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Thread: Science & Technology

  1. #751
    Senior Member animosity's Avatar
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    i'm not even going to say what it looks like to me. the red teletubby? nope.
    Quote Originally Posted by songbirdsong View Post
    "Say, you know who could handle this penis? MY MOTHER."

  2. #752
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Now's your chance to volunteer for the Armchair Penguin Count!! Who doesn't love Armchair Penguins, right?

    VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR ARMCHAIR PENGUIN COUNT




    MAP: Antarctica A call has gone out for people to help count penguins for a new study, but there is no requirement teo travel to a remote icy continent. The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), based in Hobart, is calling on citizen scientists to scour thousands of online photographs from the comfort of their armchairs.

    Researchers at Oxford University in the UK have scanned 200,000 photographs, many taken by AAD staff, as part of the project. Volunteers will identify adults, chicks and eggs in the photos, eventually helping researchers develop an algorithm so computers can automatically count individual penguins in an image. The information will help scientists in understanding their behaviour, breeding success and the impact of predators. It may also help in detecting how environmental changes and human activity impact penguin numbers, and spot the early warning signs of any problem that could lead to a decline.

    There are adorable chicks in some of the photos and you can never get too tired of looking at penguins. Jenni Klaus, penguin counter AAD's Colin Southwell said it could also provide information about the potential impact of fisheries. "There's over 40 cameras out across East Antarctica now; they're spread across three large regions from Mawson's station all the way across to Commonwealth Bay," he said.

    "What it's about, is trying to use the interest of a large number of people out there through online communications to contribute to scientific research. "So we're asking non-scientists through their interest to contribute to the work." Volunteer counter Jenni Klaus said: "I saw it on Twitter and I've always been interested in science but I haven't done a science degree or anything.

    "There are adorable chicks in some of the photos and you can never get too tired of looking at penguins." "Most people are interested in Antarctica. Most people are interested in penguins, and it's fun," Dr Southwell said. The researchers hope to eventually have volunteers counting other seabirds in the Antarctic and Arctic.


    I will never understand google. Why do I get hits for Billy Bragg when I search armchair penguins?
    Last edited by blighted star; 09-17-2014 at 07:00 AM.

  3. #753
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bermstalker View Post
    Mysterious, unidentified red blob washes up on the beach?so local woman wraps the creature in a towel and takes it home
    Mysterious 'blob' has washed up on Mudjimba Beach on Sunshine Coast
    Red blob appears to have no limbs, no eyes or mouth but has ribbing
    The creature was spotted by a local woman on her morning walk
    Debbie Higgs wrapped it in a tea towel, took it home and put it in salty water


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz3BPLPtYm8
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook


    What a stupid bitch. She killed it. She could've taken pix then put it in a rock pool to recover but Nooo. Wrap it in a towel then drop it in tap water with cooking salt - because that's all you need to create a sustainable saltwater fishtank.

    What a jerk.


    ETA oh. Of course.

    It was Queensland.

    QLD = Florida.

  4. #754
    Senior Member Feetprints's Avatar
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    Debbie Higgs wrapped it in a tea towel, took it home and put it in salty water
    What on earth would possess someone to pic up what looks like an angry, disembodied vulva and take it home?
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron_NYC View Post
    SMH. White people! Always trying to help and shit.

  5. #755
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Lol. You should see what I pick up on the beach.

    Behold the sea hare ...


    In the water


    Out of the water


    Swimming

    They get beached like little whales quite often from spring to autumn. We just pat them, rehydrate them & set them free (as much as I'd like to bring one home - they are pretty cute & very friendly).

    Most people think they're a lump of seaweed & leave them cooking in the sun poor little guys.

