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POPSResearchers close on chlamidia vaccine For the Australian native koala. When combined with habitat destruction, chlamydial disease continues to be a major threat to koalas. The disease is similar to the strain suffered by humans, and the research could help develop a vaccine in humans.
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POPSAustralians set shining standard They originally described the candela as the amount of light emitted by the average? candle. Since the definition has become more precise, but measurement is still improving. Here's the exact definition (for anyone that cares-don't ask me what a steradian is) from wikki: Since the 16th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1979, the candela has been defined as: The luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a source that emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540×1012 hertz and that has a radiant intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian.
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POPSStudy puts urine in the spotlight A light that can show signs of urinary tract infections These infections are easily treated, but first must be detected. This light can be part of an instant or even home analysis kit without the need to wait 24hours (usually in a queue) and two visits to the doctor or hospital. Of course if they are expensive, they can become part of the 'Neighborhood Watch' program, but how much can it cost to switch on a light globe? Every chemical has a unique signature. It is also hoped this technique can be used to detect other diseases , such as cancer, each of which have flags in the urine, due to the kidneys ability, and tendency to eliminate toxins from the system.
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POPSAboriginal tattoos reflect art, culture The study and comparison between different art forms, has helped find clues as to the social nature of particular tribes, such as whether they were hunter-gatherers or horticulturalists, and degrees to which tribes interacted, and traded.
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POPS'Devil-proof' fences to save Tassie icon The cancer affecting Tasmanian devils is infectious. In areas where the disease is present, up to 95% of the population of devils have been killed. According to the Save the Tasmanian Devil program the disease is now present across more than 60% of Tasmania.
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POPSDebate on radioactive dump flares again
There's the NIMBY idea. Not in my back yard. Everywhere is someone's backyard. They keep on saying that we need the dump for 'low level waste' centralized so it's not forgotten. it sounds like smoke to me. More toxic waste needs to be put somewhere, and it's easy to say 'since we already have a dump why not just stretch the limits.-and there'll be a fortune earned by the instigators, while they say how 'great things' can be done with the money, then there'll be no flow down. Is it is a good idea to drink poison as a public service to prevent it being drunk by someone else? If humanity is around in 10,000 years, they'll still be cursing their ancestors. What is really criminal is the number of viable alternative energy sources that have been choked for the sake of money. There's energy everywhere. We just couldn't be bothered looking. I'm sure Nuclear energy is championed to justify the use of uranium in Nuclear weapons.and depleted uranium munitions. Why not dump it on your enemy?
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POPSDingo scent scares off marsupials If you get a dingo to water your roses, it also promises to repel relatives, neighbours, encyclopaedia and insurance salesmen, mormons, Jehovah's witnesses, politicians, and news reporters - and people who like the smell of roses..(Not necessarily in that order)
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POPSEvil Mad Scientist Laboratories I linked to this site, after I found out how to make a bristle-bot, using a toothbrush, and the motor that gives you a ring in a cell phone. - Before I throw my cell phones out in future, I'll have to remove the motor. They're making the world a Better Place. One evil mad scientist at a time.
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POPSExtinct thylacine genome brought to life Known as the Tasmanian Tiger, it was one of the few marsupial predators that were in Australia before the arrival of the west. The other is the Tasmanian Devil, which survives, but is threatened by a disease that causes ulcers.
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POPSHerbicide review 'fails' the environment The review recommends changes on labels to reduce the risk of the herbicide contaminating waterways. I'm sure that's physically impossible. Unless we can work out how to grow dry plants. There is also a cop out, saying that it is the responsibility of the States to ensure this happens. The don't mention how, apart from the warning on the label.
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POPSTough grasses may be key to new carbon sink Grasses like this may be part of a solution, where it will be need to be part of a new approach to agriculture, which will involve a combination of measures, that will allow us to be more compatible with the environment. Things like putting back into the soil what is taken out, with fewer chemicals like pesticides, and herbicides, which nature cannot digest, being left behind. If we try and compete with nature, we lose, we need to learn to work with nature, and the resources it has available - how nature and mankind should be on the same team, but we spend too much time banging our heads against the immovable object that is nature. We often seem to be trying to replace what is natural with our own ideas, but the time that we can run a show as well as nature, is a long way off. It's about time we tried to learn.
