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ABC Listen. Hello there, my friends.
It's Ruby here, and you're listening to News Time.
Hi, Ruby. Hi, Ruby.
On News Time today, we're going to head deep underwater to meet some sea creatures surviving in places nobody thought possible.
Then, from the bottom of the ocean, we're climbing up to the tippity -top of the world's tallest mountains to meet a climber who's conquered them all.
It's an episode of Extreme Ups And Downs today.
What do you reckon?
Let's do it. Story number five.
If you go for a snorkel in the sea, you might see some fish darting to and fro.
And if you're really lucky, you might spot a turtle.
But as we go deeper and deeper under the sea, the creatures we're likely to come across, they change.
Compared to animals in shallow water, creatures of the deep can look a bit weird.
After all, they have to survive with a lot less light and a lot less oxygen than their fishy friends up near the surface.
Some scientists were exploring an area underneath the ocean floor where things called hydrothermal vents spew scalding hot water.
They used a robot called Subastion to crack open the top layer of a lava shelf, and they were surprised to find that somehow there were sea creatures living down there.
Really? I could see a lot of rocks and tube worms.
The team that made the discovery said they could not believe their eyes.
There were tube worms as long as half a cricket bat living happily in some of the harshest conditions on planet Earth.
These tube worms, they swim around as larvae, kind of like fish babies.
But when they become adult tube worms, they root themselves to one spot, like a rock.
Then they grow and grow, even though they don't have a stomach to help them eat food.
They rely on an infection from bacteria to produce energy.
What confusing critters they are.
They're tiny, tiny little things.
They think fish are supposed to live in cold water.
You're right. Most fish live in cold water, but these fish, they can live in much warmer water.
Not as hot as your bath, but maybe as warm as a pool might get after a whole day under the sun.
Because we now know there are things living at the bottom of the ocean, scientists are wondering whether there are living things on other planets, like in the harsh conditions of Jupiter or Mars.
It's safe to say a discovery like that would have them over the moon.
Story number four. Ten years ago, a man named George Cullinan noticed a strange -looking bird on his farm in Victoria.
It's, like, dirty down the bottom, and it's dirty, like, on its neck.
It looks cute and soft, and it kind of looks like an eagle.
It is pretty cute, but this bird is much smaller than an eagle.
The plane's wanderer could fit in the palm of your hand.
It has fluffy feathers covered in spots and a pointy yellow beak.
The plane's wanderer has a strange call, too.
It sounds a bit like a moo.
Moo! Plane's wanderer is an endangered species.
There are less than a thousand left in the world.
When George learned about how special these birds were, he decided to take action.
He worked with a land care group to put things called song -meters on his farm.
They measure how much noise or animal song you can hear in your area.
George's song -meters recorded more than 100 calls from the endangered plane's wanderer.
That's when George knew his farm was a very important place for their conservation.
Make sure they don't go to a dangerous place.
George turned part of his farm into an area just for these birds, away from other animals or people or machines.
The plane's wanderers have their own little lake, surrounded by trees, and to protect it from predators.
Really good. He's being very protective.
Setting up this area for the birds was very kind of George, and then he went one step further.
George made it so that even if his farm is sold and somebody else owns it, they can't take this safe place away from the birds.
And George did pass away recently, but his gift to the plane's wanderers will continue for years and years to come.
Thank you, George. Good job.
Thank you, George, for your brilliant efforts in protecting these marvellous, mooing birds.
Story number three.
You might have heard stories of people climbing very tall mountains, like Mount Everest.
A sherpa is somebody who helps them get there.
Sherpas carry the gear and set up camps for climbers as they make their way up to the summit.
It's a tough gig. The gear is heavy, and the higher you get up the mountain, the less and less oxygen there is to breathe.
Sherpas work in the background, and they often get less attention than the climbers they're helping.
A sherpa named Nima Rindji decided to climb one of these summits by himself.
Oh, sorry, did I say one?
Actually, Nima climbed all 14 of the tallest mountains in the world.
No way! Really cool.
They want to break the world record of climbing the highest mountain.