  6. #756
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    It's so cute I thought it was fake at first


    http://www.lostateminor.com/2015/03/...e-in-20-years/




    RARE ?MAGIC RABBIT? FROM CHINA SPOTTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS




    By Inigo del Castillo in New Eco on Tuesday 31 March 2015
    Apparently, you don?t have to go to a galaxy far, far away to see Ewoks. In the Tian Shan Mountains of China, researchers have spotted the elusive Ili Pika, an adorable creature which hasn?t been seen in two decades. Discovered back in 1983 by conservationist Li Weidong, he named the rare mammal after his hometown, and not after Pikachu.
    The so-called ?magic bunny? measures about eight inches long and is a distant relative of the rabbit. It has eluded research teams for decades, sneaking in and out of cliffs, avoiding getting photographed. Until now.

    Li, on another one of his Pika spotting expeditions, was able to snap the photos above. According to him, the species numbered around 2,900 at the time of their discovery. Now, their numbers are down to less than a thousand, most likely due to human activity and climate change.

    ?I discovered the species, and I watched as it became endangered. If it becomes extinct in front of me, I?ll feel so guilty?, said Li. He hopes that the Ili Pika?s mountain ranges would soon be declared a nature reserve to help their species survive and thrive again
    Last edited by blighted star; 06-20-2015 at 08:14 PM. Reason: edited for stupidity

  7. #757
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    The USA has suffered its first measles death in 12 years, according to Washington state health officials.

    The woman's measles was undetected and confirmed only through an autopsy, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The woman's name was not released, but officials said she lived in Clallam County.

    The woman was probably exposed to measles at a medical facility during a measles outbreak this spring, according to the health department. She was at the hospital at the same time as a patient who later developed a rash and was diagnosed with measles. Patients with measles can spread the virus even before showing symptoms.

    The woman, who died of pneumonia, had other health conditions and was taking medications that suppressed her immune system, the health department said.

    Pneumonia is one of several serious common complications of measles and the most common cause of death from the virus, said William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. Measles kills one or two children out of every 1,000 infected, according to the CDC.

    It's not surprising that the woman had no obvious measles symptoms; people with compromised immune systems often don't develop a rash when infected with the virus, said Paul Offit, chief of infectious disease at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

    The woman's death was a preventable, but predictable, consequence of falling vaccination rates, said Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development in Houston.

    Measles has surged back in recent years as groups of like-minded parents have opted against fully vaccinating their children. Last year, 644 people contracted the virus.

    A measles outbreak that began at Disneyland over the Christmas holidays in December spread across the country, including to Washington state.

    So far this year, 178 people have been diagnosed with measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Some states have reacted to the outbreaks by passing laws to require more children to be vaccinated. Both California and Vermont this year repealed exemptions that allowed unvaccinated children to attend school because of their parents' personal beliefs.

    A USA TODAY investigation earlier this year found that Washington's vaccination levels may not be high enough to prevent outbreaks.

    Communities need to vaccinate at least 92% of children to prevent outbreaks, said Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

    In Washington state in 2013-2014, one-third of the 1,634 schools with kindergartens had vaccination levels for kindergartners under 90%, USA TODAY found.

    An additional 263 schools did not have up-to-date vaccination records for that school year when the state provided USA TODAY data this February.

    The statewide vaccination rate for the nearly 84,000 kindergartners whose records were collected was 89.5%.

    Before vaccines were available, the disease struck 3 million to 4 million Americans a year, hospitalizing 48,000 and killing 500.

    During the last major measles epidemic, from 1989 to 1991, measles infected 55,000 people and killed 166. The outbreak spurred the CDC to increase the recommended number of measles shots for children from one to two. The measure dramatically cut the number of measles cases, which hovered around 60 a year until recently.

    Measles remains a leading killer of children elsewhere in the world, killing nearly 146,000 in 2013, according to the World Health Organization.

    USA TODAY

    Low vaccination rates at schools put students at risk

    People with compromised immune systems are at high risk from measles. They often can't be vaccinated. Or, if they are vaccinated, their bodies don't respond in a way that protects them from disease, according to the Washington state health department.

    There are hundreds of thousands of these patients in the USA, and they depend on others around them to get vaccines, Offit said.

    "It's not your right to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection," Offit said.