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POPSThe Great Barrier Reef The individual pictures don't link, but there are larger copies at the site that also show the details of the copyright holder
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POPSAustralia gets access to underwater bounty There seem to be the implication that we can 'own' an environment. While there is constant talk of conservation, it never seems to get in the way of a good profit. The world is a boat. and we are just passengers, not owners. We should feel obliged to leave it in a fit state for travelers on the next leg of the journey. I suppose it was a choice between oil rigs, and bottom trawlers. The black smoker' is the spout from a seabed hydrothermal vent. At the sea floor, due to the pressure, water is still liquid at 400deg C, and is as acidic as vinegar.
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POPSSydney's stressed brains are shrinking There was another conclusion suggested for the reason those subjects from Melbourne had more 'grey matter' than those from Sydney, which was that the brains of Sydneysiders had eliminated unnecessary neural pathways, connections and links, so making their brains more efficient. There was also the possibility considered that another reason for the differences, is that Sydney brains were too mature to spend too much time thinking about sport. They didn't need as large an amount of gray matter to remember football scores.
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POPSHuntsman spiders fight over family home The mother being the biggest rules the roost, but if she dies, the nest already has what is needed. The biggest sister is the most likely winner. It's not just that good nests are hard to find, but when finding one it's much easier to be caught out in the open and become someone else's dinner
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POPSSolar plant a 'small but important step' The Australian centre gets an incredible amount of sunlight. There's very little that can be done without the first step. Remember computers became a prospect (distant) when they invented the transistor. Every program is a series of small steps. Step left 0 step right 1-(or vice versa) at least until we work out how to go organic (it's not far off). Who knows, with the amount of sunlight Australia gets, in time energy is likely to become an export. We'll just have to look out for real estate agents. "Want to buy a block of land in the desert?- Get it while it's hot."
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POPSStingray beats burgers any day I know what they mean. Remember home cook food? No? Anything made at home beats takeaway hands down. For a start you know exactly what goes into it. Second you can choose your own ingredients, and cook what you feel like. People forget how when the Australian Aboriginals lived off the land there was an almost limitless variety of foods, that could be gathered in different seasons, They managed to survive this way for around 80,000 years. of course many of their traditional sources have become limited or endangered, and the advent of 'civilization' has meant much of this traditional knowledge is being lost. There is a man named Major (retired Army)Les Hiddins, also known as the 'Bush Tucker Man' who has written several books about Australian Native foods still in the bush. They are big books, with hundreds of examples and have photographs and locations, but as Australia is becoming more and more mined, fished and cultivated more and more sources are disappearing.
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POPSCane Toads Cane toads were introduced into Australia as a pest control measure and are taking over the country. There were no predators when they arrived, they kill just about anything that eats them (including the tadpoles) and while the gif of their spread goes to 1980, it is estimated they spread at 40k (25M) per year. Snakes have evolved smaller jaws to avoid swallowing them, and populations of goannas (lizards) that swallow them whole are being wiped out. Goannas also ate crocodile eggs, but they're not sure what the long term effect will be. They have contributed significantly with other introduced pests to the breakdown of many Australian ecosystems. They eat whatever they can fit into their mouth and while attempts have been made so far there has been little impact on their spread. Apart from the primary chemical Bufotenin other toxic chemicals are also expressed by the poison glands at the back of the head. They are said to taste like chicken (reminds me of Fugu. Export them to Japan?)
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POPSAustralian Ant Safari Entomologists say Australia has the highest ant biodiversity in the world. In other countries, there may be 30 different species per hectare, in Australia there are more like 100. The text in the clip continues below the pictures. At the site there are details of how ants play an important part in the environment.
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POPSCapturing a Miracle-Nature photography The winners and other entries in a nature photography competition. The article also includes photography tips from professional photographer and competition judge Steve Parish
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