Queensland Dinosaur Stampede Site Might Have Been a River Crossing

Findings at a world renowned fossil site in central-west Queensland suggests the area is not the world’s only recorded dinosaur stampede, but a river crossing. Lark Quarry Conservation Park, Opalton near Winton in outback Queensland has always been known as the site of a dinosaur stampede from around 95 million years ago.

After two years of research, University of Queensland PhD candidate Anthony Romilio says the footprints were not made all together, but some over a few days or weeks. He believes the site is an ancient riverbed where the dinosaurs could wade through.

For the past 30 years, the dinosaur tracks at Lark Quarry have be known as the world’s only record of a ‘dinosaur stampede’.

Researchers have interpreted the large spacing between the many tracks as indicating that dinosaurs were moving downstream, the dinosaurs seemed to be using the area as a highway :: Read the full article »»»»

FOLLOW US, WE’RE FAT!

I’ve been wondering for a while just how long it would take for Obesity to move from being a medical issue to a social one, it seems we are right now on that cusp. Obesity has had so much bad publicity - deservingly so – over the past 5 years that the obese are striking back, no longer satisfied with the social stigma, and  often unable to lose the weight, the obese are becoming a large majority.

Fat activist Jackie Wykes recently posted a volatile question via theconversation.edu.au, asking How Anti Obesity Campaigns Re-inforce Stigma. Ms Wykes says “By focusing on weight as the problem and weight loss as the solution, social and economic inequalities are made invisible.” I’d reckon that in this country at least – and the world generally –  supermarkets would disagree entirely, never have groceries – fresh included – ever been so inexpensive, there is literally NO excuse today for BAD EATING HABITS!

According to Ms Wykes, health disparities between groups are blamed on individuals for not making healthy choices, ignoring the ways that the choices available to comfortably middle-class white Australians are often very different to those available to people on low incomes, to recent immigrants, or to Indigenous Australians.

This rhetoric clearly scirts the issue – yes obese people have rights, more rights than drug addicts, less than breast cancer patients, and about the same as rights as smokers –  in my mind the formula is pretty simple, EAT LESS! If you wish to make the argument complicated - it’s still diet based for the majority of obesity – then EAT CAREFULLY! :: Read the full article »»»»

Chronic Obesity Killing 5 Million+ Each Year

A third of the world’s adult population is physically inactive, the couch-potato lifestyle kills about 5 million people every year, experts contributing to a special feature in the medical journal The Lancet say.

“Roughly three of every 10 individuals aged 15 years or older – about 1.5 billion people – do not reach present physical activity recommendations,” Dr Pedro Hallal and colleagues said in a report that described the problem as a pandemic.

The Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group paints an even grimmer picture for adolescents, with four out of five 13 to 15-year-olds not moving enough, the report said.

Inactivity was described for the study as failing to do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five times a week, 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times a week, or a combination of the two :: Read the full article »»»»

Magnetic Pulse Brain Stimulation Helps Stroke Patients Regain Speech

Australian scientists are confident magnenetic pulse brain stimulation research will help long-term stroke and Parkinson’s disease patients speak again. The approach, being pioneered by Professor Bruce Murdoch, Director of the Centre for Neurogenic Communication Disorders Research from the University of Queensland, uses magnetic pulses to stimulate damaged areas of the brain.

The technique, known as Transcranial Magnetc Stimulation – TMS – was previously used to treat depression and pain management. It’s the first time the therapy has been looked at for language or communication loss due to neurological damage.

The treatment  is literally an on off switch for the brain, switching on brain function in Parkinson and off in stroke victims suffering from aphasia. TMS is a non-invasive method to cause depolarization or hyperpolarization in the neurons of the brain. TMS uses electromagnetic induction to induce weak electric currents using a rapidly changing magnetic field, causing activity in specific or general parts of the brain with minimal discomfort.

Aphasia in stroke victims is a condition where suffers have impaired language abilities, the range of the disorder includes memory difficulties for words, all the way through to a complete inability to speak

This isn’t a first for TMS use in Parkinsons or stroke, in 2009 Dr Jean-Pascal Le faucheur of Physiology department at Hospital Henri Mondor in France successfully used the therapy with pain management and Parkinsons :: Read the full article »»»»

Australia’s Evolving Hybrid Shark

Marine biologists have for the first time observed a potential new mechanism of evolution. While cataloging sharks it was discovered that Australian Black Tipped sharks are adapting to the changing environment off the Australian East Coast through interbreeding with it’s cousin, the common Black Tipped shark. It is believed that if the changes are successful this will produce a stronger species, unlike all of Hollywood’s versions of man building a super shark nature is in charge here, and unfortunately she hasn’t integrated lasers just yet.

DNA tests have shown the hybridized version to be a mix of the Australian Black Tipped shark and the common Black Tipped shark found in other parts of the world, two distinct species of shark. While the Australian Black Tip is a tropical water shark the hybrid version has adopted its overseas cousins ability to travel into cooler waters. This will allow the new Black Tip to travel further south expanding its hunting territories and increasing the sharks chances of survival. This is evolution in action. Read the full article »»»»

COUCH-POTATOES! Each Hour of TV Cuts 22 Minutes OFF Your Life

If estimates are correct, then TV viewing is in the same league as smoking and obesity! In a new study into the healthy habits of couch potatoes, a University of Queensland study has compared watching television to smoking and similar unhealthy habits.

This comes on the back of a study last year with similar findings, do we sense a theme? Dr Veerman from Queensland Universitys School of Population Health says that the small proportion of people who watch six – or more – hours of television a day would reduce their lifespan by almost 5 years.

Each hour of TV you watch could cut 22 minutes from your lifespan,Veerman’s study has found.

Dr Lennert Veerman, from the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, and colleagues, report their findings today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine :: Read the full article »»»»