    By keeping overall levels of measles low, vaccinated people create a wall of protection that prevents disease among vulnerable people, including babies too young to have received their first shots, said William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

    "We are responsible not only for our health but for the health of those around us," Schaffner said. "The only way we can protect them from these disease is if we are vaccinated."

    Pediatrician Richard Pan, a California state senator who championed his state's tougher vaccine law, said the woman's death shows why vaccines are vital. Opponents of the law already have mounted an effort to repeal the legislation, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday.

    "I'm so sorry to hear about this preventable tragedy," Pan said. "All the more reason we must be vigilant about stopping these deadly diseases now. In my own state, a child is currently in hospice because of a measles complication. This is exactly why the law I wrote needs to take effect."
    Sen Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, left, talks with Jennifer

    Sen Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, left, talks with Jennifer Wonnacott, a supporter of Pan's measure requiring California schoolchildren to get vaccinated, after the bill was approved by the state Senate on May 14, 2015. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)

    Measles is one of the most contagious viruses and spreads easily when infected people breathe, cough or sneeze. People who aren't protected ? because they haven't had measles or a vaccine ? can contract the virus even two hours after an infectious person leaves the room.

    The last confirmed measles death in the United States was reported in 2003, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    "These are communicable diseases," Schaffner said. "They don't just happen to me. They can be spread to others, often unknowingly so."
    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...tate/29624385/
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  8. #758
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    OK you all need try to this test. I've done 3 different versions & got 0-2 wrong each time. I want to know if that's really an unusual score or if pretty much everyone gets the same.



    http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/16/are-yo...-test-5247742/






    Are your friends constantly impressed by your ability to remember faces?

    Then you might just have a future as a police super-recogniser.

    Forces like the Metropolitan Police employ a team of expert super-recognisers to identify criminals in blurry pictures or fuzzy CCTV footage.

    So if you reckon you?ve got what it takes to join the elite, put your facial recognition abilities to the test and you might just land a job.

    Take the challenge here.

    https://greenwichuniversity.eu.qualt...3xDuCccGAdgbfT


    Could you be a super-recogniser? (Picture: University of Greenwich)

    The University Of Greenwich is hosting 14 trials to find potential super-recognisers.

    In stage one participants will see a single face. In the second stage they will be required to remember an array of faces.

    Are you a super-recogniser?
    On average, human can recognise about 20 per cent of faces they have previously seen, but those in the super-recogniser bracket can achieve up to 80 per cent.

    The ad says: ?The test on this website takes about five minutes and is really just a bit of fun. There are 14 trials and you will find out how well you did at the end.

    ?If you do very well then you MAY be a super-recogniser.?

    On average, human can recognise about 20 per cent of faces they have previously seen, but those in the super-recogniser bracket can achieve up to 80 per cent.


    Take the test linked above (Picture: University of Greenwich)


    It?s thought the ability has something to do with the fusiform face area of the brain as super-recognisers show more activity in this region when looking at pictures of faces.

    Super-recognisers aren?t a new phenomenon: awareness of this ability dates back centuries, and were used by?Roman Emperors during crowded events to determine who was friend or foe.

    More recently, super-recognisers were used to trawl through CCTV footage of the 2011 London riots and during Notting Hill carnival



    There's also these if you're like me & like making sure you haven't fluked it



    http://www.testmybrain.org/SupersRecruitment.html



    https://www.testmybrain.org/
    Last edited by blighted star; 07-14-2015 at 03:34 AM.

  9. #759
    Senior Member debk589's Avatar
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    Thank you for your participation.

    You scored 11 out of 14.


    If you scored above 10 you may be a super recogniser, but you would need to do more tests to find this out.
    Aw snap. I might be a super recognizer. Where's my cape???

  10. #760
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Woohoo. So far our test sample says 100% of the population are super recognisers.




    Edit : Just remembered ...
    There's a link for a really long test somewhere too. It takes about 45 mins. You have to do much longer sets including one with upside-down faces.


