iRats are robots with ideas that they can communicate. They can make a date with each other to meet in a particular place - once they know where they both know where that particular place is.

A team at the University of Queensland's Information Technology and Engineering Department are developing these Lingodroids. 

National Science Week brought one of the researchers, Dr Dan Angus, to the Ekka to talk with Speculative Fiction writer, Charlotte Nash, about how science fiction inspires science.

Dr Dan, as he was dubbed by the event compere UQ science & communication student Carl Smith, explained how most of his work with computers and robots is inspired by nature so really nature inspires science fiction as well as science.

Bees and ants have secrets that he - and other researchers - try to learn to solve difficult organizational and navigation problems.  For instance, have you ever stopped to think how something you buy on the internet overseas arrives on your doorstep?

Dr Dan explains how the way bees pack their honey in a hive helps solve the dilemma of packing shipping containers - check out the video on our Does Sci-Fi Inspire Science Channel.

When you shop on the internet, your item may end up in a shipping container and that shipping container may be one of thousands loaded onto a ship. So what happens it the ship stops in Brisbane and your container is at the bottom of the pile and the ship's next port is Sydney? They would have to unload all the containers to get the Brisbane crate off and then load all the Sydney crates back up? 

"Because bees are good at organizing things like their honey we look for those kinds of solutions they make to inspire solutions here," Dr Dan said. 

But when it comes to programming a computer to schedule trains, like in Japan, scientists look to ants, he says. 

"Ants can actually find a shortcut through networks really, really well and we use this to inspire systems that can solve these kinds of transport problems," he said.

Dr Dan also explains the process of making idea maps in order to teach a robot how to communicate. Robots with ideas actually think for themselves but, he warns, it's a long way to go yet before they take over the world like in science fiction movies such as The Matrix or Terminator.

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Thanks to the University of Queensland School of Jouralism and Communication team:

Presenter/interviewer: Carl Smith

Editor: Alexander Campbell

Camera: Jackson Scott & Pete de Kruijff

Australia's Dinosaur Trail website

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"The year 11 Biology students were very excited about National Science Week. Being a part of the activities brought a buzz to the school and lifted our cheese making activity (that was filmed) to a new level. Students are already asking about it for next year!" _ Sylvia Hicks | PAR - Biology, Science.                                                                                                       St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School

 

Jessica Armitage

Year 11 Biology class

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Who would have thought that cheese making required massive amounts of hand sanitizer?

Bacteria - the right bacteria found in rennet and Penicillium candidum - makes milk into cheese.

But only if it's not contaminated by the bacteria found in our daily lives, on our hands, faces, desks - bacteria is everywhere! 

We learned this in a class about ... why milk goes off.... before we stared making cheese.

Cheese making was an extremely exciting experience. 

We were forced to leave the warmth of our jumpers and enter a world full of unattractive hairnets, aprons and hand sanitiser.

This provided a sterile environment that would prevent contamination.

Before beginning cheese making we had mainly been focussing in class on pathogenic bacteria that can cause disease.

It was therefore very interesting to see firsthand how some bacteria that have not been contaminated can actually have a positive impact in the food making process. I mean they turned milk into cheese!

The process of cheese making required patience and accuracy when following the procedures. 

First we had to pour milk into a container and place it into a water bath until it was 38^oC.

I drove my group insane because I was paranoid the water level would get so high that it would spill into the milk.

It was also difficult to get the milk at the right temperature so we were constantly added and taking hot water from the water bath.

We then added a liquid started and a sprinkle of Penicillium candidum. Once it had ripened, rennet was added and then stirred.

After forty minutes, it was set and the curd was cut into 2cm cubes. I was in charge of the cutting even though I was apparently terrible at it.

It was like cutting jelly, quite amazingly super. 

After it had rested we all began to gently rock our baby cheeses back and forth. It was quite cute. I was really excited when I got to stir with a massive spoon and watched with fascination as the cubes swam around the container.  They were then placed into their maturing containers. 

