The heat is on for lizards
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Male bearded dragons in Australia have been found to spontaneously change sex when exposed to hot weather, according to a study by researchers at the University of Canberra. The team observed that hot temperatures can cause the chromosomes in male lizards to become disrupted, transforming them into functional females capable of laying eggs. However, this sex reversal negatively impacts the population as the offspring of female lizards that were formerly male consistently produce only male babies themselves. If this pattern continues, it could eliminate males from the bearded dragon population in the wild.
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Unwanted gifts present a dilemma of what to do with them. Some options include hiding them in an "unwanted presents cupboard" until the givers visit, as the author's mother did, then displaying them prominently. Over time, these unwanted gifts from past decades have become nostalgic curiosities. Another option is re-gifting, selling unwanted gifts online, donating to charity, or throwing away. The author sometimes gives inappropriate gifts when in a mood, such as alcohol to a recovering alcoholic, and cites examples of humorously inappropriate gifts from comedians. A post-Christmas survey found many Australians receive unwanted gifts each year, and over half have re-gifted or stored unwanted gifts away
Trying to save our beer
Climate change is threatening beer production, as rising temperatures and weather extremes could negatively impact barley crops and lower the quality of malt. The "Save the Ales" campaign, which is running as part of Earth Hour, aims to raise awareness of this issue and encourage Australians to celebrate Earth Hour by drinking local beer. However, the author notes that claims about climate change's effects on crops use uncertain language like "could affect". The author also jokes that their nightly drinking helps the campaign's goals.
Toilet talk
Dr. Kathleen Smith and her team studied biosolids, or treated sewage sludge, and found that it contains valuable metals like gold, silver, and platinum. These metals end up in biosolids after passing through people and entering wastewater treatment plants. Dr. Smith's ultimate goal is to recover these metals from biosolids to both generate revenue and allow for more biosolids to be used as fertilizer. Her research found gold levels equivalent to minimal mineral deposits, showing there is potential for commercial mining from biosolids.
Timely warnings about climate change
This document summarizes articles from Newsweek and Time magazines from the 1970s that warned of imminent global cooling and the onset of a new ice age. The articles cited scientific consensus at the time that the Earth's climate was cooling, which would lead to catastrophic famines, droughts, and other extreme weather events. National science boards in the US issued similar warnings in the 1970s. However, the document notes that in 2006, Newsweek issued a correction saying their 1975 article on global cooling had been "spectacularly wrong." The document suggests the theory of global cooling may be making a comeback, and questions whether current warnings of global warming are also misguided.
This won
1) The document discusses the author's fear of dentists (odontophobia) from childhood experiences with sadistic dentists.
2) One dentist the author saw as a child was a former prisoner of war who seemed to take out his frustrations from the war on his patients through unnecessary treatments.
3) Another dentist the author discusses had an unsettling sense of humor and importance, quoting bible verses about opening one's mouth on his waiting room wall.
Thinking about the tele
The document discusses the author's consideration of getting cable television as a senior citizen. It summarizes that the author is often lonely during the day while their partner is at work, and cable TV could help fill time. However, the author believes in thorough research before making decisions and discusses some research they read about TV habits of older age groups. The author muses about joining the "younger old" demographic in increasingly watching daytime TV to conform with research findings. In the end, the author says they need to do more research on cable TV options before deciding, but it is now time for a comedy show and sherry.
There is nothing like a dame
Dame Vivienne Westwood, a British fashion designer and entrepreneur, faced criticism from the British media for comments suggesting poor people should "eat less" if they cannot afford organic food. When interviewed about genetically modified crops, she stated poor people should eat less in response to being told not everyone can afford organic food. Later, she said she was upset anyone would think she does not care about starving people, though her lavish lifestyle and public comments often contradict her stances. Westwood lives in an expensive home in London and believes food and clothes should cost more, despite her own products being priced well above what most could afford.
There are birds
This document discusses two unusual bird-related incidents: Vietnamese police arresting 16 pigeons suspected of being Chinese spies, and researchers getting finches drunk to study the effects on their songs. The pigeons were cleared after an investigation found they were racing birds that had landed in Vietnam by accident. The researchers found that drunk finches sang quieter and less organized songs, with some syllables being slurred more than others.
The third sex
1. The document discusses transgender issues in Australia and India, focusing on prominent transgender individuals who have achieved success despite facing discrimination.
2. It profiles Group Captain Catherine McGregor, formerly known as Malcolm McGregor, who came out as transgender while serving in the Australian military and was supported in her career transition.
3. It also mentions Madhu Kinnar, a transgender woman in India who was elected mayor, making history as the first transgender person to win such a political position despite coming from a marginalized Dalit background.
The Second Coming
The document discusses a man named Brian Leonard Golightly Marshall from Toogoom, Queensland, Australia who claims to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It provides evidence for this claim, such as that he looks like the image on the Shroud of Turin and that a letter from the former Pope Benedict praised him and called him the Messiah. It also notes that Brian established "Miracle Water" that can provide cures, and that the author plans to visit Toogoom to obtain some after confirming they can get a Medicare rebate for it.