    Maybe the link's at the end of the short Greenwich test I linked above?


    If you score over their minimum again they ask if you're willing to participate in further testing. I haven't looked in my email for about a month though so I don't know if they actually follow up. I'll update if they do.
    Last edited by blighted star; 07-14-2015 at 06:27 AM.

  11. #761
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    Pluto!

  12. #762
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dream View Post
    Pluto!
    You mean this, right?




  13. #763
    Senior Member Jumaki15's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dream View Post
    Pluto!
    What about it? lol

  14. #764
    Senior Member animosity's Avatar
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    Is it possible that the youngins didn't know that Pluto used to be a planet and is again so they are thinking that we've just discovered a new planet?
    Quote Originally Posted by songbirdsong View Post
    "Say, you know who could handle this penis? MY MOTHER."

  15. #765
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    I just think it's awesome, that's all. Can't wait for more pics.

  16. #766
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    It's new species time again!!!



    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-0...f-says/6831882

    A monkey that sneezes when it rains and a "walking" fish are among more than 200 species discovered in the fragile eastern Himalayas in recent years, conservation group the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says.

    WWF compiled a survey of wildlife discovered by scientists across Bhutan, north-east India, Nepal, north Myanmar and southern Tibet in a bid to raise awareness of the threats facing the ecologically sensitive region.

    The species include what the WWF described as a blue-coloured "walking snakehead fish", which can breathe air, survive on land for four days and slither up to 400 metres on wet ground.

    Others include an ornate red, yellow and orange pit viper that could pass for a piece of jewellery, a fresh-water "dracula" fish with fangs and three new types of bananas.

    In the forests of northern Myanmar, scientists learned in 2010 of a black and white monkey with an upturned nose that caused it to sneeze when it rains.


    PHOTO: The Rhinopithecus strykeri's upturned nose causes it to sneeze when it rains. (Supplied: Fauna and Flora International)
    On rainy days they often sat with their heads tucked between their knees to avoid getting water in their snub noses.

    The 211 new species discovered between 2009 and 2014 included 133 plants including orchids, 26 kinds of fish, 10 amphibians, 39 invertebrates, one reptile, one bird and a mammal.

    In its report, WWF warned of a series of threats to the species including population growth, deforestation, overgrazing, poaching, mining and hydropower development.

    Just 25 per cent of the region's original habitats remained intact, and hundreds of species had been considered to be globally threatened.

    "The challenge is to preserve our threatened ecosystems before these species, and others yet unknown, are lost," said Sami Tornikoski, who heads the WWF Living Himalayas Initiative.

    The report called for more sustainable development in the region, singling out a need for greener hydropower plants and government assistance for communities to adapt to climate change



    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-0...onesia/6830144






    Print Email Facebook Twitter More
    Hog-nosed rat: Victorian scientists among team to discover new mammal species in remote Indonesia
    By Mark Doman
    Updated yesterday at 12:04pm


    PHOTO: The rat is so unique it has been recognised as a new genus of mammal. (Supplied: Museum Victoria)
    MAP: Melbourne 3000
    A new species of mammal dubbed the hog-nosed rat has been discovered in a remote area of Indonesia, researchers say.

    The rat, which has features never before seen by science, was found in a mountainous region of Sulawesi Island by a team of international scientists, that included members from Museum Victoria.

    Hog-nosed rat key features:

    Pig-like, forward-facing nostrils
    Long hind legs, probably used for hopping
    Large ears taking up 21 per cent of its head
    Extremely narrow mouth opening
    Long, white, sharp teeth used to pierce prey
    Weighs about 250 grams, about 45cm long
    The long-snouted, big-eared rat is so unique it has been recognised, not only as a new species, but as a new genus.

    "I am still amazed that we can walk into a forest and find a new species of mammal that is so obviously different from any species, or even genus, that has ever been documented by science," Museum Victoria researcher Dr Kevin Rowe said.

    Along with its hog-like snout, the new rat also has long hind legs, a tiny mouth opening and "curiously" long pubic hair.