I was quick to volunteer a couple of days later when it came time to turn the cheese which we did using an excessive amount of hand sanitiser.

With the blue vein cheese, I got to poke lots of holes in it to allow for mould to grow inwards. The cheese also had to be turned to make sure the mould growth was evenly spread.

Once the cheeses were ready to be wrapped they actually looked amazing.

Try to imagine a perfectly round cheese covered in what looked like beautiful white snow. Oh, my gosh, it was super.  We then wrapped the cheese as tightly as possible with silver paper and they were ready to go.

Overall this cheese making experience was so much fun.

I absolutely loved all the processes and then the beautiful product at the end. 

Camembert_Recipe.pdf Download this file

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by Lisa Yallamas

Visit National Science Week at the Ekka where you have the chance to touch the fossils of real Queensland dinosaurs from Australia's world famous Dinosaur Trail in outback Queensland.

Marathon Station owner and Richmond Shire Councillor, Rob Ievers, gives short talks on the dinosaurs that were found on his property. Hear about the first stage of a multi-million dollar Natural Histiry Museum, Australian Age of Dinosaurs which is built on the picturesque "jump-up". See a Natureworks model of one of the dinosaurs. Grab a show bag with a dinosaur egg, a skeleton and a shark tooth for $28.

And best of all, you get to help prepare real dinosaur bones in the Prep Lab at the National Science Week Pavilion.

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When you are a scientist you get to the very core of learning the very nature of things.

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Hey, I’m Cameron Sunderland, a Year 12 student at Kingaroy State High School.

I’ve been conducting an investigation on the local Stuart River system of the South Burnett region in cooperation with Mr. Rod Cheetham from the local DPI & F.

This study was conducted to test the local migration patterns, numbers and seasonal variation of small fish and the macro-invertebrates (big water bugs) of the river system.

It was conducted over a two and a half year period from the 16th of August 2008 till the 12th of February 2011. 

This long period of time is something that has not been done on this section of river system due to the insufficient numbers of fisheries staff (and the fact that it is far too bloody boring for any scientist, even if they were to be paid double the salary of poor, old Mr Cheetham, so they decided to find some poor young enthusiastic Year Nine science student to do the tiring job ... HA-HA-HA!

My study is thought to be highly important to the fisheries staff as it gives them ideas on the finer movements of small invertebrates in the river system and as they say ‘where there are a little fish there will always be a big one’ meaning that this will also give an indication of where the predatory fish will be. 

I also found supporting evidence that fresh water prawns migrate in a hurry during the night hours and during flow events.

During the 2011 floods I was off on a science intervention called NYSF and I missed much of the action that took place in Kingaroy, from accounts from my family and friend it was a pretty stressful time and the evidence of the destruction is still evident at the river where there is debris still in the very tops of four to five-metre trees where the floods covered them and left debris in their canopy. (Watch for the flood debris in the video)

At that time, there was no option to access the river sites because of the extreme height and power of the river, this was unfortunate as this was a major part of my investigation and in hind site I should have utilised my resources (the DPI) far more efficiently. 

For me this was my first real step into the science world and I absolutely love what I’ve been doing with the DPI & F and this study helped seal my ambition to peruse a career in science. 

My love of helping and making a difference of in this world has lead me away from field science and toward a career in Biomedical science.

This study has been such an influence on my life that I don’t know where I would be today if it weren’t for the support that Mr Cheetham gave me in the early days of this study and I am so grateful to him and all that I achieve in this life is because of his belief in me.

This study was full of inaccuracies and things that could be improved but it was my starting point and I am grateful to the naive boy that decided to take on such a mammoth task that to any other person would sound crazy and boring.  I loved it and it was the best thing I ever did. 

If anyone was to be given a similar chance and who has a love of science, I say take it you will never know where it might take you.