Nima Rindji was 18 years old when he reached the top of Mount Shishapangma in China and became the youngest person ever to climb all 14 of the 8 ,000ers.
That's all the mountains in the world that are more than 8 ,000 metres above sea level.
I think he was thinking, oh, yeah, I can get to the top.
I can break the world record for the highest mountain climb.
Yes, let's get to the top.
The difficult journey has taken Nima two years.
He said it's a tribute to every sherpa who's ever dared to dream beyond the traditional boundaries that are set for them.
Really brave and not scared.
It's so, so, so, so awesome.
Nima wants sherpas to feel confident to do things for themselves, not just help other people achieve their dreams.
He says sherpas aren't just guides, they're trailblazers.
Congratulations, Nima Rindji.
Story number two. This story is about Australia's favourite cuddly growler.
I like their big fluffy ears.
I like their big, round black nose.
They're cute. They're famous around the world for their grey fur, their big black noses and the way they cuddle onto eucalyptus tree branches.
Koalas are a vulnerable species.
That means we need to act fast to make sure they survive in the wild.
There are lots of threats to koalas, like deforestation, cutting down trees that they live in and things like bushfires.
But another threat to koalas are busy roads.
As koalas make their way to breeding spots, the places where they want to have babies, it can be dangerous for them to try to cross busy highways with cars and trucks zooming past.
That's where the fauna escape hatch comes in.
What does that mean?
The fauna escape hatch is a fancy name for, well, it's pretty much a doggy door for koalas.
This special contraption only opens in one direction, so it means when a koala goes through it, on the way to where they want to go, they can't turn around and go back out again.
It stops them from wandering into traffic or travelling to places that aren't safe.
So we could keep our koalas safe, could they're important for the environment?
The koala doggy doors have been a great success.
There are 16 of them installed across southeast Queensland now, and already they've stopped koalas from wandering onto busy roads.
It's a really good idea because we need to look after our animals.
The people in charge of the project are hoping that the fauna escape hatch will help save more koalas and help people too, so they don't have to stop their cars to avoid hitting a koala ambling along the road.
And now it's time for...
WOW OF THE WEEK! This story made me go well because it's really interesting and I like beach and stuff.
On the shores of Badger Beach in northern Tasmania, a mysterious sut has come to light.
Mm, rocks in the sand that had a beach?
A little bit more exciting than rocks in sand.
After a big storm at sea, the waves have washed the sand away to reveal a fossilised forest.
The land at Badger Beach looked very different 40 ,000 years ago.
The land was a forest full of trees and shrubs.
All that's left now are some bumpy figures.
They're rough in some patches and smooth in others.
They're the roots of ancient trees.
They were just hiding beneath the waves and playing hide and seek, like, you can't see me, you can't see me.
This doesn't happen very often.
Families from across the tiny state of Tassie have been travelling to see these ancient trees.
Shane Moore brought his sons Eli, Darcy and Jontay to see the trees, and they say they look a little bit like octopuses stuck in the mud.
They can't wait to brag about their special trip to their friends at school.
Do you think you'd like to head along to Badger Beach to see this fossilised forest for yourself?
I would like to because it must be very interesting.
I want to get a magnifying glass and go up really close and take a look and see if there's anything like footprints that's on there.
The experts aren't sure just how old these trees are.
The people in charge of the beach think they're about 40 ,000 years old but one scientist thinks they could be as young as 8 ,000 years old.
They say it's likely the trees were melalucas, they're tea trees.
An Aboriginal man named Jai says if they are tea trees, that would be really significant for the traditional owners of the land.
It might be a place of cultural importance to the Palawa people of Lutruwita.
It seems there's more study to be done and that these ancient trees haven't quite yet shared all of their secrets.
And there you have it, my friends.
Five fantastic stories signed, sealed and delivered by yours truly.
Whoo -hoo! Thanks, Ruby.
You are so welcome.
I'll catch you next week with more news hot off the press.
Bye, Ruby. Bye, bye, bye.
See you later, or as they say in Hungarian, vissant la tasha.
