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🩲 The undies are off and away! Our Soil Your U

🩲 The undies are off and away!

Our Soil Your Undies Challenge packs are in the post and on their way to our 205 citizen scientist groups participating in the challenge.

Our participants have great geographical spread across Australia, and we can’t wait to compare their soil health by looking at the degraded undies later in the year.

In the meantime, you can keep track of our soiled undies here at UNE through the underground livestream set up by our challenge collaborators at UNE SMART Farms. We’ll be launching this next week, along with a how to video to guide your undie burial at home or school. Watch this space!

#soilyourundies #challenge #soilhealth #microbes #soilcycle #cotton #citizenscience

Specimen of the Month In keeping with the Monotre

Specimen of the Month

In keeping with the Monotreme theme of last month’s specimen, this month we will take a closer look at the platypus. Australia is home to two monotremes (egg-laying mammals) – the short-beaked echidna and the platypus.

The platypus, know scientifically as 𝘖𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴, lives in relatively undisturbed freshwater streams or rivers. When a platypus is not busy hunting for small invertebrates on the bottom of a river bed, it spends the most of its time in a short, simple burrow in the side of the river bank. To sift prey from mud and gravel, the platypus uses the electroreceptors in its leathery bill to detect the electrical signals produced by the muscle contractions of small prey.

This particular specimen is a star of our Natural History Museum activity Form and Function, where students deduce aspects of the ecology, habitat and diet of animals based on their skeletons. Students examine the articulated (i.e. “assembled”) skeleton of various animals and put their detective hats on to work out the identity of the animal, with the answer revealed by the taxidermed (i.e. stuffed) specimen. So far, we haven’t been able to stump a class yet, with the keen, observant eyes of children quickly deducing the identity of our platypus skeleton. We suspect it is that amazing bill that gives it away!

For those at our Armidale campus, you can see this amazing specimen on display in the Dixson Library! For other Natural History Museum explorations, head to our resources page. http://ow.ly/myge50BETqs

#specimenofthemonth #naturalhistory #naturalhistorymuseum #monotreme #platypus #taxidermy

🐜 Have you ever heard of a velvet ant? Want to

🐜 Have you ever heard of a velvet ant? Want to learn more, and help scientists investigate mimicry in this fascinating group of insects?

Velvet ants are actually wasps that parasitise bees. So why are they called ants? And what’s up with the velvet? Female velvet ants are wingless and covered with often brightly-coloured hairs, giving them the appearance of velvety-soft ants. But don’t be fooled by their soft appearance! Velvet ants can inflict a very painful sting.

Groups of different species of velvet ants and wasps have evolved to look similar. They may benefit from this because a predator that learns to stay away from one species, will learn to stay away from other similar looking species. When different species with a similar defence mechanism (e.g. sting) evolve to look similar, this is called Müllerian mimicry.

CSIRO and the University of Leeds are calling on people to play a short online game that will help investigate mimicry among velvet ant species. You can check it out here:

http://ow.ly/WBSZ50BqOXX

#citizenscience #getinvolved #science #insects #ants #entomology

🩲 We are officially out of undies!! 🩲 With

🩲 We are officially out of undies!! 🩲

With an overwhelming response to our Soil Your Undies Challenge, we have had to close our registrations early! From the collaborating teams at Cotton Info, UNE SMART Farms and UNE Discovery, a huge thank you to everyone who has registered to be part of the citizen science project. We'll be in touch via email over coming days with more details.

If you missed out on this challenge, never fear, there are many other activities and citizen science projects to be involved in! For a little taster, head to our resources page where you can ignite your curiosity and STEAM into the months ahead.

Keep an eye on the Soil Your Undies page over the coming weeks for educational updates, how to's and, of course, the live stream of our soiling undies right here at UNE! Link in our bio.

Yours in STEAM,

The Discovery Team

🐹 Our mystery animal is the water vole! The sc

🐹 Our mystery animal is the water vole!

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘈𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴.