I would like to also make a mention my dad who consistently took me down to the river each a month to retrieve my data, and Mr Langton and Mr Cheetham for the trust and belief in me; and the fact, that even though you didn’t think that I would complete it, thanks for the support (and yes I know that).   

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Jurassic Science Week - National Science Week from National Science Week on Vimeo.

National Science Week, iinet and SciTech are presenting a special augmented reality activity - experiment really - during the whole month of August called  JURASSIC SCIENCE WEEK.

Anyone in 14 cities and towns around Australia with a smartphone can see and photograph dinosaurs roaming around the streets and gardens. Look for this dinosaur print on the ground around the City Botanic Gardens, the Cultural Centre Precinct and QUT Gardens Point Campus.
We have a national competition for the best photograph. Simply upload your screeshot to: nationalscienceweek.iinet.net.au/​sharing

For the more adventurous we have a transmedia family fun game called PLUNDER! The Lost World!  a Brisbane-based social activity to test your hunter-gatherer skills: flickr.com/​photos/​nationalscienceweekqld/​sets/​72157627327442362/​ 

Your first hunter-gatherer test is to hunt down a dinosaur and post it on flickr or facebook.com/​QldNSWk 

Look for this illusion puzzle for more clues. Stay tuned for more details!

More dinosaurs in Townsville, Gold Coast in Queensland but also in other places such as Newcastle, Hobart, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Launceston and Darwin.

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Join in Queensland's National Science Week from National Science Week on Vimeo.

A big thanks to All Hallows' School's Science Club for making this National Science Week video promotion. 

"Our involvement in National Science Week was a highlight with Year 5 to Year 12 students in 2011 with our students entering the National Science Week video blog competition, conducting a range of experimental activities inside and outside of classes and with our Science Club being involved in the Science Week Promotions. _ Scott Adamson, HOD Science, All Hallows’ School

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Hanson Robotics team are unable to tour Australia for National Science Week.

However they do hope to bring Zeno out some time in the future.

Event CANCELLED - Friday, August 19, 6.30pm. 

Hanson Robotics Public Lecture: State Library of Qld Hanson Robotics develop human-like robots with realistic facial expressions and conversational abilities. Company founder, David Hanson and his team, including the robot called Zeno, will demonstrate the future in Auditorium One, Level 2, State Library. Free. RSVP: by 12 August at nationalscienceweek@iamevents.com.au

TransHUMANISM...

Philip K. Dick android. Movies such as Minority Report and Blade Runner are based on his books.

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Here's a take on ART & PSYCHOLOGY from Erin Hannan-Jones, a Year 12 art student at Mt Alvernia College, Brisbane. Her work, Iconic Heart, is about celebrity, symbolism and media influence. Each image represents about four hours work: drawing, scanning and Photoshopping. She researched the semiotics in the work of self-made icons, celebrated artists, such as Roy Lichtenstein, and the ideas of media theorists, such as Marshall McLuhan. 

For my semester one art project at school, we were set the task of creating a body of word under the title of semiotics, which would convey a specific meaning to an audience. 

I decided to explore the socio-cultural, religious and political symbolism behind images frequently seen through mass media, in order to make a statement about how films, photography, posters and celebrities have the ability to connect with diverse audiences on personal levels.

I began the body of work by researching semiotics, mass media and artists who were interested in conveying similar ideas.

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I was heavily influenced by Masami Teraoka's McDonald's Hamburgers Invading Japan series and the Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, as each artist had a distinct ability to capture the social relevance pop culture and its place at the heart of modern society.

Being somebody who is often inspired by contemporary art, movies, music videos, fashion, magazines, comedy and the idea of celebrity, the process of researching mass media made me aware of the extent to which these things directly influence my perspective on life and self image.

I decided to take this notion of media influence over individual perspective futher by compiling a list of pictures and quotations which i found intriguing. I began experimenting with the medium of digital artwork and found that it is a useful medium for transforming physical drawings.

