Australians (and John) Only Thread

[Azeem]

Punjabi regiments were heavily deployed by British everywhere. Punjab is the most defining part of subcontinent. Most of the things people from outside see as Indian-Pakistani is just Punjab.

[Spike]

10 hours ago, Aladdin said:

Punjabi regiments were heavily deployed by British everywhere. Punjab is the most defining part of subcontinent. Most of the things people from outside see as Indian-Pakistani is just Punjab.

I think this says more about the British’s opinion and relation to Indigenous Australians than anything about Punjabis.

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

Making space for Australian satellites

A rush of Australian satellites and rockets heading for the skies.

Australia’s space industry is getting off the ground with a slew of rockets and satellites poised to be sent into orbit.

Fleet Space Technologies has been progressively launching its networking NanoSatellites since November 2018. It currently has six of its planned constellation of 140 in low Earth orbit.

The next NanoSatellite is scheduled to be launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter-5 at Cape Canaveral on May 26.

Named Centauri-5, the NanoSatellite provides low-power internet-of-things connectivity between remote ground stations for regional industry and mining operations.

Built to CubeSat criteria, Centauri-5 weighs less than 10kg and is about the size of a shoebox.

But when part of a constellation of similar satellites, it will contribute to a resilient and persistent satellite communications network.

Another four Fleet satellite launches are in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, Equatorial Launch Australia will become operational by firing three rockets from its Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory in June and July. It will be NASA’s first space launch from a commercial launch site, and Australia’s first commercial space launch.

Equatorial Launch aims to exploit the Earth’s faster rotation in the equatorial region to reduce the fuel – and therefore cost – needed to sling small payloads into space.

These first launches from the new facility near the remote Gove Peninsula town of Nhulunbuy will carry NASA suborbital experimental payloads.

Space Machines Company (SMC) has also secured a ride for its Optimus orbital transfer testbed. It will be carried aloft in April next year aboard a SpaceX “rideshare” mission.

The 270kg Optimus is one of the largest commercial spacecraft designed and built in Australia. Its purpose is to prove the propulsion and navigation technology needed to service other satellites requiring maintenance or repair, and carry payloads into specific orbits.

“To support and fully commercialise the potential of in-space service delivery, the right logistics infrastructure needs to be in place,” says SMC CEO Rajat Kulshrestha.

And the South Australian government’s Kanyini CubeSat, designed and built by Inovor Technologies, has passed its Critical Design Review. “The successful CDR – this confidence in the design of the spacecraft – provides a boost as we head towards the next big milestone, which is to test and integrate the payloads into the satellite, which will provide services to the South Australian government,” says Inovor CEO Dr Matthew Tetlow.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/aus-rockets-satellites-orbit/

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by CaaC (John)
Spacing correction

[Toinho]

On 21/05/2022 at 22:40, Aladdin said:

Tasmania only has a literacy rate of 50% !!? Like they can't read write at all ?

I only just saw this. Don't forget 49% of Tasmania are children under the age of 5, 1% above the age of 5 and the remaining 50% have moved there from other states or territories once they reached competent reading literacy rates. Figures can be very misleading.

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

Australian rainforest trees are dying faster

Climate change may be causing Australian rainforest trees to die faster

Since the 1980s, trees in Australia’s tropical rainforests have been dying at double the previous rate, according to a new international study published in Nature. The research points to the impacts of climate change as the culprit, as global warming increases the atmosphere’s drying power.

Tropical ecologists have analysed a 49-year record of tree dynamics from 24 old-growth forest plots across a broad climate gradient in Australia’s moist tropics. They’ve found that the average tree death rates have doubled over the past four decades and trees are living around half as long – a pattern consistent across species and sites throughout the region.

By examining the climate ranges of the tree species with the highest death rates, the team suggests that as the atmosphere warms, it draws more moisture from plants, resulting in increased water stress in trees and ultimately increased risk of death.

They also showed that the loss of biomass from this mortality increase has not been offset by biomass gains from tree growth and the recruitment of new trees, which may have resulted in a net decrease in the potential of these forests to offset carbon emissions. 

https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/australian-rainforest-trees-3d-mapping/

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by CaaC (John)
Spacing correction

[Spike]

@Toinho I can't believe my thread was deleted. This is discrimination

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

World's biggest plant discovered off Australian coast

The largest known plant on Earth - a seagrass roughly three times the size of Manhattan - has been discovered off the coast of Australia.

