DROMEDARY BACKPACKER

Harry enjoyed dates with the girls while fluttering his long eyelashes and showing off his prowess at blowing raspberry bubblegum.

Then, as a new immigrant arriving at Port Adelaide on 12 October 1840 from the Canary Islands, he felt rather lonesome, especially since his siblings had died at sea and he was the first of his family to reach Australia. Alas, no-one seemed to appreciate the rough habits of this ‘back-packer’ - plodding around in sandshoes while burping, dribbling, and spitting.  

You don’t think Harry’s ‘doula’ is raspberry bubblegum??....prove me wrong!                     

Why did outback Australia in the 1800’s find dromedary camels so useful?

Australians are exploring their vast continent and desperately need a ‘ship of the desert’ to carry up to 1000 lbs (450 kgs) of supplies for up to 60 miles (100 kms) each day through searing desert heat with little or no water, and potentially provide fuel, meat, milk, cheese, shelter, clothes, blankets, leather…..

Maree, S.A.  1901

How ever did Harry and his mates do it?              

 

With a protest!  

They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee. 
Let’s see if they’re right:

·         this ‘low-loader’ has integrated knee pads (…mighty hand for mating too!)    
·         a unique backpack holds 80lbs (36kgs) of emergency fat rations
·         any sort of vegetation is acceptable. Thorns?...no problem! (by the way, hide your boots)  
·         double rows of eyelashes, slit shaped nostrils and hairy ears filter out any dust-storm
·         inner eyelids……the first windscreen washer/wipers!
·         unique oval-shaped red blood cells that enables the camel to easily survive 40% DEHYDRATION (we go blind at 5%, dead at 12%)
·         able to cope with a 6 degree C rise in body temperature under the protection of a thick coat of hair (1 degree rise is enough for us)
·         a unique rolling gait with splayed feet that spread on desert sand 

Real ATV racing at Alice Springs, NT

So this highly versatile, water efficient, ‘one-stop-shop’, 4x4 ATV racer incorporates automatic moisture-collecting dust filters, optical washer/wipers, heavy duty sandshoes, integrated knee pads, emergency back-pack……..oh, and don’t forget the bubblegum! (Is there a sense of humour in this?)
What do you think? Was this guy cleverly designed and ‘purpose-built’?                                                                         

THE LOGGERHEAD: fat-head or smart?

How ever do sea turtles find their way around the world's vast oceans?
One of my students suggested we look at the LOGGERHEAD TURTLE or Caretta caretta, one of 7 species of sea turtles, found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans plus the Mediterranean Sea. In this part of the world they use nesting grounds around the northern coast of Australia, including Mon Repos Beach near Bundaberg, Queensland.

This little turtle may live for more than 70 years and weigh at least 135 kgs but right now she is only 4.6 cm long and weighs only 20 grams.  
She has hatched out at night, climbed up through the sand above her, and is now finding her way unaided to the ocean where she will spend virtually the rest of her life.               

How far will she travel?  DNA testing indicates that juveniles test the boundaries (of course!) and could reach the coasts of Chile and Peru, 13,000 kilometres away! 

Whichever feeding ground she settles in, she will return during the summer months some 30 years later, to this very same beach to lay her own eggs, while her brothers will stay at sea for the rest of their lives. 

Does her body contain magnetite to sense the Earth's magnetic field? 

Even if it did - what a miracle! Switch off the GPS satellites and she'd still find the home beach, without even mum to show her the way.

 

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOvzBnHyziw

Thanks go to student Sam Duck, Beechwood, NSW, Australia

Other acknowledgements:  wikipedia.com                                                                                                   environment.gov.au             conserveturtles.org  

M. Boyle, School of Marine & Tropical Ecology, JCU, Queensland

Photo credits: baldheadisland.com

bioexpedition.com

THE FROG-POWERED HORSE

Protectionist wins the 2014 Melbourne Cup - easily!



.

Wonder mare - Black Caviar

The horse relies on ground pressure against the V-shaped 'frogs' in its hooves to pump venous blood back to the heart, which is comparatively small for such a large active animal.  Watch racehorses cantering around to the starter-gate to get the blood circulating for that 'jump-start', or horses galloping around a paddock before nightfall to avoid lameness next morning. 