I created a process in which i would begin to draw an A4 sized picture and then scan it into the computer before finishing it on Photoshop. I found using pencils, pens and inks and textas most effective when beginning an artwork, as it allowed me to create dramatic lines and bold blocks of colour which could be refined in Photoshop.

 National Science Week on Vimeo.

Being able to change brightness and contrast, recolouring, collaging and layering drawings were the main advantages of using Photoshop, and the overall effect of applying it to sketches was to give them a more flat appealing look. This process was mostly inspired by the way fashion magazines frequently use Photoshop to distort the way models look.

An advantage of using technology to create art is that it is easy to document the process of creating an image, and infact the documentation process can be seen as art in itself. Art can be replicated and distributed in a unique way which is not possible using other mediums.

I believe that technology is the future of modern art, because you get as much room for creativity as you would with painting or sculpture, whilst the accessibility of being able to display it on the internet in its entirety.

My final product, entitled Iconic Heart was a 2X2 metre, portable, wall installation. It consists of 18 Photographic prints of photo-shopped drawings, repeated and copied in order to make an overall installation of 92 images arranged in the shape of a heart.

Many pop culture artworks and images are intentionally referenced and redrawn in this work. Including a French vouge cover, Coca-Cola advertisement, an iconic photograph of Audrey Hepburn and the album cover of Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster.

However, many original drawings were included also. After completing each separate piece of work, I searched for a quote that would either complement or contrast with the message of the work, and layer it on top in order to enhance the context of the work. My work aims to, through the use of semiotics convey that same meaning. The images used all have a personal relevance to the artist whilst at the same time retain meaning within a wider social context.

Ultimately this artwork makes a statement about the role of iconic images and figures portrayed in the media as being at the heart of contemporary society Each small artwork took between 4 hours to a few days to complete and I would often work on a few at once.

I wouldn't say that the process was daunting, however I did spent a huge amount of time developing the idea and creating the image. I keep a visual diary which i use to write and sketch my ideas as they come to me so that i can develop them futher later. This is a useful way to document the entire artistic process.

I have been constantly drawing and painting ever since I was small, and throughout high school I have been trying to develop my own unique way of creating art. In the future I am interested in perusing a career in the creative in music, film production or design and hope to be able to travel overseas during the course of my studies. I believe that computer technology is going to play a huge role in the future of contemporary art, not only as a means of creating it, but as a way to express the creative impact it has had on society.

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Inspired by the graffiti from the Brisbane Powerhouse, talented local designer Bec Todd has created our BrainBreak! promotional poster for your enjoyment. Just download and print.

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Mobile ( 11MB )

Give me some skin - Kerry Manton from National Science Week.

QUT molecular biologist Dr Kerry Manton sits on the university's ethics committee which controls the use of human tissue in experiments. Her research into biological regeneration will enable doctors to heal skin without scars. She is able to use human skin cells, instead of animal skin, because plastic surgery patients (who have breast reductions or liposuction) allow her to use the excess skin which would normally be thrown out. She thinks within 10 to 15 years this research will enable doctors to regenerate lungs damaged by smoking. Part of her work is on breast cancer but rather than find "a cure" for cancer her research is part of a larger effort to come up with a way of custom making a treatment to suit individual people - this is called individual medicine.

While she would like to discover a cure for cancer or knowledge to regrow a human limb, she hasn't given up on her dream to be an astronaut... 

She is a Research Fellow in Tissue Repair and Regeneration Program ( Cells & Tissue Domain )at QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation or IHBI. As Queensland's Tall Poppy she is also one of our leading young scientists and has published several papers. But she has also devoted herself to science education in rural schools through the Science in Schools program for several years. She gave a talk at the Kingaroy State High School on July 12 and her team participated in QUT Science Van school activities on July 12 & 13.

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Big Science Now is your science hub Queensland so vote for your favourite avatar before July 13! 

Here is the work of a few of Queensland's impressive emerging designers - click on the link to vote for the one you think deserves to represent the Queensland identity for National Science Week as the Big Science Now banner symbol.

