A, B, C, listen. Hello there, my friends.
It's Ruby here and you're listening to an episode of News Time.
Hello, Ruby. Hi there, Ruby.
Today we're going to hear about an ice cold innovation.
We're going to meet an eight year old who sifted out a very significant seashell and Then we'll run around an island for our Wow of the Week.
What do you think? Are you feeling limbered up and ready to go?
I'm ready spaghetti.
Story number five, let's talk books.
What kind of books do you like to read?
Harry Potter, Kate D 'Camelo books, Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despero and a lot of other books I know.
I like to read Percy Jackson and I've also just started a new series.
It's like about birdwatchers and like they solve crimes and stuff.
There is so much to love about reading.
Books take us on amazing adventures, they're filled with glorious illustrations and the pages feel good between our fingers.
It's entertaining, you can learn new things in books.
Not very long ago over in America, A well -loved bookstore had to move to a new location.
It was just a few streets away but it meant they had to work out how to transport more than 9000 books to their new shop.
Maybe they used a like a van or a truck and got like the boxes in them.
Maybe they packed boxes and or bags and because there may be a few blocks where they walked there.
Well those are all excellent ideas but this bookstore owner didn't do any of those things.
Instead they asked for a helping hand.
Well actually 600 helping hands.
This bookstore is so well loved that 300 people showed up to help.
Everyone from young to old.
Oh and they might be the most famous bookstore in America.
They got information.
Standing in a long line that stretched from the old bookstore all the way around to the new one, and they passed every book along the chain until all 9 ,000 books were safely in their new home.
That's actually a very smart idea, but it would take a long time.
Well, believe it or not, it took less than two hours to move all of the books, and everyone who showed up was more than happy to help.
Nice teamwork, everyone.
Story number four. As I'm sure you very well know, athletes work very hard training for big races and sporting matches.
But what does an athlete do when it's all over?
Drinks water. Rest. Has a shower.
They stretch. Bingo!
Stretching and staying hydrated are important for something called recovery.
For example if you're hurt, then you're basically get healed, and after that your recovery's over.
You're back to normal from if a hard time.
Some athletes jump into an ice bath to recover.
So you can cool down after you've done a run, and you're really tired.
Wouldn't it freeze your sweat?
Not quite, but ice baths can help reduce swelling and muscle pain.
Just like when you hurt yourself, You might grab a cold pack from the freezer.
Ice baths are usually inflatable pools that are raised off the ground and that means athletes, including some athletes with a disability, can find it hard to get in.
Put stairs there. They can get some help.
The Australian Institute of Sport, or the AIS for short, is where lots of athletes and para -athletes train.
Some clever people there have come up with a new idea.
They've designed para -accessible ice baths with a stable side and helpful tools called transfer aids to help para -athletes get in and out all by themselves.
It's not really fair if they miss out on ice baths.
One wheelchair basketball player named Phil Evans says because of this new design, he feels like he can finally get in and out of an ice bath comfortably.
and he doesn't have to rely on anyone else to help him, Because it's important.
Sure is! Well done, AIS, on coming up with a really cool solution.
Story number 3. In the Murray River, in South Australia, there's a special creature that loves to swim and poke its little head out of the water as it goes.
Oh, it looks like it has moss on its back.
Um he's staying still.
It's not in the water, it's not on the beach, it's a turtle.
Correct, it is a freshwater turtle and these little guys have an interesting nickname.
They're known as the vacuum cleaners of the river.
Maybe it's because they eat like all the plants at the bottom?
They eat all the grass and plants so like it doesn't grow too long.
Uh, maybe I just like eating anything.
Just like your vacuum cleaner at home keeps your floors and carpets clean, these freshwater turtles keep the river ecosystem healthy by cleaning and moving nutrients around the water.
It's a very important job, but these native reptiles are in a little bit of trouble at the moment.
In the last 40 years, the population of fresh water turtles has fallen by more than 90%.
