| So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact?
Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction...
Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting,
quirky and downright bizarre tasty morsels from the world of science.
And its all completely, totally, 100% true!
July Sci-Facts
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Animals at War
Are you sick of the constant bad news? Do you think the world would be a better place if all the human beings were removed? Do you see a people-free place with no pollution and no wars? You are SO wrong. This month, let’s look at some examples of nature at war.
The Battle of the Invertebrates
Sea anemones look like flowers, and just sit around filtering food out of the water, right? No such luck. Sea anemones have nations and wars, all in miniature.
There is a certain species of sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima, that lives in large colonies around the tide line, on rocks and in pools. Each colonies is made up if genetically identical individuals, a band of brothers you might say. When two or more colonies meet, then they form a battle zone. All the action happens when the tide is in, and the colonies are covered in water.
The outside of a colony has a ring of soldiers, while in the centre of the colony are the weaker breeding individuals. If an individual warrior anemone makes contact with an anemone from another colony, they will fight! They slap each other around using specially-adapted tentacles that leave patches of stinging cells stuck to their opponent. The colonies are jostling for space, and battles can last for up to thirty minutes.
This phenomenon was discovered by David J. Ayre from the University of Wollongong, and Rick Grosberg from UC Davis.
Chemical Warfare
Do you get a live pine tree for your Christmas tree? I love the crisp, fresh smell of pine needles, but I also know that pine needles are more than just a method for achieving photosynthesis, they are also a weapon.
If you have ever seen a pine tree forest, you will notice the lack of other plants living in the blanket of discarded needles on the ground. The pine needles are very acidic, hence the lovely scent. As the pine needles rot, they release acid into the soil which discourages or kills other plants growing near it. The thick blanket also acts like a layer of mulch in a garden, keeping the light from the soil so that seeds can’t germinate.
This process is called allelopathy, the chemical process some plants use to keep other plants from growing up around them and competing for sunlight, water and nutrients. It is a survival strategy.
It’s an eye-opener, isn’t it? All around you, what looks like peace and quiet is actual a savage, silent struggle. |
*The Voyager Science Queen is also
known as Lynne Green
So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science?
Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory.
I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia...and hopefully entertaining people at the same time.
As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write!
Read previous Sci-Facts:
Busy Little Bees
Thinking Outside the Square
Water-Saving Tips
The Dark Side
Strange Objects
Updates: Bad New, Good News
Happy Holidays
Happy Birthday
Carnivorous Plants
What Makes Matter, Well Matter?
Putting the Science into Science Fiction
The Vortex
The Baddies on Your Bread
Scientific Updates on Previous Articles
Talking not Choking
Searching for the Lost Eden
A Comment on Comets
Mari Lwyd
The Pandemic
Zombie Insects and other oddities
You'll Be A Star!
Twisting
the Light
Green by name, green by nature
A No Science Page...
The Art of Statistics...
Ice, Ice, Baby...
Oddities
Bang, crash...Thud!
The Concept of Time
Fact versus Fantasy
Sci-Facts review
Incy-Wincy Teeny-Weeny Itty-Bitty Small Things
Flavour versus Flavonoids
The Third Eye
X Marks the Spot
The Horseshoe Crab
Pathology
The Tenth Planet
Science News Updates
The Sweet Keen Smell
Indulgence
Hollywood Crimes
Natural
Oddities
A Rainbow of Emotions
When is a star, not a star?
The Red Planet
Minerals
Hot Topic - Vitamins
A brief glimpse of New Technologies
Cuddly
Australian Animals
Something light-hearted
Living
in Interesting Times
New Hope
for Our New Year
The Meaning
of Life...
As the worm turns
Forensics
A Grab Bag of Facts
Bits and Bobs
Australian Achievements
Getting Your Attention
May Sci-Facts
After the Big Bang
The Big Bang
Ashes to
ashes; Dust to dust
Twists in
the tale
Robots in
the Swim and other things
The Tachyon
and other things
Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr
Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds! |
