GOPRO TO SPACE

How to Send a GoPro to Space With a Weather Balloon

This is everything you need to know to send GoPros (or any payload, really) to space! Let’s start with the overview video.

OVERVIEW

To make this happen you’ll really need to concentrate on five things. The Prep. The Payload. The Balloon and Parachute. The Launch. The Recovery. Each has it’s challenges, but don’t worry, we’ll walk you through each step. To make it simple you’ll have to.

Your Tasks

Prep: Acquire what is needed (links to where I bought everything within the article)
Payload: Prepare the package (the payload is just a word for the stuff you are sending up.)
Balloon and Parachute: I’ll show you just what you need
Launch: There is some math involved, but have no fear, the charts are here.
Recovery: Retrieving the balloon is a giant goose-chase! Exciting!

Prep: Things You Will Need

Payload: We used 5 GoPros to send up with extra battery packs (this is what we did, so I’m starting here – exclude as needed)
Something to mount them on in desired configuration – styrofoam cooler, adhesive, camera mounts, 3M stickies, plexiglass, foam
Weather Balloon – 3, 300g balloons, 80,000ft, 8FT Diameter, 12’4” burst
GPS tracking device – Spot 3
Parachute – 6foot
Something cool to put in the frame? Ultimately we attached a ruler and a photo of us, but an altimeter could also be cool.
Hand-warmers if you want to extend the life of the cameras. (they do add weight to the payload though).
Duct tape (do not use metal tape)
Digital scale (for accuracy weighing payload)
Helium Cylinder / at Party City it is – $160/$150 deposit: We chose the large, but a smaller one might do as well.
Tank Regulator – Comes with it at Party City
Plastic tubing
Zip ties
Small piece of PVC

The Payload

A payload is the package you are sending up to space with the balloon – the one you will hopefully retrieve after it floats safely back to Earth.

Here is how I made mine – (pictures and video, cutting holes for Gopros, diagram of payload camera directions, and GPS)

In essence, I just put some GoPros sticking out of a block of foam and duct-taped a GPS tracker on the top.

I chose foam and duct tape because it’s lightweight and easy to cut with a box cutter. It also is a nice insulator for the coldness of space (which can freeze your cameras and gps if you are not careful).

I have two GoPros pointing down, one pointing up, one to the side and the other side pointing at a photo of our Untamed Science team. (Since I may never go to space myself, I thought it would be fun to have some images of us floating in space with Earth in the background!) I cut a small hole for just the lens of each GoPro and made sure to pack it with foam snugly around it. There were no issues with the cameras freezing or fogging, and I think this is because the extra battery pack on each kept it warm and cozy. Still, I think I will include hand warmers the next time just to be safe – since I would like it to go higher.

Because you have to turn the cameras on at the last possible moment (bc of battery life and card space), I used duct tape for securing everything in place at the last moment. It’s best to have everything as ready to go as possible so that the time it takes to turn on the cameras, tape the payload securely closed and attach it to the parachute is as speedy as it can be. This is where it’s nice to have a helpful team – more on that later.

I placed the GPS unit on the top of the payload, unobstructed by anything except the miracle of duct tape. It didn’t freeze, but again I will add a hand warmer under it for future/higher flights. This is the only way to find my camera payload again, so it better work! The spot 3 device works really well. After I bought it, I set it up online (there’s a subscription fee) and downloaded the app to my phone. I played around with it around our yard and woods until I felt comfortable with how it worked. I haven’t ever used a GPS unit like this, and it was very easy. You set it up to ping in every few minutes – and it shows you where the unit is on a map. The battery lasts a couple of days, so I felt a lot of confidence it was up to the space challenge. I love you, techMology.

When I do this again, I will add a way to quickly attach the parachute to the payload in the design. It took too much time to rig it up this time (wasting precious GoPro footage on the ground)!

Remember to put your name and contact information on the outside of the payload, just in case it is recovered by someone before you find it. You are dealing with wind and weather and chaos and math and magic to guide the ascent and descent of your package, so try and control as many factors as you can here – and make informed decisions. It would totally suck to have a great launch and never be able to find your payload!

The Parachute

The parachute is what’s going to allow your payload to drift gently down to earth. You’ll need to get one that matches the weight of your payload. We got a 6 foot balloon from Rocketman. You can find your’s here.

The Balloon

The balloon, like the parachute, needs to be matched to the size of your payload. The size also relates to how high you want it to go. There is some math needed in this section.

How high will the balloon go before it bursts?

First, you need to find the burst altitude. We suggest going to this Burst Calculator at Habhub

Some of the questions we want to ask at this stage are :

How do we get a balloon? How much weight can it carry?
How far will the balloon go? How high? Altimeter?
What will be its top rate of speed? How does speed vary on rate and descent?
How long will it take to get to space?
When will the balloon pop?