Using genetic testing, scientists have determined a large underwater meadow in Western Australia is in fact one plant.

It is believed to have spread from a single seed over at least 4,500 years.

The seagrass covers about 200 sq km (77 sq miles), researchers from the University of Western Australia said.

The team stumbled upon the discovery by accident at Shark Bay, about 800km (497 miles) north of Perth.

They had set out to understand the genetic diversity of the species - also known as ribbon weed - which is commonly found along parts of Australia's coast.

Researchers collected shoots from across the bay and examined 18,000 genetic markers to create a "fingerprint" from each sample.

They had aimed to discover how many plants made up the meadow.

"The answer blew us away - there was just one!" said Jane Edgeloe, the study's lead author.

"That's it, just one plant has expanded over 180km in Shark Bay, making it the largest known plant on Earth."

The plant is also remarkable for its hardiness, having grown in locations across the bay with wildly variable conditions.

"It appears to be really resilient, experiencing a wide range of temperatures and salinities plus extreme high light conditions, which together would typically be highly stressful for most plants," said Dr Elizabeth Sinclair, one of the researchers.

The species generally grows like a lawn at a rate of up to 35cm (13.7in) a year. This is how researchers estimated it has taken 4,500 years to sprawl to its current size.

The research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-61655327

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

Australian snubfin dolphin: a dolphin that does ‘yoga’

The snubfin dolphin, only recently recognised as its own species, has a plethora of endearing behaviours, from spit-feeding to snagging.

Name(s): Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni)

Group: Marine mammals

Size: Length 2-2.5 metres, weight up to 130kg

Diet: Carnivore, eating fish and cephalopods (squid)

Habitat/range: Tropical coastal waters of Northern Australia including WA, NT and QLD

Conservation status: Listed as vulnerable in Queensland

Superpower: Snubfin dolphins have vertebrae that make them able to flex their necks, unlike most other dolphins and whales. Because of this, they can surface and take a breath without showing their dorsal fin – very sneaky! This means scientists must be patient when trying to photograph their dorsal fins to identify individuals and track them over time.

The snubfin dolphin lives in tropical waters of northern Australia and was only recently recognised as a species, in 2005. It was previously thought to be the Irrawaddy dolphin, a close relative that lives in Asian waters. There are currently thought to be less than 10,000 adults of the species. The highest-density population, consisting of about 100 individuals, inhabits Yawuru sea country in Roebuck Bay, Broome, Western Australia.

These dolphins have a distinctive appearance, with a blunt, round head and no beak, which makes them peculiar compared to the more familiar dolphin species. The snubfin dolphin has a small circular fin on its back, and they often sport marks on these fins from interactions with other dolphins, sharks that try to eat them, entanglement in fishing gear, and being struck by boats. The marks are handy to scientists, who use them as natural tags to tell individuals apart and track the dolphins over time through repeated photographs and sightings.

Snubfin dolphins’ favourite food is fish of varying sizes, from large salmon to small baitfish, and they can often be found feeding in creek mouths on a high tide. They have been observed displaying a specialised tactic of “spit feeding”, where they squirt a jet of water up to two metres high ahead of themselves, and seemingly startle fish back towards their mouths for an easy snack.

These dolphins are brown in colour, with a low surfacing profile – as such, they are very camouflaged in the shallow, muddy waters that they prefer. They can be very entertaining to watch as they feed in shallow waters. They perform yoga-like movements, such as head stands with their tail flukes out, while rummaging around the sea floor for fish that are hiding in the mud. Snubfins sometimes emerge from a feed covered head to fluke in muddy clay. Scientists call this behaviour “bottom grubbing”.  A group of dolphins resting on the water’s surface, lined up like sausages on a barbeque, is referred to using the very Aussie term “snagging”. 

A little shy around boats, snubfins prefer to swim in their mangrove habitat. They only have one young at a time, and a calf stays with its mother suckling milk and swimming close by the mother’s tail in “baby position”. After a couple of years, the calves are weaned and become independent.

