ABC Listen. Hello there, friends. It's Ruby here and you're listening to Newstime.
Hey, Ruby. Hello. On Newstime today, we're putting on our lab coats because it's Science Week.
Science Week is a celebration of science and technology that happens every August. we're going to put our microscopes up to some boogieing birds who love to body roll.
We'll also find out about some clever climbing contraptions that are saving cats And we'll hear all about a thrill-seeking teenager swapping his wheelchair for a race car.
What do you think? Are you feeling revved up?
I'm ready. So this year for Science Week, the theme is decoding the universe, exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language.
You're decoding the universe. You explore the universe.
So you decode it while you're exploring it.
Finding each little part and then putting it together. decode the universe, you're finding each little part of the universe and putting it together.
Exactly! This year's theme is all about exploring patterns in nature to learn more about the universe And that's something Indigenous people have been doing for tens of thousands of years.
They'd use the stars to figure out where stuff is.
They would figure out with plants are poisonous or not poisonous.
They figured out a lot of stuff to get them by.
Aboriginal people They all were the first scientists.
They were also the first astronomers because they would look up at the stars and tell stories about the stars And tell stories about how the Earth was created.
And that is where deadly science comes in.
Deadly Science is an organisation set up by Camilla Royman and STEM superstar Corey Tutt It shares great information about First Nations science right across the continent.
From the physics of a boomerang, to the mathematics of weather forecasting, to the chemistry of rock art, it gives so many facts about science then it explains things you never knew that would actually be Corey says Science Week is a fun way to engage in science and learn about the contributions of First Nations knowledge in how we understand the world around us.
This story is about a teenager named Ali Chalmers, who's become Scotland's first racing car driver using a wheelchair.
Ali used to be a snow skier, but three years ago he had a crash on the slopes It was a big one too, and he was paralyzed from the waist down.
That means he couldn't move his legs anymore.
And then he became a wheelchair user. I think he felt really, really sad because he loves skiing.
Really sad that he can't do it anymore. Ali's mum suggested he try motor car racing because he also liked go-karting.
They bought a car called a Mini Cooper and they rebuilt the inside.
They changed the pedals that you usually push with your feet to controls near the steering wheel so that Ali could drive using his hands.
If they didn't do that, then... It'd be hard to find another sport.
Ali proved to the race organisers that he could get out of the car quickly if there was a crash. and so they let him compete.
Now Ali is 17 and racing against other drivers of all different ages and abilities.
He can show other people's disabilities or give them the confidence to do a sport that will like make them feel included, not excluded.
That he could make other people realise they can try out the sport.
He probably feels really good, sad that he can't ski anymore, but probably very happy that he found a new sport that he enjoys and loves.
Now Ali's got his sights set on joining Team Brit, the world's only competitive racing car team made up of drivers with disabilities.
It's good so that people with disabilities can show people without disabilities that they're just as good as them.
He's a trailblazer. He certainly is. Go Alley!
When we think about Australian animals, the first one that comes to my mind is...
Probably a big, bouncy kangaroo. How about you?
A koala. A koala. They are wonderful animals and they're popular too.
But can you think of any native creatures that deserve a bit more of our attention?
Redback spider cuz like they're all scary they can poison you but honestly to me I love them the Tasmanian Menin tiger.
Does Menin still fight with Australia so it counts?
A black swan. Because I think they're just really cute.
I agree. They are beautiful. For National Science Week, the ABC has made a list of 10 of Australia's most underrated animals.
That means they are awesome creatures, but you may have never heard of them and you probably don't know anything about them.
One of the animals on the list is a ghost bat.
It looks so squishy and furry and it's just so cute!
There's also the ink-squirting giant cuttlefish, which is about as long as a cricket bat and lives in the sea.
And I understand why it's underrated because I didn't know they existed until now.
There's the velvet worm that lives in rainforests and makes slime.
I love velvet worms. They have tiny faces that look so creepy.
Another creature on the list, the marsupial mole.
It burrows through the sands of central Australia.
It's adorable. Then there's the short-finned eel, the burrowing turtle frog and the huge swimming dugong.
If they slam past me, I would just be like, what was that?
Representing the birds, there's the palm cockatoo.
There's also a great desert skink from the lizard family.
I love those. And finally, a cheeky little water rat called Rakali.
I just want to squeeze and take them home and love them.
They are all amazing and very soon Australia is going to vote for which animal they think is the most underrated.
One I think is a crocodile. It's an Aussie animal, but most people are afraid of it.
I love Crocs. Maybe it'll make the list next time.
In a while, crocodile. Over in a European country called the Netherlands, there's a city, the capital. called Amsterdam.
Bikes all the time. Not many cars. Canals.
That's right. Amsterdam is famous for its canals. a series of waterways that run right through the city.
It means people can row their boats to get around or ice skate in the winter.
The canals have just received an important upgrade.
Tiny staircases are being attached to the canal walls so that when cats fall in, they've got a way to climb out.
My one solution is fences. You can put a fence and then a gate. a high gate so the cats can't jump through it.
Give them floaties. Hmm, I think putting floaties on a cat might be a bit tricky.
The council is planning to install more than 300 tiny wooden staircases for cats and other animals who get stuck in the water.
It's a really good idea and a very clever person must have come up with it.
Judith Crum, a politician who proposed the plan, said it demonstrates that as a city we take responsibility for protecting the lives of animals.
Because cats are very important and they are just good like that.
Thank you to all the cat lovers and the government.
And now, my friends, it is time for... Wow of the Week.
This story made me go wild because I never knew that cockatoos could dance. floor, but that's nothing compared to the subjects of a recent study from Charles Sturt University.
I think they're native Australian animals.
Yup! Six cockatoos, including two Major Mitchells, two Sulphurcrested cockatoos and to be exact.
During the study, music was played for these birds to see if they would dance.
And they did not disappoint. The birds displayed up to 257 dance moves, including headbanging, body rolling and sidestepping.
Body roll up. Bend his head in a circle.
Headbang. He looked like he was banging his head at a rock concert.
The cockatoo just went crazy with its head.
Scientists have proved that cockatoos are natural dancers.
Precisely. And that's a pretty big deal.
Before a cockatoo named Snowball was recorded dancing to the Backstreet Boys 10 years ago, Spontaneous dancing has always been thought of as a human only pastime.
So what do you think is inspiring these birds?
We're happy. Dancing along felt great. Yep, lead researcher Natasha Lubke says it appears the dancing is a form of play behaviour.
Her theory is the birds are having a boogie because, well, it feels good.
There are still lots of questions, like why don't we see dancing in other animals that live with humans?
Or in our closest living relative, the chimpanzee?
We need more research, that's for sure. But scientists are hoping this dancing discovery could lead to better lives for birds living as pets or in zoos.
They have so many talents that some people don't even know about.
Okay, Dancing Queens, we've reached the end of another countdown.
Thanks, Ruby. Thank you. You are so very welcome.
Bye, Ruby. Bye. See you later. Or as they say in the Netherlands, dag.
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