Ratty, from Wind in the Willows, was really a water vole. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike rats, their tails, paws and ears are covered with hair.

Water voles like to live in burrows, which they dig in the banks of rivers, ditches, ponds, and streams. They are the largest vole species found in Great Britain and can weigh up to 350 grams. They eat grasses, flowering plants and other vegetation found near water.

On the European continent, where their population can reach more than 500 per hectare, they have caused extensive damage to crops and severe economic losses to farmers.

For more information about the differences between the brown rat and the water vole go to: http://ow.ly/947C50ByqZV

#science #stem #specimen #naturalhistory #taxidermy

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! Let's hear from

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!

Let's hear from this week's guest from our Natural History Museum.

Well, hello there! You’re thinking I’m looking a bit ratty, hey? But, huh, I don’t belong to the Rat family, although you wouldn’t be the first to make that mistake.

I’m amphibious, which means I’m suited to live on both land and water. But I’m not a frog! Frogs don’t have fur like me. I’m proud of my deep brown fur.

In the wild I would only live for about five months but if I’m kept at a zoo or a sanctuary I might live up to two and a half years.

Get this … I am protected in England as a threatened species but I’m considered an agricultural pest on the European continent! I guess that’s because I’ve got a lot of family members there and we do like to munch on crops.

Can you guess what animal I am? Tell us in the comments below!

For an activity sheet and more challenges like this, head to our resources page! http://ow.ly/iFA050ByqXm

#science #specimen #naturalhistorymuseum #naturalhistory #taxidermy #challenge #canyouguess

🩲 Register to Soil Your Undies!! Teachers, par

🩲 Register to Soil Your Undies!!

Teachers, parents, educators, industry personnel, researchers, farmers and everyone in between - we want you and your young ones from Kindergarten to Year 12 to be involved, wherever you are in Australia.

Soil some undies, explore the soil health of your home or school, contribute valuable data to soil health research and have fun while you're at it!

Remember, registrations close on the 25th September (that's this Friday!), so jump on to our Soil Your Undies web page and register your details. We'll then send you everything you need to be involved!

https://www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/soilyourundies/

#citizenscience #collaboration #prize #cotton #science #soilhealth #soilscience #contributedata

🩲 There’s all this talk about our Soil Your U

🩲 There’s all this talk about our Soil Your Undies Challenge being a citizen science project, but how on earth can soiling undies be contributing valuable data to research?

Did you know that there are billions of tiny organisms in just one handful of soil? Some of these critters are called ‘decomposers’ because they eat dead plant and animal material for energy, breaking it down and returning nutrients to the soil for plants to use. We call this process decomposition. Decomposition is a sign of healthy soil because it indicates that nutrients and carbon are cycling through the soil.

Cotton is made of a sugar called cellulose and the tiny decomposers love to eat this, working together to break down the cellulose into smaller sugars they can use for energy. So, by using 100% cotton undies, we can explore how healthy our soils are by looking at how much of the undies are left after two months! If there’s not much left of the undies there is good biological activity, which indicates healthy soil.

By soiling your undies where you live or work, scientists are able to explore soil health around different parts of Australia, and use the data collected for other research projects surrounding soil health.

So, become a citizen scientist and soil your undies with us! Registration closes this time next week (Friday the 25th) so get in quick! http://ow.ly/MgT950BqPXp

To discover other participants soiled undies that have contributed valuable data to soil health research, head to http://ow.ly/4Wby50BqPXn

🦈 Our mystery animal is the Port Jackson shark!

🦈 Our mystery animal is the Port Jackson shark!

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘴𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪.

Port Jackson sharks usually live in rocky environments or near the bottom of the ocean. Although not considered a danger to humans, their small teeth can inflict a nasty bite.
This species can eat and breathe at the same time, which is uncommon for sharks as they must swim with an open mouth to force water over the gills to obtain oxygen. Port Jackson sharks can instead pump water over their gills!

