Clipmarks | pokkets's Australia collection

Nemo's nose helps find way home

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:20:11 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They discovered some of the scents that attracted the clown fish to to the reefs that provide a suitable habitat. The scent from the leaves of one coastal plant Xanthostemon, a kind of myrtle attracted them. They also found scents, such as the leaves from the Melaleuca Nervosa, a kind of paperbark which is another type of myrtle, that repelled them. They say this could have implications regarding tree planting and reforestation near marine habitats.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Darren Osborne

The animated clownfish Nemo may have found his way home a lot sooner if he had trusted his nose

research by scientists from Australia, France and the US, has revealed that a species of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) uses its olfactory senses to help it locate a suitable habitat.

The findings appear in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Professor Geoff Jones of James Cook University, Townsville, says that although previous research has shown clownfish can smell, these new findings identify the scents they are using.

"We've actually narrowed down the chemical signals that they may be using to find their home."

Almost all exhibited a strong preference for water collected from reefs that contained islands.

The researchers then used water that contained the scent of an anemone or leaves from coastal plants such as Xanthostemon.

When given a choice between scented or unscented water the fish spent more than 90% of their time in the scented water.

Sweet edge on waterproof paper.

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:09:33 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: You can't recycle waxed boxes. The wax interferes with the paper making process. I hadn't thought of that, but it make sense, wax being waterproof because it's 'oily'
The number of boxes that are coated for use with foods is unimaginable.
They've had success with a spray on version of this recyclable waterproof coating .
There were few details as a result of 'Commercial Confidentiality' which means they must be on to something

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Totally recyclable waterproof paper and cardboard containers can be made using a new coating developed from sugarcane, say Australian researchers.

Organic chemist, Dr Les Edye, and colleagues from the CRC for Sugarcane Innovation through Biotechnology in Brisbane, say the coating could replace wax and plastic coatings currently used on fruit boxes and food and drink containers.

"Wax-coated cardboard boxes, for example, used for packaging fruit aren't recyclable."

He says conventional coatings like wax interfere with paper-making equipment.

Edye and colleagues have developed a new coating from sugarcane lignin.

Lignin is the rigid, waterproof 'cement' that helps give plants their structural strength.

We have a different kind of process for separating the sugarcane

so that the lignin is still useful

the coating has been found to be "functionally equivalent" to wax coatings, but with obvious benefits

"It can be put back into the pulping process to make recycled paper," he says.

Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:08:51 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: If a man has the faith the size of a mustard seed, he can say to a mountain 'move', and it will move.
Started in 1949, the scheme provided employment for returned soldiers, 'New Australians', who came to Australia after WW2 to start a new life, to provide electricity for the states of N.S.W. and Victoria, and to turn the 'Snowy' River from it's flow into the ocean, back inland to the irrigation area in central N.S.W.
The Government tried to sell the scheme in 2005, but widespread protests, arguing it was not theirs to sell, from people including 100 Mayors from N.S.W., prominent politicians, and conservationists, prevented the sale.
As a result of the drought-in Australia, droughts go hand in with bush fires, Lake Jindabyne reached an all time low of around 10%.in 2005. Today the level is around 60%. 'Old' Jindabyne is beneath Lake Jindabyne. They decided to move the town. when the dam was built. Parts of it can be seen when the dam is low or when fishing. Particularly the steeple.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The waters of the Snowy River and its tributary, the Eucumbene, are captured at high elevations and diverted inland to the Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River, through two tunnel systems driven through the Snowy Mountains. The water falls 800 metres and travels through large hydro-electric power stations which generate peak-load power for the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.^[1]^[2]

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Lake Jindabyne

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Talbingo Dam

Tumut 3 generating station.

Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme,

listed as a "world-class civil engineering project" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.^[5] The scheme interlocks seven power stations and 16 major dams through 145 kilometres of trans-mountain tunnels and 80 kilometres of aqueducts. The scheme virtually reverses the flow of the Snowy River from its natural course toward the ocean and directs it inland

Change in the wind for Co-operative Research Centre

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:17:21 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The program was established in 1990 to enable collaborative research to benefit industry or the community.
Professor O'Kane also says It should really be about tax payer's dollars causing major spill overs to the community.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

The newly-released findings from a review of the Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) Program, are welcomed by many who say in recent years the program has become too driven by commercialisation.

The report says CRCs should focus on addressing major challenges, such as improving Aboriginal health

The program was established in 1990 to enable collaborative research to benefit industry or the community.

In 2004 a major policy shift saw the program require high levels of commercialisation and reject proposals for centres that would deliver only "public good" outcomes.

Emeritus Professor Mary O'Kane, who conducted the CRC review for the federal government, says there has been "dissatisfaction" with aspects of the program.