The one with the most "Likes" on our Facebook page will win an iPad 2 from Mac1. But we also have a Flip Video Camera from Video Pro for the runner-up to continue their digital content production career.

• Reilly Vanniekerk

Year 10 - Queensland Academy for Creative Industries, Brisbane

• Jourdin Rouaen

Year 12 - All Hallows' School, Brisbane.

• Rachelle Patman

Year 12 - Whitsunday Anglican School.

• Jackson Rouaen

Year 6 - St Flannan's School, Brisbane.

• Rachelle Patman

Year 12 - Whitsunday Anglican School.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Energymark is social science in action! The CSIRO program studying community engagement is a huge success in NSW where people have cut their carbon footprint by up to 27 percent. It is currently being rolled out in Brisbane and the Redlands. They have 25 convenors in Brisbane and another three in the Redlands. Here is a post by the Energymark project manager Yasmin van Kasteren who is based in Brisbane. She has prepared a special BSN online activity to demonstrate the survey process used in social research. Can you read the graphs? 

 Take this survey to see how the questionnaire works. 

Yasmin van Kasteren

Science into Society researcher :

Working together on a school project is often more fun than working alone.

You can enjoy yourself and learn at the same time.

Working together you can share what you know, and you couldn’t want to let your group down, so you make sure you do your bit. 

These are the principles behind a program I am running called Energymark.

Energymark is all about learning about climate change, and the relationship between climate change and energy, the fun way.

We are asking adults across Brisbane to volunteer as a convenor, and then get a group of their friends together to meet once a month, read the through information prepared by CSIRO, and then come together to discuss what they have learnt and how they can change their lives to help fight climate change.

Sound like hard work? It’s actually fun and, like doing a project with friends, it’s an enjoyable way to learn about climate change and to start making a difference.

Research shows that although a lot of people are concerned about climate change this is not translating into real changes in their lifestyles. Given the sheer scale of climate change as an issue, many people don’t know where to begin.  It’s often easier to just tune out when they hear the words climate change.

Energymark is just one of many ways the CSIRO is trying to get the message across.

Energymark is also a research program, using questionnaires, we measure changes in participant’ carbon footprint, electricity use, and they feel about climate change, at the beginning of the program and at the end, so that we can measure the change and see if the program is working.

 Take this survey to see how the questionnaire works. 

In the Newcastle Energymark trial in 2008-2009, we had 171 people go through the program. 

People reduced their power bills by an average of 37 per cent and their carbon footprints by 27 per cent. The program was very effective in changing behaviour.

I personally find it very satisfying to be making a difference through my work, especially in such an important area. 

I am a social scientist working for the CSIRO as part of the Science into Society unit based at Pullenvale, just outside of Brisbane. 

We are dedicated to engaging with business, industry and the community to understand the social issues particularly surrounding climate change and the adoption of new technology.

Yasmin

Energymark Project Manager

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Alex Wonhas built his first solar power station as a teenager in Germany - his model based on the concept of splitting water failed because it was too inefficient. But this is a story of perseverance and persistence.

Decades later, the German energy expert now heads the CSIRO's Energy Transformed Flagship which has built a solar power station at Newcastle - in partnership with the Australian National University. The National Solar Energy Centre's two solar towers have more than 600 mirrors which reflect the solar radiation to generate temperatures of up to 1000°C. ^MR

Solar power station dream comes true from National Science Week. (24.2MB)

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The Newcastle power station heats air instead of water. CSIRO Facebook photos.

Watch this CSIRO animation which explains the process:

Solar_Brayton_animation-video.mov Watch on Posterous

Read about the CSIRO's National Solar Energy Centre

ABC Lateline interview with Wonhas ( transcript )

How solar power works: Natural Resources Defense Council (US)

Watch BSN OUTtake: Study Science Now.

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Do you think that the surface area of a piece of paper changes in this science activity that demonstrates a physical change?