    "We think it may serve some function in helping animals be successful in mating," Dr Rowe said adding, "but we really have no idea what its function is".


    VIDEO: Museum of Victoria researchers discover hog-nosed rat on Sulawesi (YouTube: Museum of Victoria)
    Researchers described the new species as like a "rat version of a bandicoot".

    The rat is carnivorous and, according to researchers, probably eats earthworms, beetle larvae and other invertebrates.

    Dr Rowe said the moment of discovery was special.

    "I found one in my trap and I actually kind of hollered and hooted for my other colleague to come and see," he said.

    "We knew immediately it was a new species and then the only question was rather [whether] it was a new genus or whether it was related closely to anything already described."


    PHOTO: The rat is the third unique genus discovered by the team of scientists since 2012. (Supplied: Museum Victoria)
    The newly discovered mammal is related to group of other carnivorous rodents found on Sulawesi called "shrew rats".

    "Even though there are only eight species in this endemic group, they exhibit a huge eco-morphological range," Dr Rowe said.

    "Including small grey rats, a nearly toothless vermivore, an amphibious rat and now a long-limbed, hog-nosed rat."

    The rat is the third unique genus discovered by the team of scientists since 2012.

    Their findings will be published in the Journal of Mammalogy.


    PHOTO: Researchers believe the carnivorous rat probably eats earthworms. (Supplied: Museum Victoria)
    Scientists drawn to secluded island

    Sulawesi Island is not part of the Australian continent, nor is it part of the Asian continent. The island is a collection of oceanic land masses between the two in an area known as Wallacea.

    The discovery of the hog-nosed rat was aided by local people from the village of Malangga Selatan, near Tolitoli on Sulawesi's northern peninsula, who guided the team into the remote forest camp.

    The elusive rat was discovered at an elevation of 1,600 metres in a remote camp two days' hike from the closest village.

    Sulawesi Island was formerly known as Celebes and is shaped like a tropical orchid. It is Indonesia's third-largest island with an area of 172,000 square kilometres.

    The island is known for its scenery of mountains, coastline, lake and dense jungles.

    Scientists are drawn to Sulawesi Island because the area remains an enigmatic place for mammals.

    Many species have not been seen in decades or ever since the advance in genetic technology in the field of science.

  17. #767
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Also, Australia of course has a new venomous snake (& it's kind of cute)



    http://www.theguardian.com/environme...d-in-australia


    Ophidiophobics should fret not, but Australia has a new species of snake. Scientists have identified a new type of death adder in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.



    Named the Kimberley death adder, or Acanthophis cryptamydros, the snake is about 50cm long and has a diamond-shaped head.

    Scientists from Australia and the UK discovered the snake is different from the death adders found around Darwin in the Northern Territory. Previously it was thought the same species extended to the Kimberley, but an examination of 20 snakes found in the WA region has its very own death adder.

    The death adder family is, true to their moniker, considered to be among the most venomous snakes in the world. Before antivenom was available, around half of the people bitten by death adders suffered paralysis and death.

    Death adders are now far more at risk from humans, however, with numbers falling due to habitat destruction and the introduction of feral animals such as cats and foxes.

    The Kimberley death adder has a distinctive scale formation on its head. Like other death adders, it is a ?sit and wait? predator, choosing to lie in wait in order to strike its prey, most commonly birds, lizards and small animals.


    The Kimberley death adder?s diamond-shaped head has a distinctive scale formation. Photograph: R Ellis/WA Museum
    Paul Doughty, curator of herpetology at the Western Australian Museum, said 15 snakes were sent from the Northern Territory to compare with the Kimberley species in terms of genetics and physical features.

    ?It was a surprise to see that the Kimberley has its own death adder, more closely related to the desert death adders out there,? Doughty told Guardian Australia.

    ?These snakes are super-camouflaged ? its idea is to look like a rock or a bunch of leaves. Unlike a brown snake they aren?t designed for speed at all, they are quite slow. They use their tail like a lure, they will dangle it down while it?s hidden until a lizard or something comes close and then it will strike.

