Interesting Bits and Pieces
From recent happenings or stories around Australia and the world.
Mass spider webbing.
Millions of spiders have covered swathes of Victoria in thick blankets of cobwebs after floodwaters forced them to seek refuge on higher ground.
Sheetweb spiders live in Australia and New Zealand. They can have large fangs but bites are rare.
'Living fossil' fish can live for up to 100 years and is pregnant for five a new study finds.
The nocturnal, slow-moving, people-sized fish of the deep, Coelacanths, which have been around for 400 million years, were thought extinct until they were found alive in 1938 off South Africa.
Coelacanths are so endangered that scientists can only study specimens already caught and dead.But by applying a standard technique for dating commercial fish, French scientists calculated they actually lived close to a century.
RIP Mike Bailey.
Former long-time ABC weather presenter Mike Bailey died in hospital last night aged 71. He had a stroke several weeks ago.
Always enjoyed his presentations.
Stonehenge | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)
as a child I used to be allowed like other kiddies to walk around the stones and sit on them till the crowds came and it was fenced off I am sure lots of you were too.
Afghan translators who helped military flown to Australia on protection visas
The ABC has confirmed that around 60 people – including Afghan interpreters and locally engaged staff in Kabul – have landed in Australia on recent commercial flights. The news was first reported by SBS.
The ABC has been told the roughly 60 Afghans are part of a contingent of well over 200 people who will arrive in coming days.
The LEGO Group has revealed the new LEGO Ideas Typewriter set, which is set to delight the most seasoned wordsmiths and fans of all things vintage.
The #21327 LEGO Ideas Typewriter is based on a contemporary typewriter model of a bygone era, including the one used by LEGO Group founder Ole Kirk Christiansen.
Intricately designed to mirror the function and tactility of a classic typewriter, the typewriter features a center type-bar that rises each time a letter key is pressed, linked to the carriage which moves across as you type, as well as a platen roller that real paper can be fed into.
In a fitting nod to the lost art of letter writing, the set also comes with a letter written and signed by Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, chairman of the LEGO Group and a fourth-generation member of the family which still privately owns the business to this day.
LEGOThe original concept for the typewriter came through LEGO fan Steve Guinness’ submission to the LEGO Ideas platform, a LEGO initiative that takes new ideas that have been imagined and voted for by fans and turns them into reality.
Discussing his idea, Steve said:“I wanted to create something totally different from anything that LEGO has ever done before and showcase that you really can make anything out of LEGO. I bought a vintage typewriter for my research and then played around with bricks and the mechanism until I was happy with the design. I hope it will bring nostalgia to adult fans like me, and wonder and curiosity to younger fans who might not have ever seen a real typewriter!”
LEGOWhile the concept of the typewriter dates back to the early 18th century, Steve’s design, and the LEGO design team’s development of it, captures the styling cues of the modern 20th century typewriters, which still have a cult following today.
Federico Begher, VP of Global Marketing at LEGO Group commented: “It’s not hard to see why the vintage typewriter has such enduring appeal, and Steve’s incredible replica is a thoroughly worthy LEGO Ideas success story. For many, the escape from the connected world to the simplicity of the typewriter is a similar experience to the mindful process of building with LEGO bricks. Here, we have a LEGO set that combines these two worlds seamlessly and like its real-life counterparts, is something LEGO fans will be proud to display in their homes.”
Many of us have some cure for the hiccups, whether that’s drinking water upside-down or holding our breath, but a peculiar type of drinking straw, developed by a peculiar type of scientist, seems to be impressively effective.
Stopping 92% of attacks on the spot, the L-shaped drinking straw requires a suction and swallow motion and is available as a patented product for around fifteen bucks.
Dr Ali Seifi, University of Texas Health Science CenterSingultus, as hiccups are known, are contractions of the diaphragm and the muscles between the floating ribs, known as the intercostals. The sharp intake of air causes the vocal folds to resonate, creating the sound which give singultus their common name.
While often presenting nothing more than a nuisance, one group of scientists mention in a study that hiccups can last in some people for days, even weeks. A terrifying prospect.
When the straw is placed inside a glass of water, a pressure valve on the bottom of the straw blocks the water from moving upward as fast as the strength of the human-generated suction would normally allow. This causes the phrenic nerve to activate all of the diaphragm’s capacity, while swallowing uses something called the vagus nerve.
These two parts of the nervous system are the cause for the contractions in the first place, and so keeping them busy prevents them from doing so.
Sold as “HicC Away” on Amazon, the straw had a more than 90% success rate, while 93% of people said it was more convenient than home remedies.
NEW The lives of 1,100 sailors were lost when the vessel, HMS Victory, sank in 1744. The 100-gun ship was launched in 1737, and seven years later it was the flagship of a fleet led by Admiral Sir John Balchen. He successfully led a force to relieve a British convoy trapped by a French blockade of the River Tagus, in Portugal. But on the return journey, Victory was separated from the fleet and sank on 5 October 1744. Its sinking is considered the worst single British naval disaster in the English Channel. The ship, which predated Lord Nelson's famous flagship of the same name, was long sought after by wreck finders. It was discovered lying 50 miles south-east of Plymouth in 2009 by Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration. Dominic Robinson - the officer in charge of the Joint Service Sub Aqua Centre at the Royal Navy Devonport base - and two of his colleagues, completed a challenging dive on the wreck. The incredible photos show the cannons of the shipwreck have been well-preserved, despite having spent nearly 300 years under water. Some of the cannons even visibly display the beautifully detailed royal crests. Inset top: One of the divers during
Researchers identify prehistoric 'River Boss' crocodile, solving a century-old mystery.
One of the biggest prehistoric crocodiles species ever found in Australia has been officially recorded in southern Queensland. Gunggamarandu maunala – "River Boss" – is believed to have been up to seven metres long and prowled waterways on the Darling Downs up to five million years ago.
Researchers discovered the formidable reptile by analysing the remains of a skull found in the region in the 19th century.
"For a very long time it was kept in a museum drawer," University of Queensland PhD candidate Jorgo Ristevski said.
Full ABC story.