What an amazing example of power-pack design – a heart with 4 auxiliary pumps!
Let's get back to the drawing-board and design a mammal that:

·         has 4 powerful legs with a long stable stride
·         is large enough for us to harness or ride
·         has stamina for prolonged activity
·         is mono-gastric (1 compartment stomach) but still eats grass – not us!
·         carries no surplus weight e.g. huge heart
·         has panoramic vision with independent eyes
·         has excellent memory, smell & omni-directional hearing
·         gives birth to live young

We have just designed the horse but....too late - who has beaten us to it?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Dr. Jobe Martin, Biologist

R.D. Frandson, Anatomy & Physiology of Farm Animals, 1974, Lea & Febigor, Philadelphia

T.G. Hungerford, Diseases of Livestock, 1959, Angus & Robertson

PHOTO CREDITS:

The horse’s frog / animalturd.hubpages.com
Protectionist / theaustralian.com.au 

LIFE'S WONDER FUEL

 Take a look at this cup of rainwater…

• can you see the water is even bulging above the lip?
• can you see the STEEL paper clip?.....it's floating!!
• a floating petal supports a ball of water
• water is also being drawn up the stem of the cut flower, preventing it from wilting - in the same way water reaches the leaves of tall trees.

Do you remember getting a sore tummy from doing ‘belly flops’ at the swimming pool?....or back in the days when we camped under canvas if you touched the wet tent it would start dripping?
Have you seen spiders and insects walk on water?
Did you know that float-planes have trouble taking off from a glassy-smooth lake?.... they have to taxi back and forth to disturb the surface.
Let's see why... 

Water is a colourless, odourless, tasteless compound comprising 2 elements: hydrogen and oxygen – volatile gases!  2 hydrogen atoms share their electrons with an oxygen atom creating a polarised molecule which is attracted to its neighbours but those on top of the liquid are not distracted by others above them so their lateral bonding is stronger. This means water has the strongest SURFACE TENSION of any liquid, second only to mercury.                                                                                                                                                                         
The same molecular cohesion causes capillarity – the movement of water through our bodies and also up into plants where photosynthesis uses sunlight to convert the water molecule into food (sugars) and oxygen for us. Every living thing comprises mostly water and without the surface tension of water we wouldn’t be here nor would the plants be here to feed us and oxygenate the air we breathe.
What has the Curiosity rover been looking for on Mars?                                         

WATER – the wonder fuel of life!                          

You'd have to be desperate, hey!

Even our frequent trips to the toilet during the day are a reminder...    

How often have you hopped into the bath or shower, or even the swimming pool, only to quickly realize you have forgotten something?...     

“O’oh, I should have visited the toilet first.”

Oh and by the way, what does our Creator God say He started with at the beginning (of TIME)?
Heavens (SPACE), earth (MATTER).....and then WATER!!

Isn't this what Science has proved?
The SPACE-TIME-MATTER continuum, but don't forget to add that magic ingredient: water!

 Photo credit: Janette Hornsey                                                                                                                     

WHAT'S SPERMACETI?

SITUATIONS VACANT

Able-bodied persons looking for that adventure of a lifetime are invited to join the crew of this vessel seeking valuable spermaceti oil from the world's oceans. Prior experience is an advantage but not essential. Award wages apply for normal shipboard duties however shore leave in exotic sea-ports can be expected and handsome bonuses are paid after a successful season.
(This is an Equal Opportunity Workplace - ladies welcome!)  
Apply in person to the Ship's Master.

Greenhorns - expect a special ‘right-of-passage’ task!

So…you’ve joined our crew, hoping for that fat bonus but are you ready for that special job?...and do you know anything about our target anyway? 

Sperm whales can grow to about 20 metres in length (longer than a semi-trailer), weigh up to 57,000 kgs, dive at 170 metres per minute, stay below for 90 minutes and reach a dark depth of 3 kms where the pressure is 300 times what we’re used to. 

It’s not such a good idea to let the harpoon line snag your leg.                                