    ?They are in the top 10 venomous snakes in the world. You definitely have to handle them carefully.?

    The elusive snakes are thought to be most abundant in the north-west part of the Kimberley region. And, although numbers are thought to be low, scientists don?t believe they are in immediate danger of extinction due to their isolation from key threats.

    The discovery of the new death adder follows a slew of other recent discoveries in the Kimberley. A total of six new frog species have been identified since 2006, including a huge amphibian that eats other frogs.


    Newly discovered Dampier peninsula goanna to go on display at WA Museum

    The world?s smallest species of goanna, measuring just 23cm and weighing 16g , was found in December, while several new geckos have also recently been unearthed.

    ?There?s quite a big sexy gecko called the large velvet gecko ? it?s very soft and have hands that are very grippy, when you hold them they hold you back,? Doughty said.

    ?The Kimberley is an isolated corner of Australia with relic species clinging on for millions of years. There is a huge untapped diversity that we?re just getting a handle on.

    ?I could easily point to 20 or 30 specimens we have here that haven?t been described. I won?t run out of things to describe from the Kimberley in my career and my successor won?t run out either.?

    Doughty said while the Kimberley is largely inaccessible to people, especially during the wet season, its species face threats from changed fire regimes and feral animals.

    The WA government has said it is addressing the conservation of the region through an $81m plan that has removed feral cattle, handed environmental work to traditional owners and created Australia?s largest national park through land handed back by Rio Tinto.
    Last edited by blighted star; 10-06-2015 at 09:10 AM.

  18. #768
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    & 13 new species of spiders



    http://www.theguardian.com/environme...lia-bush-blitz







    Saddleback trapdoor spider



    Thirteen new species of spider have been discovered on Queensland?s Cape York peninsula ? adding to the thousands of known species that give Australian wildlife its fearsome reputation.

    The new species were found by scientists, teachers and Indigenous rangers during a 10-day journey to the largely unsurveyed area.

    The survey is called the Bush Blitz and is a combined project of the Australian government, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities and Earthwatch Australia.

    Maribyrnong primary school teacher Leslie Carr says she signed up to search the Olkola people?s traditional lands so she could relay her adventures to her students.

    ?It was a lot of digging, I was amazed,? Carr told reporters.

    ?I thought I?d get up there and they?d be crawling around. But they go down 20 to 30cm.?



    The team used abalone knives to dig into the hard earth before swapping them for pen knives when they got closer to a silk-lined burrow.

    The hard work paid off, with the discovery of the 13 new spider species which include a brush-footed trapdoor spider and the newly christened mouse spider, which lives in a stocking-shaped web.

    Then there were the tarantulas. ?There were ones as big as your hand, about 20 of them,? Carr said.

    Now back home, the science teacher says the savannah-like environment was dotted with termite mounds and very dry.

    ?I?ve had kids coming up saying, ?Oh, how could you let a spider crawl all over you??? she says. ?I tell them it was scary, but if you don?t threaten the spider, he?s not going to bite you.?

  19. #769
    Senior Member Jumaki15's Avatar
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    Fuck the new spiders and snake, that rat is pretty cute though.

  20. #770
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Oh look, there aren't just newly discovered species, there's a recently edited species too.


    Behold the gene scissored micropig








    PHOTO: The genetically edited "micro pigs" are expected to grow to weigh between 14 and 20 kilograms. (Supplied: Beijing Genomics Institute)
    MAP: Perth 6000
    A Chinese research company is planning to sell its 'micro pig' as a pet after it successfully edited the DNA of the animal to stunt its growth.

    Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) created the pig, which grows to weigh between 14 and 20 kilograms, by changing the DNA responsible for its growth.


    The company originally genetically modified the Bama pig breed for research but announced at a Bio Tech Leader summit in China recently their plans to sell it.

