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New Catfish Species in Australia

Carfish are fairly mundane creatures. If you are fishing and you hook one thinking it is a big pike you are annoyed when you drag it in, and "drag" it the defining word. They are usually a dead weight on the line.

On the other hand if you are a biologist all animals are of interest. A combined US, Australia team has discovered a new catfish species in North Queensland. It has a tail like an eel, not the usual fish-like tail. Apparently, people knew of its existence for many years and just assumed it was like any other catfish.

Tandanus tropicanus is cylindrical in body shape. It has a large head and tiny eyes. DNA tests showed that the fish is a distinct species. Overall, its body configuration is different from other catfish.

Unlike many catfish it is good to eat. Fishermen have been catching it for many years for food not knowing how unique it was. Despite the accumulation of human knowledge about the world there is a lot we still do not know about nature.

Biology by Ty Buchanan

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New Technology Not for Everyone

Playing around with new tech devices and writing reviews full of praise is all well and good, but many people in all countries are still using dial-up modems. This brave new world is not available to them.

Even for users in built up areas where ADSL2 is available, 200GB is never going to be enough to watch streaming high-definition movies. Magic dongles are wonderful for those on the main line. However, some will never be connected to this line.

Netflix is being accused of using up to half of all bandwidth. This state of affairs cannot continue. The Internet will ultimately slow down. It is not a bottomless pit. There are limits.

Third world countries will never put fiber in for the majority. Capital cities in all countries will probably get very fast Internet. Even in suburbs though fast speeds will never be seen.

Technology by Ty Buchanan

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New Technology is Feared by Many

Australians are like people everywhere. They want change but they fear it. Advancement in technology appears to make our lives easier, but in a way life is becoming more complex.

People make themselves known to millions of others. They fear that in the long run they will regret it. As they grow older what they did in their carefree youth will come back to haunt them.

Only half of people feel secure about the technological future. One would expect that this would be higher. Young people in particular seem to welcome new gadgets with open arms. Nearly half of the population believe robotization will make their lives worse.

Many use wearable gadgetry to help with their exercise and fitness. However, these could turn out to be just faddish endeavours like all the new exercise machines advertised on TV.

The giant technological companies are experimenting with weird ideas. They have run out of rational concepts. These have been used up. Reviewers condemn the new tech offerings as silly and laughable. Then see people adopt the latest new thing with gusto.

Technology by Ty Buchanan

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Languages Falling in Number With Deforestation

Human societies change as the climate changes. Man is a clever animal. He uses his mind to overcome obstacles in nature. When we came down from the trees the first changes were made. This sped up our evolution to become more intelligent.

With evolutionary advancement certain things are lost. Tree clearing has led to an unforeseen event: languages are disappearing. Some, usually forest living, people speak more than a dozen languages. However, their tribes are decreasing in number as more contact with advanced societies and destruction of the environment they live in continues.

Papua New Guinea still has about 1,000 languages. Isolation is diminishing so more dialects are lost as times goes on. It has been said that as biodiversity falls so languages decrease in number. However, less biodiversity is an effect of less forestation rather than a causal factor.

Forest living people are moving to cities to find work as their livelihood disappears. Furthermore, governments find it easier to ignore minor languages and concentrate on teaching the one most used. Therefore, language are being lost at a much faster rate than wildlife and forests.

Anthropology by Ty Buchanan

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Cheapy Tablet Market Explosion

Australians are buying cheap tablets at a record rate. Just about every major store is selling a low-cost tablet. People are not worrying about completely new brands and are snapping them up. The computers do the basics. 'This is all users seem to want. A spare lying around the house is always useful.

Established companies like Intel are taking notice. They are about to launch a "cheapy" into the booming market. Sales of all types of tablets doubled last year in Australia. Apple seems to be ignoring the trend keeping its prices high. This could prove very costly in the long run. You just cannot ignore a change in purchasing. The market has changed with people moving away from major brands. They have realized that tablets are much the same.

Making tablets is new for Intel. It is moving with the times and rightly so. Intel does not intend to manufacture in the US. It is consulting with Chinese companies. It knows a quality chip in integral for even cheapies to work well and it has the skills to design a fast chip.

It is designing a product for each price range, a good idea if it is to become the major manufacturer. That is its goal. The Bay Trail chip is 64-bit. This will offer real power as new applications is made for the system. The market is growing and buyers are expecting more features in a low-priced product.

Tablets by Ty Buchanan

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New Invisible Zipper Hits the Olympics

Technology is moving forward at a rapid pace. One can hardly keep up with new things on offer. Really, people do not have an immediate need for the the new products. New products are absorbed into our lives out of curiosity and the need to keep up with the neighbors.

Seams on clothes are something we accept - it is normal. Visible seams are not a problem. Indeed, the seams are used by designers in the latest fashions: they are part of the design.

Important sports events are a great platform to launch new ideas. They are on view for the whole world to see. There is no difference between East and West anymore. New products appear across the world at the same time.

Russian and American athletes at the 2014 Olympic Games will have waterproof zips built into their outfits. They are almost invisible when closed. This means that in the future parts of different outfits can be joined together to create different variations.

Lightrail Zippers are integrated units at the moment, but it won't be long before both halves can be separated. New fashion is on the horizon when the new zipper is released to the public. Micro-seams are not what the world needs. However, it is certain many will want the new gizmo.

Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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New Clam in Australia

There are many kinds of clams, some of them very large. The bigger ones are classified as "giant" clams. All were thought to be known. However, a new species has been identified. Examples were found at Ningaloo in Western Australia and near the Solomon Islands.

The reason it has been overlooked for so long is because it is very similar to Tridacna maxima, which is quite common. There are a plethora of colors including yellow, green, brown and blues. They are in many different shades of these main colors.

Clams produce large amounts of edible meat for human consumption. Their shells are also valuable for displays. Many species are under threat. They cannot run away and hide from divers and snorkelers. Two similar species in the same region means numbers for each are lower than first thought.

Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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Northern Australia Has a New Dolphin

There are many species of dolphin. To most people they do look much alike. We know that they are very intelligent and like to be in the presence of Man, even if it is only following boats

A new species has been identified off northern Australia. It could have always been there or moved there from somewhere else. They are in the "hump" class, having a raised portion below the dorsal fin.

Scientists are treating the dolphin as a new species which makes three species of Indo-Pacific humpback. There are four kinds of humpback in total including the eastern Atlantic type, Sousa teuszil.

Apparently, naming of the "new" species is a complex process based on the previously used naming practice, behavior of the animal itself and its habitat.

Discovery of the northern Australian dolphin came about by the first intense study into the humpback genus. It involved examination of 180 skulls and 235 tissue samples.

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Evolution by Ty Buchanan