That's very bad. I'd make sure nobody hurts them and, like, they're in a good environment.
Oh, you could breed them and then, like, put them out in the wild.
Put them in a big sanctuary with food.
Now some local Aboriginal rangers and environmental experts have joined forces to come up with solutions to protect these freshwater turtles.
They know how to take care of turtles because they've been there to see how they act and how they should act.
They're planning to restore the local wetlands, build islands for the turtles to nest on and put up fences to keep predators away.
The team's hopeful these actions will help the turtles grow in number so they can keep the river clean for years to come.
Thanks for looking after the turtles!
Story number two. Imagine for a moment that you are an intrepid explorer setting out to discover a rare creature.
What would you like to find?
I would like to find a Tasmanian tiger.
I think I'd like to discover… it's called the turtle frog?
I would want to find a sabre -toothed tiger tooth.
During the recent school holidays, 8 -year -old Zora made an incredible discovery.
While she didn't encounter an extinct animal or find a fossilised tooth, she did find something very, very rare.
That's pretty cool.
Zora was at a school holiday activity at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, sifting through a whole lot of teeny, tiny sea shells.
The shells had been stored in a box at the back of the museum for more than 50 years.
As she looked through, a tiny triangle shaped caught Zora's eye.
They're a shell. I think like special animals like sea snails went in there.
What Zora had uncovered was a top shell, also known as a left -handed seashell.
Why left -handed? Maybe it feels better to hold with your left hand?
While most snail -type shells coiled to the right, this shell coiled to the left. Scientists were amazed at Zora's find, because less than 20 of these left -handed shells have ever been discovered.
Well, I think she'd be happy about it.
So she'll make a birthday party pretending that it's the shells' birthday.
I bet she said, happy, happy, happy.
And she was like, now I'm going to sell them and make lots of money.
Zora's special shell is not for sale.
Instead, it's going to be added to the Museum's seashell collection, and Zora's name will be put next to it.
She'll be noted as the shell's discoverer.
Great work, Zora, you clever explorer.
And now, my friends, it is time for...
Wowboi! This story made me go, wow, because I didn't know what was going on.
This story made me go, wow, because I don't know that a dog could be this smart.
OK, let's go back in time, about a year and a half.
We're going to Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
A couple there was camping with their miniature dachshund named Valerie.
They were having a lovely break until Valerie escaped from her pen and ran off into the bush.
Her owners searched and searched for her but they couldn't find their poor little pooch anywhere.
Very sad. Open up, post it.
It's been quite a long time since Valerie went missing.
Her owners thought she was well and truly lost but just a few months ago people reported seeing a miniature dachshund running around the island.
Could it have been Valerie?
But now the island's wildlife rescue team had a bit of a problem.
How would they catch Valerie?
You could hire a boat and then like, you could go over there, and then you could get a net and you'd be like, catch, and bring it back home.
I would lure it with treats and a bone.
Hi, you say bolt to run and get 'em.
Maybe you could just say, doggy your mummy is back.
Excellent ideas. This team set up a special trap filled with Valerie's toys from home and her owners sweaty clothes to give Valerie a good scent to follow.
And sure enough, Valerie wandered right into the trap.
After 529 days on the island, the tricky pooch is ready to be reunited with her family.
Do you think they'd actually be happy crying?
Yay! Woot woot. I didn't know that a dog could survive on an island for that long.
Yeah. If only Valerie could explain what she's been up to that whole time.
I bet it would make a great story.
Maybe she, like, ate the fallen coconuts or something?
I ate fish. Maybe she did.
I guess we'll never know.
And with that my friends, we have roamed around for long enough.
We have sniffed out the end of the countdown.
Thank you. Thanks Ruby.
You are very welcome.
I'll chat to you next week and we'll do it all over again.
Bye Ruby. Bye bye. See you later.
Or as they say in Finland, hey hey.
Stay safe and stay healthy.
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