The genus name Heterodontus comes from the Greek heteros meaning 'different' and dont meaning 'tooth' This refers to the difference between the front teeth of the shark which are small and pointed and the back teeth which are broad and flat. The species name portusjacksoni refers to Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, where it was first discovered.

For more information about the Port Jackson Shark, head to: http://ow.ly/fWjY50BqOAo

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! Let's hear from

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!

Let's hear from this week's guest.

You can find me in Australian waters south of QLD, down to Tasmania and right around to the central coast of Western Australia.
I love to eat sea urchins, molluscs, crustaceans and fish, but I like to hunt at night because that’s when all these creatures are out and about!
I’m special in that I can eat and breathe and the same time, which is unusual for an animal of my type.
I’ve got a spine on both dorsal fins, and have a distinctive harness like markings, which make it very easy to identify me.

What animal do you think I am? Tell us in the comments below!

For more What Am I Wednesday challenges, head to our resources page! Link in bio.

#science #discovery #naturalhistory #specimen #naturalhistorymuseum #guessinggame

🌏 The Climate is Changing. How are we going t

🌏 The Climate is Changing.

How are we going to be able to predict the effect of Climate Change on Australia? When making any reliable predictions you need as much information as possible. Here's a chance for you to be involved in making those predictions possible.
You can assist with increasing the available climate history data for Australia by joining the Climate History Australia citizen science project.

In the project people are asked to transcribe past daily weather records from handwritten journals from 1843 to 1856 recently discovered in the National Archives of Australia in Adelaide. With more reliable data the better the predictions.

To be involved, check out the link in our bio. You don’t need any research experience and you can join online from the comfort of your home.

#discovery #steam #stem #citizenscience #beinvolved #helpscientists #climatechange #weatherpredictions

🦉Our mystery animal is the Kookaburra. The scie

🦉Our mystery animal is the Kookaburra. The scientific name of this animal is 𝘋𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘦, the Laughing kookaburra.

There are four species of kookaburra. The Rufous- bellied kookaburra in lowland New Guinea, the Spangled kookaburra in the Aru Islands and Southern New Guinea, the Blue-winged kookaburra in northern Australia and southern New Guinea and the Laughing kookaburra native to eastern Australia and introduced to southwest Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Laughing Kookaburras are believed to pair for life. The nest is a bare chamber in a naturally occurring tree hollow or in a burrow excavated in an arboreal (tree-dwelling) termite mound. Both sexes share the incubation duties and both care for the young.

For more information about Laughing Kookaburras check out: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/laughing-kookaburra/

For more What Animal Am I Wednesday challenges, and other ways to play at home or school, head to our resources page! Link in bio.

#specimen #naturalhistory #kookaburra #nativewildlife #preserved #taxidermy #education #steam #stem

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! Hello everyone!

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!

Hello everyone! Can you guess who am? I’m an Australian native that can be found in forests, woodlands and heaths of eastern Australia.

I have white feathers on my body, dark brown wings and brown tipped crest feathers. I have a straight beak, black eyes and a conspicuous dark brown eye-stripe through the face.

I eat mice, snakes, insects, small reptiles and the young of other birds. I have been known to take goldfish from garden ponds. Prey is seized by pouncing from a suitable perch. Small prey is eaten whole, but larger prey is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch. I am territorial and often sing as a chorus with my family to mark our territory.

What animal do you think I am? Tell us in the comments below.

🦕 In 2018, UNE Discovery, in collaboration with

🦕 In 2018, UNE Discovery, in collaboration with Dr Nic Campione, developed a palaeontology activity called Weighing Giants, which over 650 students across northern NSW have experienced. Now you can read about the research behind it!

How do you weigh a long-extinct dinosaur? A couple of ways, as it turns out, neither of which involve actual weighing — but according to a new study, different approaches still yield strikingly similar results.

New research published on 1 Sep 2020 in the prestigious journal Biological Reviews involved a review of dinosaur body mass estimation techniques carried out over more than a century.