This species is gregarious and can form large groups of up to 20-30 individuals with lots of close body contact when socialising. They can become very active, splashing at the water’s surface. To avoid amorous attention, you may see an inversion, where the dolphin turns up a flushed pink belly to avoid mating attempts.

Snubfins can sometimes be seen swimming with other dolphin species, such as bottlenose and humpback dolphins, socialising or feeding together. Sometimes these interactions appear amicable and may have mutual benefit; at other times they seem hostile. There is genetic evidence that snubfins have indeed mated and hybridised with humpback dolphins.

This marvellous marine species is a worthy candidate for Australian Mammal of the Year!

https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/australian-snubfin-dolphin/

 

[Azeem]

My TF365 Australian hierarchy list - First half 2022

1. Devil Dick Willie

1. Harry

3. CaaC John

End

[Spike]

5 hours ago, Aladdin said:

My TF365 Australian hierarchy list - First half 2022

1. Devil Dick Willie

1. Harry

3. CaaC John

End

 

But here is my list.

[Toinho]

14 hours ago, Spike said:

 

But here is my list.

Definitely a better list. 
 

We need a list of most Aussie though, think it’s you and DDW then miles away the rest of us haha 

[Spike]

4 minutes ago, Toinho said:

Definitely a better list. 
 

We need a list of most Aussie though, think it’s you and DDW then miles away the rest of us haha 

I’m very resistant to being Americanised 

[Spike]

@Toinho @Devil-Dick Willie

My impression of gen z seppos

https://vocaroo.com/1n2ea5qeNxRK

[Carnivore Chris]

On 09/06/2022 at 16:08, Aladdin said:

My TF365 Australian hierarchy list - First half 2022

1. Devil Dick Willie

1. Harry

3. CaaC John

End

1. @Danny

[Danny]

So soon working holiday visas will go up to 3 years for Brits in Aus, having already done two years that means I have one left. Think me and the missus will definitely be making a trip back once my degree ends.

[Spike]

31 minutes ago, Danny said:

So soon working holiday visas will go up to 3 years for Brits in Aus, having already done two years that means I have one left. Think me and the missus will definitely be making a trip back once my degree ends.

Absolute treachery it is so easy for to get a Visa when it’s a pain for my wife

[Danny]

4 minutes ago, Spike said:

Absolute treachery it is so easy for to get a Visa when it’s a pain for my wife

That is just a working holiday visa mind. Though with that said I think Australia want a lot of British migration after the pandemic so I do feel for you if you can't get her over.

[Toinho]

16 hours ago, Danny said:

So soon working holiday visas will go up to 3 years for Brits in Aus, having already done two years that means I have one left. Think me and the missus will definitely be making a trip back once my degree ends.

Fuck sake. Dancing shoes back on. 

[Danny]

4 hours ago, Toinho said:

Fuck sake. Dancing shoes back on. 

Hard hat at the ready

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

Ryugu asteroid samples drop-shipped into South Australia contain super-rare space dirt

The space dust may even hold the key to the origin of life.

When space dust from the near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu landed in the red desert sands of South Australia a year-and-a-half ago, it was the culmination of a six-year, 5.24-billion-kilometre journey. Now, the analysis of the most treasured 5.4 grams of dirt on Earth (from space) has revealed the rare and untouched clues to the building blocks of the early solar system.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency spacecraft Hayabusa2’s samples from Ryugu touched down in the Australian outback in December 2020. Ryugu is a carbonaceous chondrite (also CI chondrite or C1 chondrite), meaning it is made from carbon-rich rock.

Scientists have previously only had the opportunity to study the make-up of asteroids when a small handful of meteorites have crash landed on Earth. But, by this point, the material is “contaminated” by Earth’s own matter.

Ryugu has provided researchers the opportunity to look at a pristine sample from the creation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago, offering a window into the geological and chemical make-up of the solar system – including our own planet – as it was forming.

Results of the international effort to analyse the tiny amount of material returned from Ryugu have been published in Science.

Ryugu is a very rare type of meteorite, with only around 10 known to science, says Trevor Ireland, earth sciences professor at Australian National University (ANU). “CI chondrites may be rare, but they may be the closest representative of the molecular dust cloud that collapsed to form our solar system 4,567 million years ago. They also contain abundant organic molecules and water – two of the essential ingredients in the building of proteins to make life.”

