let us hope it is not just a silly idea! ◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Adventur

Genetics: Scientists work on whales instead of cattle. Work on cattle genetics has shown the way to determine the sex of whales using a sample taken from blow holes. Specimens are composed of water and mucous membrane material.  They are collected from the sea by people in dingies, canoes and kayaks. The process involves scooping with a six-metre long carbon-fibre pole. A team of researchers has enjoyed the chance to get away from working with cattle. They have also done a genetic study of koalas. Improving cattle and meat are their priorities, however.  A few hundred samples are to be taken.  This compares to a half a million already collected from cattle. While blow hole samples are used for whales, hair is taken from cattle. Researchers have identified favourable traits for cattle from DNA. The real problem is getting these into cattle. Farmers are the ones who breed animals, not researchers. It is no surprise to find the more direct work on whales a welcome change. ◆

Chemistry: Life began near an active volcano in a freshwater puddle. Use your imagination and assume that life began in a puddle of fresh water near an active volcano. Molecules begin to "see" each other and unite into a larger whole. They become membranes, the envelopes of future life. Like a chicken's egg the membrane shell is the holding structure where chemicals are assembled for incubating lifeforms. RNA was the first significant biological molecule. This has a basic form of repeating subunits. A simple molecule perhaps. but difficult for a primitive Earth to "create". Yet it came into existence. Membrane were required for chemicals to grow into RNA. The fatty, lipid molecules in membranes formed easily. Lipids assist the building of RNA, then it forms a protective coating. This was the first primitive cell. As soon as some RNA replicated, lifeforms began to evolve becoming more complex. This occurred in fresh water which was heated and coo

Australiana: Live in a Queenlander house to get a good night's sleep. There isn't much doubt that the Australian climate can wear you down. This is not so much the case in winter, but those rainy cold days in Melbourne are off-putting. It is the hot balmy nights that are a burden with many people not getting enough sleep. Some would say that they wake up with a hangover when they didn't drink any alcohol. Humans have evolved to only fall asleep when body temperature dips. If there is hot air around you that puts a kibosh on that. You get dozy, momentarily drift off, then quickly wake up. It is the surrounding heat that keeps you awake. The problem in Australia is that we build the wrong kind of houses. They are based on the English. The double brick has been dropped in favor of brick veneer. A visitor to this country wonders how the the roof can be finished before a brick is laid. Brick are only for looks. However, bricks take in heat during the day and st