Think about each step of the process very carefully and, if you know, tell us the answer by writing a comment at the bottom of this post.

If you want to try this for yourself, download and print the template.

Follow diagrams (right click to download) and instructions below:

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• Fold paper in half and cut out the rectangle area marked with large crosses. 
• Cut all the dotted lines in the direction of the blue arrows.
• Cut all the unbroken lines in the direction of the yellow arrows
• Stretch the paper into a wide circle (see video).

OUTtake: Make an elastic from a sheet of paper from National Science Week.

Download the template below.

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Imagination is key in science _ John Church from National Science Week.  We caught up with Dr Church at the CSIRO Greenhouse 2011 Forum. He has been studying climate change effects on the oceans since the 1970s.

QUOTE:

"I do think that climate change is a really serious issue that we are not adequately grappling with but, on the other hand, there are many things we can do to improve that future.

"I think we can meet the challenge of reducing our emissions and living in a more sustainable way, as long as we choose to do that."

• Read the business perspective in a comment piece written by Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Heather Ridout in The Sydney Morning Herald

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The director of CSIRO's Energy Transformed Flagship, Dr Alex Wonhas, who's realizing a lifelong dream by building a solar power station in Newcastle, thinks games, such as the BBC's simulation Climate Challenge, are a good way to get kids thinking about science in relation to the real world.

As the president of the European Nations in this Flash game, you must tackle climate change and stay popular enough with voters to remain in office. Dr Wonhas Googled "Climate Change" and "Games" to find this Wikipedia page on other games to play. However, you have to pay to play some games such as Fate of the World.

In this interview with Big Science Now at the CSIRO Greenhouse 2011 Forum, Dr Wonhas mentioned how it helps kids pick things up if parents take an interest in science. He recently helped his son, Lawrence, with his last science assignment to build a toy that kids of the future would play with.

His daughter Charlotte demonstrates the train in operation here:

MEGLEV_train.mov Watch on Posterous

The MAGLEV Train is suspended above the track by magnetic levitation - or magnetic repulsion if you like. Here's a set of plans he drew up especially for intrepid Big Science Now readers who might like to try to build their own toy.

It won't travel as fast as Shanghai's MAGLEV Transrapid Train which travels at 431km/hr:

 

Related video: BSN OUTtake - Alex Wonhas on science in the 21st Century.

Link: Science Fair Project on Magnetism

Wikipedia: Shanghai Transrapid

 

Big Science Now's roving reporter, Mandy Awabdy, went out to two hardware stores to see how much it would cost to make a toy MAGLEV Train. Mandy calculated it will cost between $45 and $35 to buy the materials. She also wrote out a shopping list and a step-by-step set of instructions interpreting Dr Wonhas's drawing. Have fun!

Steps to Building A MEGLev Toy Train

Objective: 

To build a Maglev Train demonstrating the forces of magnets using attraction and repulsion. 

Materials: 

The materials required to build the Maglev Train which will cost between $35-$45 from hardware stores include: 

• Two Plexiglass sheets,  approximately 24” by 4” each sheet – note this size may be adjusted the required size of the train. 
• 2 pieces of wood strips for the base, approximately 3’ by ¼”.
• A drill for the holes. 
• 16 phillips head screws. 
• Two magnetic strips (ferrite magnets) fitted to the length of the Plexiglass sheet
• Double sided tape.
• Piece of wood that measures 3 ½” by 3 7/8” (for the train) 
• String to secure base platform together

Making the Mag-Lev Train Track: 

Step 1. First, drill seven holes along the length edge, 3 inches from the height edge, and 1 inch apart from each other into one sheet of 24”  by 4” Plexiglas. NOTE: The holes must be touching the length edge  of the Plexiglas! 

Step 2. Next, repeat step 1 on the opposite length side.  

Step 3. Then, take another sheet of 24” by 4” Plexiglas and drill 8 holes 1 ½” from the length side and 1 ½” from the height side. 