The findings should give us some confidence that we are building an accurate picture of these prehistoric animals, says study leader Dr Nicolás Campione — particularly our knowledge of the more massive dinosaurs that have no correlates in the modern world.

Click on the link in our bio to read on and to access the primary scientific paper.

#discovery #curiosity #collaboration #researchbased #science #palaeontology #dunkingdinos #weighinggiants #prehistoric #dinosaur

Want a Term 4 challenge to round off 2020? UNE D

Want a Term 4 challenge to round off 2020?

UNE Discovery Voyager, in collaboration with Dr Oliver Knox, the UNE SMART Farms and CottonInfo invite you to SOIL YOUR UNDIES! It’s a citizen science project designed to understand how different soil types degrade cotton, and therefore tell you a bit about the microbial activity of your soil. It is also an opportunity for you at home or at school to learn about your soil’s pH, temperature and moisture profiles, and how your soil breaks down cotton underpants.

Watch this space for details on how to register. Or check the UNE Discovery Voyager website after the 14th of September! Once you sign up, your SOIL YOUR UNDIES pack will arrive in the first week of Term 4 ready for you to ‘plant’ your undies. It includes instructions, a pH kit, educational checkpoints and some great ideas for mapping the soil types at your own school.

We can't wait to soil our undies with you!

💩Do your curious young ones like talking about

💩Do your curious young ones like talking about poop?

They can talk about and explore a special type of poop all day long with this fantastic citizen science project!

Scoop a Poop is a citizen science project coordinated by scientists from Macquarie University, in collaboration with Taronga Zoo and the University of Sydney. The project enables citizen scientists (that’s you and your young ones) to contribute to the global fight against antibiotic resistance. They want your help to collect possum poop!

Scientists running this project want to understand how and where antibiotic resistant bacteria are moving from humans to wildlife. To do this, they are studying common wildlife species (brushtail and ringtail possums) and screening their poop for antibiotic resistance genes. The samples you collect will help the team understand the impact of this important global issue on our native wildlife.
Keen to be involved and find some poop? Head to the link in our bio.

#citizenscience #scoopapoop #poop #collectpoop #poopforscience #nativeanimals

🐕Our mystery animal is the Greyhound! The grey

🐕Our mystery animal is the Greyhound!

The greyhound is one of dozens of Dog breeds who are all part of the species 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴. Dogs are a subspecies of the Wolf, 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘱𝘶𝘴. Greyhounds are one of the oldest breeds of dog, having existed for over 3500 years.

Although the Greyhound can run very fast, they only run for short periods and tire out very quickly. They can accelerate up to 60 km/h is as short as 3 strides - that’s faster than we drive our cars in the middle of town! Although they are very athletic, greyhounds only need about 30 minutes of exercise per day to keep them healthy and are happy to laze around for the rest of the time.

If you would like to find out more about greyhounds check out:
https://www.britannica.com/animal/greyhound-dog

For more challenges, activities and ways to play at home or school, head to our resources page. https://www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/resources/

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! Can you guess wh

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!

Can you guess who this week's guest might be?

Hello! Thanks for having me on today!

I stand about 80cm tall and I am very skinny.
I am one of the fastest animals on Earth and can reach speeds of over 70km/h.
I have a very big heart and lungs that help me pump lots of oxygen to my muscles so that I can run faster. My blood contains more red blood cells than most animals which carry lots of oxygen around my body.
I have excellent eyesight and can clearly see objects up to a kilometre away. I also have a 270 degree range of vision, so I am able to see something sneaking up behind me while I’m still looking forward.
I originate from northern Africa and the Mediterranean and have been owned as a pet since the time of the ancient Egyptians. I have a fine coat of fur and thin skin to help me cope with the heat in this part of the world, but I get cold very easily if I live elsewhere.

What do you think I am? Draw a picture and post it in the comments below!

For What Am I Wednesday activity sheets and other challenges, head to our resources page - link in bio.