"Its role as a driver of innovation in Australia is not as effective as it could be,

a focus on producing a commercial return from intellectual property has often impeded collaboration and innovation and transfer of ideas

O'Kane wants to re-instate public good as a CRC objective

Aerial surveys 'underestimate' ferals

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:51:17 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Feral animals such as cats ,foxes, pigs, and goats, can cause an incredible amount of damage to natural species and an environment that has not evolved defenses against them. Feral pigs can root up the ground, eat ground-nesting animal and endangered plants, and foul water. They need the numbers so they can find out how many animals are causing a problem, so they can decide how many need to be culled to reduce it.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Aerial surveys could be seriously underestimating the number of destructive feral animals on the loose, say Australian researchers.

They recommend a change in the way these are normally counted to ensure better protection of nature reserves.

Dr Peter Fleming and John Tracey of the NSW Department of Primary Industries in Orange report their findings in the current issue of the journal Wildlife Research Management and Conservation.

Fleming says counting what are often moving targets from a moving helicopter is hard enough to start with.

But, he says, memory is fallible and so it's easy to make mistakes and the longer counting goes on

the evidence is that there is a tendency to underestimate

Fleming says aerial surveyors could be more accurate if they made better use of the way the brain works.

Humans, and some high-level primates, inherently recognise instantaneously groups of 1 to 4 without counting, he says.

He says a method of counting, called subtising, uses this fact.

Community control key to windfarms

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:48:03 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The clip is about wind farms in Australia, but there are already working examples elsewhere in the world particularly Germany.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Making the most of wind energy in Australia could depend on the community owning and operating small-scale wind farms, say some experts.

Community-owned projects could have greater appeal to those opposed to outisde companies large-scale wind farms

The comments come as a cooperative in Daylesford, Victoria seeks support for their proposal to build and operate Australia's first community-owned and operated wind farm.

"Wind farms are vital if we're going to reduce our carbon emissions," says Professor John Thwaites, chairman of the Monash Sustainability Institute at Monash University.

"But we're not going to be able to do that if we've got widespread community opposition."

He says community owned wind farms are common in some parts of the world, especially in Europe.

"If you look at Germany for example, about a half of their wind farms are community owned or have a community owned component," says Thwaites

"This is a way communities can take control," he says.

Improved tsunami detection for region

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:21:29 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

A million dollar facility that can help track tsunamis through the Asia-Pacific region is being proposed for north-west Australia.

The Australian Earth Sciences Convention in Perth today heard that Geoscience Australia is already well along the path of developing the next-generation tsunami spotters.

Dr Barry Drummond, head of Earth Monitoring at Geoscience Australia told the conference the tsunami monitoring group is currently using a seismic array at Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory, to analyse earthquakes in the region.

He says because seismic waves arrive at each seismograph at slightly different times, scientists are able to glean more information about the earthquake.

parameters such as the length of the rupture, how fast it occurs and in which direction it travels will determine where the tsunami is produced.

a slow rupture, for reasons currently unknown, causes a worse tsunami

the facility will provide extra time authorities for more time to alert the public

Cuckoo chicks are masters of deception

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:19:08 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Stephen Pincock

The chicks of a species of Australian cuckoo can adjust their call in order to fool other species into rearing them, despite never having heard the cry, researchers have found.

The Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo could have a range of call options genetically pre-programmed, researchers say

Like their European counterparts, Australian cuckoos are well known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds.

Once the chicks hatch, they 'kick' out the host's eggs and set about convincing their foster parents to feed them by imitating the calls of the host's offspring.

But researchers from the Australian National University and the University of Cambridge, report in the latest issue of the journal Evolution, that one species of cuckoo can modify its call depending on which species it has hooked up with.

Chicks that hatch in a fairy-wren nest are known to copy that species' short 'cheep cheep'

chicks that hatch in the nests of thornbills imitate the thornbill's long, rasping whine

Researchers close on chlamidia vaccine

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:22:10 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: 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.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

A vaccine designed to protect koalas from the infectious disease chlamydia has shown positive results in an early trial, researchers say.

Professors Peter Timms and Ken Beagley from Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation vaccinated 18 female koalas at Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary with the experimental vaccine.

"It seems to be going well," says Timms. "We are genuinely excited about the results we've seen so far."

Chlamydia infection is a major problem for Australia's koala population, causing a kind of conjunctivitis that can lead to blindness, and infections that render female animals sterile.

"As many as 25% to 50% of koalas coming into care in both Queensland and New South Wales are showing clinical signs of the disease and it seems to be getting worse," Timms says.