Step 4. Next, repeat step 3 on the other sheet of 24” by 4” Plexiglas. 

Step 5. After that, take one of the two 3’ by ¼” by ¼” wooden strips and  place it along the holes of one of the two Plexiglas walls that you  drilled the holes 1 ½” from the sides. 

Step 6. Then, switch to a smaller drill bit and drill halfway through the wooden strip. 

Step 7. Repeat step 6 on the other wooden strip. 

Step 8.  Next, screw some small Philips head screws through the holes in Plexiglas and into the wooden strips to hold the wooden strip firmly in place.  

Step 9.  Do step 8 again to the other wooden strip and Plexiglas wall. 

Step 10. Then, take the last Plexiglas wall and place it on one of the wooden strips attached to a Plexiglas wall.  

Step 11. Next, repeat step 6 on this Plexiglas wall.  

Step 12. Then, repeat step 8 on both sides of this Plexiglas wall. 

Step 13. After that, cut two pieces of double-sided tape measuring 24” long.

Making the train: 

Step 1. First, cut a piece of wood that measures 3 ½” by 3 7/8”. 

Step 2.  Next, cut two pieces of double sided tape measuring 3 ½”. 

Step 3. Then, put one piece of double sided tape along the side that measured 3 ½” on the wood block.  

Step 4. Next, cut 7” out of one of the magnetic strips. 

Step 5. Then, cut that in half and end up with two strips measuring 3 ½”. 

Step 6. Finally, place those two magnetic strips along the double sided tape. 

This now completes the Maglev Train, if you would like to make the train float a little higher, put two magnetic strips on the bottom of the Plexiglass that is in line with the double sided tape that is on the track. 

Learn about magnets

Flash game on magnetism 

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Daintree possum may be Australia's polar bear.

Here James Cook University climate scientist Professor  Steve Turton  talks about the disappearance of upland habitat which is the home of the Lemuroid Ringtail Possum.

Scientists dubbed the "white-form" of this species "Australia's polar bear" a few years ago when it almost disappeared thanks to a heatwave. 

Read an old news report about scientists fears in 2008  

This possum - Professor Turton shows the white-form of the lemuroid ringtail possum in this video - lives in the highest, coolest regions of Queensland's Daintree Rainforest near Cairns. 

But it is an endangered species because its cool habitat is in danger of disappearing if the oceans continue warming. 

In the dry season, this little guy survives by licking the water off leaves which precipitates from "cloud forests".

But if these cloud forests disappear the Daintree's lifecycle will change. 

Cloud forests or mists form over the oceans normally in the dry season and condense onto the forest canopy as they drift inland. 

This important water source keeps many plants and animals alive in this area - not just the possums.

On a technical tour of the Daintree for scientists attending the CSIRO's Greenhouse 2011 Forum in April, Professor Turton explained how the Daintree is actually the remains of a Gondwanaland rainforest which covered most of what eventually dried out and became the arid Australian continent. So it is quite possible for this little bit of Australian rainforest to disappear.

The Great Barrier Reef is what is the remains of a massive, ancient reef.

Tectonic movements of the Earth's crust pushed against each other and forced parts of the reef upwards to form this region's high, cool climes which now face extinction through climate change.

As the climate warms, the rainforest ecology will change again, perhaps taking with it the lemuroid ringtail possum and plants that do not grow anywhere else in the world but here.

Professor Turton mentioned that some plants here have survived since the times of Gondwanaland. See the dispersal of Gondwanaland in this animation.

Explore Gondwanaland and the concept of Continental Drift with this Exploratorium Flash animation.

Wentworth Intermediate School teacher Deborah Tewhey has shared teaching resources on a great website called Forces of Nature that includes Tectonics and Pangaea or Gondwanaland.

Read this information sheet on the Lemuroid Ringtail Possum.

_ Lisa Yallamas  ( Contribute to the Community Climate Gauge )

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by Dr Janice Lough

Senior Principal Research Scientist

Australian Institute of Marine Science

We all experience weather every day, the temperature, the amount of rain (or snow), wind speed and direction, cloudy or sunny etc.