#naturalhistorymuseum #specimen #challenge #steam #stem

🦇Looking for something to do close to home to a

🦇Looking for something to do close to home to assist scientists?

Recently you may have seen the video of Tiny the Lesser Long-eared bat showing us some flying-foxes along the creek near the centre of town in Armidale.
Have you seen some near your place recently?

Flying-fox roosts are becoming increasingly urban, which may be because these areas provide good feeding opportunities and/or because they are losing habitat elsewhere, and while they help keep our ecosystems healthy, they can frustrate local residents. However, we don’t know enough about how flying foxes are using the urban environment and the types of plants they like to feed on across the entire year. To better manage our nocturnal neighbours, we first need to better understand what they’re feeding on, where and when. More information about these aspects of their biology will help us understand why they move in and out of cities.

This is where you can help as a citizen scientist. By recording flying-foxes in your area in CAUL’s Urban Wildlife app we can build a clear picture of where they are throughout the year.

To help do this, go to the link in our bio!

🦔 Specimen of the Month We are collaborating w

🦔 Specimen of the Month

We are collaborating with UNE's Zoologist and Tropical Ecologist, Associate Professor Karl Vernes, to bring you an in depth exploration of our Natural History Museum collections.

This month features the forelimbs of the Short-beaked Echidna (𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴).

This wonderful old display specimen from the UNE Natural History Museum is a teaching tool that has allowed generations of students to see the forelimb structure and pectoral girdle of the short-beaked echidna – Australia’s only echidna species, and one of two monotremes (egg-laying mammals) that occur here – the other one of course is the platypus.

The forelimbs are really interesting for a number of reasons – first, you can see that great excavating machinery – robust claws and chunky bones for muscle attachment – that allows echidnas to tear into termite mounds and underground ant galleries. Indeed, echidnas are myrmecophagous, a term which means they a specialist diet almost entirely of ants and termites. But most interesting of all, this specimen shows how monotremes move with limbs splayed out to the side like a lizard, rather than limbs under the body, such as in a cat and most other mammals.

Monotremes provide other examples of the ancient reptilian ancestry of all mammals. Although they are very definitely mammals, echidnas (and platypus) have a number of reptilian features, such as the laying of soft, leathery eggs, and possession of a single opening – the cloaca – that is used to expel all bodily waste, and to mate. Indeed, the Latin name for the order ‘Monotremata’ literally means ‘one hole’ – perhaps an unfortunate scientific name for such a wonderous and attractive animal!

For more explorations of the UNE Natural History Museum, head to https://unenaturalhistorymuseum.org.au/

#discovery #curiosity #collections #naturalhistory #specimen #skeleton #echidnaskeleton #specimencollection

Are you curious to understand how insects shape ou

Are you curious to understand how insects shape our planet, our lives and our narratives? This workshop is for you.

We have partnered with @neramuseum to offer an exciting local 2-day masterclass for attendees to engage and learn from entomologists,
ecologists, artists and museum staff about insect ecology and conservation, identification, pinning and
curating; as well as the artistic techniques of natural history illustration.

Day 1 offers an engaging program at UNE that will begin with an introduction to insect ecology, conservation, significance and taxonomy. This will then be followed by an introduction to collecting, pinning, curating and identification. Throughout the day, attendees will learn about the integral and complex role and relationship insects have with society and our planet through workshops on insect behaviour, depictions in art, culture and media, as well as entomology in Australia and citizen science.

Day 2 takes you to the art museum, where the interplay of insects and art are explored in discussion with Paper Conservator and Collections Manager Jennifer Taylor-McRae, followed by a 4-hour natural history illustration workshop with artist Deirdre Bean and exploration of the Black Gully Nature Reserve with Dr James O’Hanlon.

When: Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October 2020

Cost: $220 – 2 days includes all materials, morning tea for Day 1 and afternoon tea for Day 1 and 2.

Only 15 places available!

Curious? Head to our Facebook page to discover more.