“These samples were formed 37 million years after the first solid stuff in our solar system – a precise measurement of how long they’ve been around for,” explains Brad Tucker, a research fellow at ANU. “It also tells us that meteorites from similar type asteroids are a bit contaminated as they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, shedding light on how we can use meteorites that fall to Earth to better understand the solar system.”

“Take the hydrogen and helium out of the sun and what you have is a CI chondrite,” says Phil Bland, director of the Space Science and Technology Centre at Curtin University. “Because most of the mass of the solar system is in the sun, if you want to pick a composition for average solar system stuff, it’s CI chondrite. It’s what everything was made from.”

“We’ve had other samples come back from other planetary bodies before, but never the most primitive material in the solar system,” says Gretchen Benedix, an astrogeologist at Curtin University. “And we know how to access more of it if we want to.”

Benedix also believes that study of Ryugu’s composition can help sharpen current techniques for identifying asteroids in the solar system. “This also helps with creating a geologic map of the solar system. We currently classify asteroids based on how their surfaces reflect sunlight. Doing laboratory experiments that simulate this showed that asteroids are the most likely source of many of the meteorites we have. Having this direct link to the most primitive material will let us better unravel those reflected sunlight signals (spectra).”

“Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission to Ryugu is the most successful asteroid sample return ever,” adds Flinders University associate professor Alice Gorman, an internationally recognised leader in the emerging field of space archaeology.

“Bizarrely, the composition of Ryugu is very like the outer layer of the Sun. This indicates that its parent body was formed at around the same time at the beginnings of the solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago. It’s a fascinating window into a time when the planets were coming into being and the Sun was still young.”

“Back when the solar system was young, the material that now makes up Ryugu was part of a larger ‘parent planetesimal’, which has long since been shattered and torn asunder,” says Jonti Horner, an an astrobiologist and astronomer from the University of Southern Queensland. “The results of the new analysis show that the minerals in the sample were exposed to relatively warm (around body temperature) liquid water when the parent object was young – just five million years after the solar system formed.”

Gorman and others hint that Ryugu and asteroids like it might hold the key to the origins of life on Earth and beyond.

“This new research shows that Ryugu is very similar to the Ivuna meteorite, which fell to Earth in Tanzania in 1938,” Gorman says. “Some researchers have claimed there are fossils of microbes inside Ivuna, but as with most of these claims, it’s more wishful thinking than reality. Ivuna-class meteorites do, however, contain abundant amino acids, which are often called the ‘building blocks of life’.”

“With this study, this is the first time ever that fragments from a pristine carbonaceous asteroid are analysed,” says Fred Jourdan, Curtin University professor and director of the Western Australian Argon Isotope Facility. “This is very significant because C-type asteroids such as Ryugu contain lots of carbon and water, the building block of organic matter, which, in fact, may well have provided material to start life on Earth. This study shows that these samples are the most pristine undisturbed samples that we have on Earth and they provide the clearest picture yet of the conditions reigning at the very beginning of the solar system.”

https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/ryugu-asteroid-samples-analysis/

 

[Azeem]

Why are mustaches popular in Australia ? David Warner looks like a porn star with a mustache 

[Devil-Dick Willie]

On 15/06/2022 at 01:44, Aladdin said:

Why are mustaches popular in Australia ? David Warner looks like a porn star with a mustache 

I wear one sometimes too. They get the ladies. I don't know why tho 

[Toinho]

31 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

I wear one sometimes too. They get the ladies. I don't know why tho 

Must enjoy the vagina tickle.

[Spike]

On 14/06/2022 at 10:44, Aladdin said:

Why are mustaches popular in Australia ? David Warner looks like a porn star with a mustache 

 

On 14/06/2022 at 10:44, Aladdin said:

Why are mustaches popular in Australia ? David Warner looks like a porn star with a mustache 

because hipsters and bogans have a lot of aspects in common so they fuse into one

I also have a moustache 

 

[Toinho]

8 hours ago, Spike said:

 

because hipsters and bogans have a lot of aspects in common so they fuse into one

I also have a moustache 

 

I don’t. It wouldn’t look appropriate with my profession.