    But the reasons as to why researchers are excited about the micro pigs are quite different to people wanting a petite pet porker.

    Researcher Dr Hannah Brown from the University of Adelaide said gene editing techniques were fascinating.

    "It's almost like GPS-guided molecular scissors," she said.

    "What they do is they put those scissors into a cell and those scissors attract specifically to a place in the DNA.

    We don't really know what their outcome is long term; we don't know if they'll live a happy, full life based on the fact that we have modified their DNA.

    Dr Hannah Brown, University of Adelaide researcher
    "They can make a cut and cut out a piece of DNA and exchange it for a different piece.

    "In this case this is actually what they did in pigs.

    "They took some pigs cells and they put in these molecular pair of scissors and they trimmed out a piece of the DNA that determines how big the pig grows," Dr Brown said.

    Dr Brown said it's understood the pigs were firstly created for medical research.

    "They were attempting to generate a smaller and faster-breeding pig so they could use them for genetic testing for the development of disease models
    .

    "The thing about pigs is that generally they are quite large and expensive to look after, so reducing the size of the animals means that it's less expensive to work with and easier to look after."

    What genetic editing could mean for human health

    In terms of research, Dr Brown said the pigs were of high interest.

    "Evidence like this, a generation of what looks like happy live pigs, is really exciting.

    "It means we are advancing what we know about these genetic-editing technologies and advancing towards a place where maybe we will be able to use them to cure diseases in humans."

    Dr Brown said successfully editing the pigs' growth wasn't far removed from curing a human disease.

    "Research-wise they aren't that far apart," she said.

    "Curing a genetic disease would require us to identify the message in the DNA that's faulty and replace it and that's basically what they did in these pigs.

    "They took the pig DNA and cut out the part of the message that we know regulates pig growth.

    "We now know that many of the genes or many of the parts of the DNA that regulate diseases like Huntington's and Cystic Fibrosis.

    "Potentially this offers us hope in terms of hoping to trim out those disease-causing bits of DNA in humans," Dr Brown said.

    Dr Brown said research coming out of China was already looking at modifying human DNA, in a contentious way.

    "Three or four months ago there was some similar technology that looked like it had been pushed out of China in terms of genetically modified human embryos.

    "This was really concerning because we hadn't seen a lot of this same technology being used in large animals, we had seen it be used with cells in the dish, we had seen it being used in rodents ? but not in larger animals."

    Dr Brown said cloning work was occurring in Australia but not in this form.

    "In terms of generating cloned pigs and miniature pigs, that kind of research isn't going on, I'm not aware of it," she said.

    "In pigs we do clone for other reasons so there's research looking into pigs as models for diabetes, as the pig is very similar to the human in many mechanisms."

    A company spokesman said the animals were expected to live to 15 to 20 years old.

    However Dr Brown did say the micro pigs had only been through one reproductive cycle, so its life expectancy was yet to be proven.

    "We don't really know what their outcome is long term; we don't know if they'll live a happy full life based on the fact that we have modified their DNA," she said.

    "They may be completely normal, but the jury is still out on whether that's the case or not."




    I'm really hoping they morph into giant people-devouring zompigs if you walk then in the rain. Or something.

  21. #771
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    I'd never heard of the Omura Whale until now, wtf else is still out there ... ?



    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-0...e-wild/6902750



    For such large animals, Omura's whales are one of the most mysterious and elusive species in the world.

    The species of whale was only discovered recently and had never been seen alive in the wild ? until now.

    But now an international team of scientists, led by Salvatore Cerchio of the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, have released the first ever images and field observations of the little-known species of whale.

    In a paper published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, the researchers made observations about the Omura's foraging techniques, vocalisations and habitat preferences by examining a population off the coast of Madagascar.

    "What little we knew about these whales previously came primarily from eight specimens of Omura's whales taken in Japanese scientific whaling off the Solomon and Keeling Islands and a couple strandings of dead animals in Japan," Dr Cerchio said.