The rising cost of living
1) The document discusses the rising cost of living and financial struggles, even for those considered well-off such as a Supreme Court judge in Queensland, Justice John Byrne.
2) Justice Byrne is challenging his late mother's will that left most of her $17 million estate to a veterinary hospital rather than him and his brother.
3) Though Justice Byrne earns $381,691 annually as a judge, he claims his expenses are at least $118,200 per year, leaving him with little savings and motivating him to seek more from his mother's estate for a comfortable retirement.
More from Russell Grenning (20)
The heat is on for lizards
- 1. The heat is on for lizards! Russell Grenning It nowseemsthatJimMorrison,the leadsingerforThe Doors,was literallytrue whenhe warbled, “I amthe lizard king,I can do anything” – well, possibly true aboutlizards butnot,sadly,abouthimself. He wasdeadat 27 in1971, a victimof alcoholismandheroin. Scientistsatthe Universityof Canberrahave beenhavingfunstudyingthe sex livesof ourveryown beardeddragonlizardsandhave discoveredthathotweathercanchange theirsex.Itseemsthatif menlizardscan’tstand the heat,theycan change intoladylizards. Frankly,Ithinkthat isa bitextreme tobe honestandraisesthe question,whydon’ttheyjustcome inout of the sun?AndwhenI say “ladylizards”,I don’tmeanthe reptilianequivalentsof LesGirls but actual,real femaleswhocangive birthandeverything. It got me wonderingif these rebornladylizardsneededtohave the full Brazilianbecause beardson womenare not all that attractive. Clare Holleley,the teamleaderforthisresearch,isas excitedasall get-out,boasting, “Thisis the first time we haveproved thatsex reversal happensin thewild in any reptile at all. “ It’sall to do withtheirchromosomesandMs Holleleyandhercolleagues have publishedtheir findingsinthe journal “Nature”.Iwon’tbore youwiththe details –infact, I’mnot sure I even understandthe details –butthose whohave devotedtheirlivestolizardswouldbe fascinatedabout howthe chromosomesinmale lizardscanget messedupinhotweather. It seems,forthem,genderreassignmentispartof God’sgrand plan withnoneedat all for delicate surgeryand yearsof therapy.I can alreadyimagine those chapswholongtobe ladiesrushingto tropical climestolie inthe sunin an attempttoemulate male lizardswhenall theyriskisskin cancer. Ms Holleleyandherteamdrove aroundcentral Australialookingatbeardeddragonswhich, fortunately,are notshy. “You driveup nextto them,puta noosearound theirneck,and snag them.Then a quick once-overis enough to figureouttheir sex.It’susually pretty easy to tell if you look in the rightplaces,” she said. That laststatementhasto highon the bleedingbloodyobviouslist –get a rope around anybody’s neckwhentheyare nakedand itwon’tbe hard todiscovertheirgenderIsuppose –not that I’ve tried,mindyou. Now,seriouslyfolks,thisisnotgoodnewsatall for beardeddragons. Whensex-changedfemalesdidthe deedwithnormal males,all of theirbabieswere boys. “They’ve completely lost a wholechromosomein onegeneration,” Ms Holleleysaid.If thatwasn’tenough, these boybabieshada highpropensitytoswitchtobeinggirls.
- 2. If this keepsgoing,eligiblebachelorscouldbecome ararityinthe beardeddragonworld.Iwas going to write “hotblooded males” but that wouldbe silly.Lizardsare cold-blooded. Butjustthinkabout one of these goodoldreallymanlyandmasculine malesgivingapotential bride the once overand thinkingtohimself, “Thisis uncanny.Shelooksjustlike my old mateTrevor” whenthe reasonshe lookslike Trevorisbecause once she wasTrevor. Anotherteammember,ArthurGeorges,hascommentedthatmale-to-female dragonslaymore eggs which,Ithink, proves thatbeinga motherisdeadeasy. Justhow these mothersexplainthe birdsandthe beestotheirkiddieswouldbe tricky.Imagine one asking, “Why did you nameme William mummy?Who wasWilliam?” and mummyhavingtoadmit shamefacedly,“IwasWilliam. I named you after me.” The whole familycouldendupscreaming bonkersina psychiatricward. Laboratory testshave shownthatthe temperature neededtochange sex seemstostartat about 32C and occurs one hundredpercent of the time at about36C accordingto Ms Holleley. Back in 1978, I couldemphasise withJohnTravolta (Danny) andOliviaNewton-John(Sandy) when theyrecalledtheirromance the previoussummerinthe ditty, “SummerNights” - Icouldn’thave agreedmore that “Summerloving had me a blast,summerloving happened so fast...”. Ah,the innocence of youth. Nextsummer,Iam stayingquite deliberatelyin-doors.Risktakingisn’twise atmyage.