Well, let’s see what you’re made of…
Hop down there m’lad and fill this bucket with all that lovely sperm oil – all 500 GALLONS (2200L) of it – and mind you don’t spill a drop!  Never-mind what it reminds you of – just don’t drown in it because I don’t want to have to clean you up for your mum.
From that precious oil we can extract SPERMACETI wax to make candles, lubricants, fabric treatment, leather dressing…even cosmetics for lots o’ ladies! 

Don’t ask me sonny why there’s so much oil in there – even the scientists still aren’t sure. By the way, the 2 compartments take up 1/3 of the whale’s length and a ¼ of its mass - so mind you don’t get lost in there.
Look lively now!                                                          

Some say the whale can change the density of the oil by passing water through its nasal passages, controlling its buoyancy. Others say the compartments comprise the largest natural sonar device AND enable the whale to make the loudest sounds of any animal. So it looks like the oil serves at least 3 functions - maybe more. 
What other animal can chase giant squid at the bottom of the ocean then sunbake on top? Look even the blowhole is offset to the left – what a weird and wonderfully designed creature!                            

Don’t worry laddy, the IWC banned hunting the sperm whale in 1985.

Acknowledgements:        wikipedia.com        britannica.com  

Bode's Law - just too simple!

So what's the Titius-Bode Law all about?     
In 1766, Johann Daniel Titius, a German mathematician from Wittenburg developed a formula which fitted the approximate distances of the six known planets of our solar system, relative to the sun. His astronomer friend, Johann Elert Bode, published the finding in 1772.  The formula can be represented like this:                          a = (3x2ⁿ+4)/10  where 'a' is the no. of astronomical units (AU), with Earth's distance of 150,000,000 kms = 1 AU.          

'n' represents the planet's numeric position as below, with 3x2ⁿ = 0 for Mercury                                                                    
This is how the formula closely fits those 6 planets:

PLANET                           BODE'S LAW                          ACTUAL MEAN

Mercury                                 0.4 AU                                    0.39 AU                           

Venus  (0)                               0.7                                          0.72                          

Earth  (1)                                1.00                                        1.00                              

Mars  (2)                                 1.6                                          1.52                                

?            (3)                              2.8                                                    

Jupiter (4)                               5.2                                           5.2                                  

Saturn (5)                              10.0                                        9.54

Nine years later (1781) Uranus was accidently discovered – where it was meant to be!
Uranus (6)                              19.6 AU                                  19.18 AU

Then the position of Neptune was calculated before its discovery in 1846.

Neptune (7)                           38.8                                        30.06

Why do many astronomers say they reject Bode’s Law?   Only because there are asteroids (minor planets) where a 5^th planet was indicated, and Neptune’s orbit seems out of position by ignoring the anomaly of Pluto/Charon looping inside Neptune’s orbit.                                                                     

Besides, we can’t have our solar system being designed with simple mathematics – that would never do.                                                                  

Nice try, Johann and Johann!

OUR PUNCTURE REPAIR KIT

 

 

Okay, we're looking for eye-openers out there and blood is the last thing we want to see……. but what really keeps it inside? 

Whatever stops us bleeding to death?

It seems that even haematologists aren't absolutely certain exactly how many blood clotting factors are required to stop blood loss - is it 13, 14….or more?  No wonder haematology is a field of medicine in its own right. 
What we can be sure of is that the brain senses blood loss and directs the heart to reduce the pressure exerted so that platelets can cover the damaged blood vessel and a SEQUENTIAL CASCADE of protein factors can then begin repair.                   

You got it……yes, blood carries its own complex puncture repair kit! 
Isn't that impressive!? 
The 2 initial factors, fibronogen and prothrombin, may be vital but of course if any of the factors are absent or deficient the puncture repair cannot be completely successful, hence haemophilia. The most famous haemophiliac would perhaps be the teenage Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, murdered with his family by the Bolsheviks on 17 July, 1918.

How many millions of mums and babies died at childbirth before the blood clotting cascade fully evolved?   Or has blood always had perfect integrity, thanks to our Creator?

Image by kind permission of Red Cross Australia

Red desert real estate on Mars for you

Are you up for a challenge? 

 

Can I interest you in some remote but unique real estate that’s absolutely ‘out of this world’?                   