    "This is the first definitive evidence and detailed descriptions of Omura's whales in the wild and part of what makes this work particularly exciting."

    Omura's whales were only identified as a distinct species in 2003, and had for many years been misidentified as Bryde's whales.

    There is still so little known about Omura's whales that scientists do not even know how many of the species exist.

    "Over the years, there have been a small handful of possible sightings of Omura's whales, but nothing that was confirmed," Dr Cerchio said.

    Dr Cerchio will return to the field later this month, where he will continue studying the species.

    He hopes to produce the first abundance estimation of the whales, based off the Madagascar population.

    The researchers have catalogued about 25 Omura's whales so far, using photographic identifications.



  22. #772
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    This is a really cool link with some beautiful shots & amazing areas of study - too many to put in this post, so you'll have to click ...



    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-0...a-dean/6908522


    Wild researchers

    When asked to describe a scientist or researcher, many people conjure up an image of an elderly man in a white lab coat, with glasses resting on his nose and wild hair framing his face, surrounded by test tubes and beakers.

    Photographer Tamara Dean joined forces with UNSW to shatter that tired stereotype and shine a light on the work of "unsung heroes" in fields like Indigenous astronomy, marine ecology and climate science.


    Also, I am totally doing Indigenous Astronomy/Aboriginal Songlines if I ever get back to uni - the entire concept is MINDBLOWING on a continent the size of Aus (& I promise you "Aboriginal Songlines" doesn't mean anything NEAR what you think it means -


    http://www.abc.net.au/science/articl...11/4043550.htm









    So many things to study, so little time ...






    2nd also - this is starting to turn into the Australian Science/Tech thread. So somebody else better start getting excited about their local science news!!

  23. #773
    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Oh. My. God.





    Sorry. But this is hilarious. Or sad. Or a national embarrassment. This is an actual article - from our highly esteemed national broadcaster


    It can't be real? It's like a bad, 00s Aus version of The Goodies or somethng??




    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-0...ew-rap/6907534


    'Crazy' plant pathologist gets down(y) with disease
    ABC Rural Tim Jeanes


    Posted Tue at 10:34am

    PHOTO: South Australian plant pathologist Peter Magarey hopes rap will help fight disease threatening the state's grape vines. (Supplied)
    MAP: Loxton 5333



    He does not wear bling, a fur coat, or baggy jeans, but plant pathologist Peter Magarey knows how to write rap.


    AUDIO: South Australian plant pathologist Peter Magarey raps about plant disease (ABC Rural)


    So much so that his song 'The Downy Mildew Rap' is still remembered by many South Australian grape growers despite being written more than 20 years ago.

    With the state facing outbreaks of the sometimes devastating downy mildew the song has never been more relevant.

    Downy mildew is a fungal disease usually triggered by a combination of rainfall and certain temperatures.

    Mr Magarey co-authored the rap with his "crazy cousin".

    "He probably thinks I'm the same, he was a plant pathologist over in Mildura working for the Department of Ag," he said.

    "We were concerned about trying to educate the public about the conditions required for downy mildew to occur.

    "So we sat down and nutted out a song," Mr Magarey said.

    Not content to rest on their laurels, the duo wrote subsequent songs about a range of diseases, including powdery mildew and black spot
    ? which along with love and heartbreak, any songwriter will tell you are essential ingredients for a hit.

    And, as you do, they have also written a poem about downy mildew in the style of The Man From Snowy River.

    "We're just using different methods to communicate stories and summaries about diseases and pests," Mr Magarey said.

    "It's just good to have fun and all learn together, as growers and researchers and people who are extending information out."
    (There's a sound file at the link but I haven't dared click it).






    I believe that will be enough Australian science for a while




  24. #774
    Moderator Bewitchingstorm's Avatar
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    Hells yeah, I clicked the sound bite. Epic-ness.

  25. #775
    Senior Member debk589's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blighted star View Post
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-0...ew-rap/6907534

    (There's a sound file at the link but I haven't dared click it).
    Yeah you really should click it.

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