Climate is what we expect the weather to be like at a particular place and time of year.

Our current climate is defined by weather observations compiled over many years from measurements made with instruments such as thermometers, rain gauges, anemometers, barometers.

See the  Australian Bureau of Meteorology . 

These observational records have provided important information to climate scientists about how global and regional climate varies and, most recently, clear evidence for a rapidly warming world due to human activities changing the composition of the atmosphere.

Instrumental observations of climate for large parts of the world only date back to the late 19^th century – a relatively short time period to fully understand how and why climate varies and changes. 

We need longer records to better understand how the climate system works and be able to better predict how climate may change in the future. 

Fortunately, the natural world provides us with several types of “proxy” climate records, i.e. substitutes for instrumental observations. 

These are biological, geological or human systems that are affected by climate and leave a record of that influence that we can measure and date. 

Examples include variations in tree ring widths, annual snow layers and air bubbles trapped in ice cores, human documents and diaries that mention weather events and cave deposits known as speleotherms (stalagmites and stalactites).  

Shallow-water tropical coral reefs also contain natural history books which can provide proxy climate information for the tropical oceans which are the heat engine of the global climate system. 

The backbone of coral reefs is the hard calcium carbonate skeletons built by corals in partnership (symbiosis) with single-celled algae (zooxanthellae) – these skeletons come in many shapes and forms and provide a diverse range of habitats for many thousands of reef-associated organisms. 

Some massive coral species grow to several meters in height [1-Picture of diver and large Porites coral] and contain annual growth layers similar to tree rings. 

Growing at 1-2 cm per year, such corals can contain several hundred years of growth and also record changes that have occurred in their environment. 

To “read” these records, cores are removed from the centre of a colony (the core hole is plugged and the coral tissue will gradually grow over it) [2-Picture of diver taking coral core]. 

Slices from the core are then X-rayed to reveal annual banding in the density of the calcium carbonate skeleton and each year can be dated from the outer edge – the year when the core was collected. 

From measuring the annual density bands we can find out how fast the coral is growing and also identify the timing of unusual events in the coral’s life which may have affected its growth (e.g. coral bleaching events, toppling of the coral by a tropical cyclone) [3-X-ray positive print of coral slice showing annual density bands and highlighting dark band in 1998 when coral growth slowed due to coral bleaching]. 

We can also measure various geochemical tracers included in the skeleton which vary with, for example, sea water temperature, salinity or the amount of sediment in the water.  

One special type of records is seen when slices from corals growing close the coast on the Great Barrier Reef are viewed under ultra-violet light [4-Coral slice under UV light showing luminescent lines]. 

These are called luminescent lines and their occurrence and intensity is directly related to seasonal river flood events which, in turn, depends upon the amount of summer rainfall in northeast Queensland. 

By dating and measuring the intensity of these annual luminescent lines in several inshore corals, we have been able to reconstruct northeast Queensland summer rainfall back to the 17^th century – more than triple the length of rainfall observations made with rain gauges.  This record tells us about past rainfall variability and changes and how our rainfall is influenced by El Niño-Southern Oscillation events.  The coral record tells us that Queensland rainfall was less than present and also less variable from the mid-18^th to mid-19^th centuries.  They also tell us that since the end of the 19^th century rainfall has increased, become more variable from year to year and that extreme wet and extreme dry years have become more common.  The summer of 1973-1974 [5-1973-74 luminescent lines in corals ~800 km apart], with which the most recent extreme summer of 2010-2011 has been compared, was the wettest in at least the past three centuries.  More extreme rainfall events are one of the projected consequences of a warmer world in tropical Queensland.  So, looking to the past can help us to prepare for different climates in the future.

Associated story: ABC Science Report, Winners and losers in ocean acidification.

j.lough@aims.gov.au

Australian Institute of Marine Science

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