In the long-term, the results of the koala studies could also help in the development of an effective Chlamydia vaccine for humans, he added.

Australians set shining standard

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:47:02 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: 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.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Errol Atkinson and colleagues from the National Measurement Institute have refined the measurement of the candela, the basic unit of brightness, to eliminate all but 0.1% of uncertainty.

They set the standard by measuring the light from a mercury-xenon lamp shone through a set of filters, and finally through a small 5 millimetre aperture in a piece of metal.

"These light sources have a very consistent light output," says Atkinson. It was using them that allowed the institute to reduce the potential error in its standards to 0.1%.

The candela plays an important role in defining international lighting standards, and is used for a wide range of applications from household light bulbs, through to techniques to identify faults in the manufacture of jet engine components.

Atkinson says that because the amount of light coming out of a substance is also closely linked to its temperature, the advance could lead to a change in the way the SI standard for temperature is defined.

Study puts urine in the spotlight

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:17:21 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: 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.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

Australian researchers are developing a simple fluorescent light test that could provide an almost instantaneous diagnosis for urinary tract infections.

The Macquarie University researchers presented their preliminary findings at the recent 21st Congress of the International Commission for Optics held in Sydney.

Researcher Professor Ewa Goldys, of the university's Department of Physics, says the research could lead to a home diagnosis kit that uses simple technology now available.

And they say the fluorescence test may also help provide early detection for the other disorders and diseases including cancer.

UTIs are the cause of about 60 in 1000 patient consultations annually and are estimated to account for 30% to 40% of all hospital-acquired infections.

She says although urinary tract infections can be easily treated with antibiotics it is important to have a rapid and inexpensive form of diagnosis to stop any worsening of the condition.

South Australia: Phasing out plastic bags

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:23:22 GMT

clipped by: egsnyder
clipper's remarks: Australia... It's rapidly spreading across the world

Clip Source: www.phoenixarrien.com

Green Travel Blog

South Australia Leads The Way

The state of South Australia (SA) is phasing out plastic bags and I believe the other Australian states should follow. SA is also the only state in Australia offering cash-back for bottles and cans.

Tags: plastic bags, environment

Tasmanian devils breed younger to defy disease

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:42:23 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Seems like nature is plugging the gap, while we're still running around wondering what to do.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

Tasmanian devils are mating and breeding much younger in response to the fatal facial cancer that threatens to wipe out the iconic Australian marsupial, researchers say.

In today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, a team of Australian researchers report what they believe to be the first known case of an infectious disease leading to increased early reproduction in a mammal.

Lead author Dr Menna Jones, of the University of Tasmania's School of Zoology, says the move to early mating may help buy enough time for research to beat the fatal devil facial tumour disease (DFTD).

She says the devil is showing its capacity to respond to the disease-induced increased adult mortality with a 16-fold rise in the proportion of females showing early sexual maturity.

"The disease is still going to overwhelm the devil, but it will slow it down," she says. "It gives us more time."

Areas where the disease is present have experienced a loss of up to 95% in devil population

Aboriginal tattoos reflect art, culture

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:57:08 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: 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.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Jennifer Viegas

Indigenous Australian body art, such as tattoos and intentional scarring may help to unravel mysteries about where certain groups traveled in the past, what their values and rituals were, and how they related to other cultures

The study by Liam Brady of Monash University's Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies appears in the current issue of the journal Antiquity.

"Distinctive design conventions can be considered markers of social interaction so, in a way (they are) a cultural signature of sorts that archaeologists can use to understand ways people were interacting in the past," says Brady.

Brady documented rock art drawings, including images found on early turtle shell, stone and wood objects, and images that were etched onto the human body through a process called scarification.

body art, rock art, wooden objects and other tangible items have a relatively short shelf life, Haddon's collections and data represent some of the earliest confirmed findings for the region

'Devil-proof' fences to save Tassie icon

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:17:46 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: 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.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

The Tasmanian devil could be living in fenced off areas of Tasmania and mainland Australia in a bid to halt the spread of a deadly cancer currently decimating its numbers.

proposals

came out of a four-day international workshop aimed at looking at ways of saving the world's largest carnivorous marsupial from extinction

Dr Rebecca Spindler, of the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, the sponsors of the Hobart workshop, says intensive management is needed to secure disease-free populations

Recommendations include: captive breeding programs in zoos; translocating the dog-sized mammal to free-range enclosures in the wild on mainland Australia; and erecting secure fencing around disease-free populations in the west of Tasmania

The Tasmanian devil is being affected by a cancer known as the devil facial tumour disease. It causes large unsightly tumours to grow on the animal's face and mouth, leaving them unable to feed.

They die from starvation and a breakdown in bodily functions.