 

Some of the scenery is spectacular - how about a volcano, Olympus Mons, 550kms wide and 25,000 metres high?....but the weather is ordinary with huge red dust storms being the norm. There will be 2 moons to see: Phobos (fear) and Deimos (dread). (Oh) The temperatures offer variety (minus 130 up to 20 degrees C if you're lucky), oxygen is unfortunately rare (0.13% in a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere), there's no magnetic field to protect from cosmic radiation,.....and water? I'm afraid its BYO or hunt for ice. As for vegetation or wildlife - forget it.                                                 

You want to inspect anyway?! Sorry, it will take about 9 months to get there so you will have to fully commit, sight unseen - there's no coming back.

NASA has spent billions of dollars on environmental studies for you, in fact their 'Curiosity' rover arrived on Mars on August 6.  
Is that a big yawn I hear from you?  Years ago Roman armies wouldn't dare yawn, let alone engage in battle, until they had sacrificed to the 'god of war' in the sky.

Are astronomers realistic in telling us Mars is 'terrestrial' (Earth-like)?  
Okay, the days are 24 hours 39 minutes long and there are seasons due to the 25.19 degree axial tilt, but they're extreme due to the highly elliptical orbit. But what colour is Earth mostly?... blue & white, from water; what colour is Mars?...red from iron oxide. Back to your telescopes, guys!

So what is so amazing about Mars?   That it's there. 
By chance we discovered in Melbourne Museum the obscure but simple Titius-Bode Law (1772) that tells us that there should be a planet about 240,000,000 kilometres (148.8 million miles) from the sun....and there is!  MARS!                                                    

Why do many astronomers (definitely not all!) dismiss and ridicule Bode's Law as 'just a coincidence' or 'a numerological curiosity' in what they call the 'random chance event of planetary orbital formation'? Why is it left out of textbooks?                                                                                                                 

THE UGLY MANGROVE - a tree??

 

Mangroves?!.......you've got to be kidding me! 

What's so special about mangroves that we'd waste a whole article on that apology for a tree?                                                                                                                                    

They clutter up what could be a beaut beach, they stifle real estate development, they block magnificent water views, they trap town rubbish, they snag your tackle when you go fishing.......okay, that's the down side.

From mangroves we can obtain wharf pilings, tanning fluid, fuel, dyes, fruit, bush medicine, and they say mangrove honey is hard to beat. Native people use the timber to make durable implements. In the larger scheme of things mangroves provide a breeding habitat for most commercially fished species, they protect against coastal erosion, they slow river currents to trap silt, and when the weather and sea become life-threatening for us they provide a buffer against the ravages of tsunamis and hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons. In fact, where do sailors seek refuge?.....as far up a tidal stream as they can navigate, tying up securely......among the mangroves. Perhaps we should leave mangroves be. 

So how do they survive a wide range of salinity, from sea water to brackish to fresh, plus wild temperature fluctuations? However do they reproduce in such unsuitable conditions in the inter-tidal zone?

Mangrove knee-roots extend down from the branches, giving the tree great stability, and they are able to exclude 90% of the salt. Whatever salt is absorbed is excreted by special glands in the leaves or concentrated in the bark.  
So how do mangrove roots admit oxygen in such water-logged conditions?                    
No problem! They have been designed with pneumatophores - snorkels extending up from the roots with lenticel openings above the sand or silt! To reduce loss of moisture from the leaves in hot conditions, the leaf stomata are recessed.                                    

Very smart!...but how do they produce new seedlings in water-logged ground that's submerged half the time?  Mangroves are 'viviporous', hanging onto their youngsters until they are ready for the cruel world. Their seeds germinate and grow within the fruit to form a propagule (seedling) that extends a root ready for transplanting. Once released into the water the weight of the root holds the seedling upright, ready for establishing in its new home.                                                                                                                             
Would we be in big trouble without this uniquely designed plant?...thanks to our wonderful Creator.               

Why not click on our very first video/slideshow link - about mangroves: 
http://youtu.be/Gsrs2iuAMNo

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: wikipedia.com                

Photo credits:
Tony Sullivan