#discovery #collaboration #masterclass #entomology #naturalhistoryillustration #insectmasterclass #insectart

Artworks by Deidre Bean.

And that's a wrap! 👏🏼✨🌊🧪 What a week

And that's a wrap! 👏🏼✨🌊🧪
What a week it has been. 🙌🏼We're sad it must come to an end, but while we sit back with a nice big cup of tea ☕️and reflect on the week that was, we can take comfort in our wonderful community, who we know have finished their week with a little bit of extra STEAM and hopefully thought a little more about our amazing oceans and what they mean to you. 🐠

We would not have been able to play, create, and further our curiosity without the incredible support of so many individuals who helped us celebrate Science Week in artistic style. ❤️

Local businesses, Armidale Regional Council, local artists, New England North West Regional Science Hub, Inspiring Australia, UNE Life, University of New England, AU, NSW ROCKS, UNE Academics, UNE Science, STEM enthusiasts and so many more - we're so fortunate to have been able to collaborate with you all.

If you at home have engaged with any of our installations (physically or virtually) - help us gauge our reach to the Discovery community by liking or commenting your favourite moment!🦐

#WatchThisSpace👉🏼 as we hit the lab and plan this week's STEAM adventure - because, to us, every week is science week!👩🏽‍🔬👨🏼‍🔬

Yours in STEAM,

The Discovery Team.

#unediscovery #scienceweek #nationalscienceweek #timelapse #deepblue #greatbarrierreef #creativity #collaboration #localsforlocals

How has Friday come around so quickly!? As we near

How has Friday come around so quickly!? As we near the end of #scienceweek we share some of the final 'moments of magic' our team placed across town!🐢

There are only two days left of the week long national event so make sure to get out and explore our hidden treasures!

We hope we have been able to spread a smile across our community, and cultivate curiosity for the wonders of science. 🙌🏼What a time it is to stand up for science (who else agrees?!)🧪

👉🏼 Go and explore your surroundings, ignite your curiosity, let your imagination run wild, and discover the science that makes our world what it is today!
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#discovery #discoveryvoyager #discoverearth #scienceweek #nationalscienceweek #deepblue #curiosity #exploreyourworld #creativity

Do you think you know where we these installations

Do you think you know where we these installations are in town?... or do you need to mullet over? 😂🐟

Okay... we will give you a hint... let's just say that dory enjoys her coffee with extra foam! ...☕️

And our Fun Fact for today is one of our favourites! 😲Did you know that the longest mountain range in the world is found under water?

The massive Mid-Oceanic Ridge system is an underwater mountain chain that wraps around the globe like seams on a cricket ball, stretching nearly 65,000 kilometres - how cool! ⛰
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#discovery #discoveryvoyager #unediscovery #discoveratune #scienceweek #stem #steam #scienceandtechnology #scienceandart

It's time to spotlight our incredible local artist

It's time to spotlight our incredible local artists! 🧪🎨

We have been so lucky to have two amazing artists join us as we cultivate curiosity and highlight the importance of our oceans and science in developing workable solutions that generate healthy oceans, healthy economies and healthy people.

A huge thank you to Louise Streeting and Nadia Waters for taking time from their schedules to help put the Art in STEAM and give a creative touch to various locations around Armidale!

Our friends at UNE Life sat down with Lou Streeting to discuss her collaboration in the #scienceweek initiative, and her time as a student at UNE! 👉🏼Fun Fact: did you know Lou studied a Bachelor of Science at UNE, and is now a PhD student?! There is no doubt this week is close to her heart!

"Our oceans contain such a diverse array of amazing creatures and only about 5% of our oceans have been explored! My message is… Go out and look around, explore nature! There are so many amazing things to learn and discover!"👀🌎

See the interview here: https://bit.ly/34eNaa2

Images:
First and last image: artwork by Nadia Waters
Second and third image: artwork by Lou Streeting
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#discovery #unediscovery #localartist #supportinglocalartists #chalkart #mural #deepblue #scienceweek #collaboration #creativity