Calculations

How much helium balloon plus payload

Approximate lift of spherical volumes in liters of Helium in diameters of feet and lift in pounds. Assuming standard temperatures and pressures and no significant overpressure. Remember that hydrogen and methane are serious explosion and fire hazards so only use helium balloons.

Lift of Helium Balloons

Dia. Ft. Vol. l     Lift gr.    Lift Lbs.
1      14.83       15.2        0.03
2     118.62      121.7        0.27
3     400.34      410.9        0.91
4     948.96      973.9        2.15
5    1853.45     1902.2        4.19
6    3202.76     3287.0        7.25
7    5085.86     5219.7       11.51
8    7591.72     7791.5       17.18
9   10809.30    11093.7       24.46
10   14827.58    15217.7       33.55
11   19735.50    20254.8       44.65
12   25622.05    26296.2       57.97
13   32576.18    33433.3       73.71
14   40686.87    41757.4       92.06
15   50043.07    51359.8      113.23
16   60733.75    62331.8      137.42
17   72847.88    74764.7      164.83
18   86474.42    88749.8      195.66
19   101702.34   104378       230.12
20   118620.61   121741       268.40
21   137318.18   140931       310.70
22   157884.03   162038       357.24
23   180407.11   185154       408.20
24   204976.41   210369       463.79

How to prepare the balloon for launch

Here are some other helpful links incase you are still doing research:

Filling the balloon

Filling the balloon is easy. All you’ll do is stick in a plastic tube, connected to the helium ballon and start filling it up. It’s not rocket science although you will want to make certain that you’re not filling it too much or too little. We filled our balloon to a diameter of 6′ so that it would burst at 12′ and have the right ascent and descent rate. Here is a good link for more info on that:

How to fill a near-space Balloon

The Launch

This is what our package looked like.

Prep for Launch Day

It’s preferable to launch early in the morning for many reasons, so we prepped and packed everything in our vehicle the night before.

Buy helium at party city, previous day works well so you can launch early. Get a drop cloth or sheet. PVC for neck of the balloon. Zip ties. This can all be done in advance so you launch quicker. Bring some kind of hose or tubing to attach the helium regulator and go into the balloon.

Where should you launch?

You don’t want to land in a city, take off near an airport – or just plain lose you stuff in the ocean. The best way to figure out where to launch is to use this link as it is great for estimating where things should land.

You’ll need to know the weight of your payload (including balloon and parachute) and descent rate – which is listed in the handy dandy charts!

Recovery

Your recovery is the fun part! Remember, that you can estimate roughly where your balloon is going to land if you did some simple math at the beginning. Go to this website at Habhub to estimate the landing zone. From here you’ll have to track it via the gps tracker you attached to the top. Track via your phone and have fun!

You do have to be careful what day you launch though. You wouldn’t want it to land in the ocean! The habhub predictor is key to figuring out when and where it will land.

Extra Links You May Enjoy

I added a few extra links that are worth browsing through before you launch. There is a lot of junk on the web, so I’m trying to filter it all down for you. I hope this helps. If you do launch, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to see what you found.

Run3D Gait Technology Helps Athletes Avoid Injuries

As part of Innovate UK’s Success Stories series, we’re highlighting the achievements of Run3D. Initially a spin-out company from the University of Oxford, Run3D are a biomechanical engineering company whose focus is to create innovative technology to help athletes around the world prevent injuries.

Who are Run3D?

Specialising in 3D motion, Run3D have developed a high-tech gait analysis system. This looks at the way you’re running and highlights patterns which may lead to future injuries. This approach is highly effective in preventing both common and complex injuries while simultaneously improving performance.

No matter what type of athlete you are, running injuries are often a result of poor form or bad habits. With the help of Run3D, athletes and amateur runners can learn to combat this.

Funding from Innovate UK allowed the team to turn a dream into a reality and in 2016, after two years of intricate development, Run3D were able to launch one of the most pioneering biomechanical projects the running world has seen.

“We strive to help you optimize all contributing variable to improve your running” – Dr Jessica Bruce, Founder of Run3D.

How does Run3D work?

By using state of the art gait analysis and a detail oriented approach, Run3D can successfully identify the negative patterns in your running routine to uncover the root cause of recurring injuries. They can also offer advice to help boost your general running performance.

With the use of infrared cameras, their team of experts can accurately track every movement your body makes when running. This helps to identify and re-shape your personal running technique.

Run3D pinpoints any form or techniques which may be detrimental to your progress. They then work strategically to correct these. Through real time reporting and re-training they can then analyse your progress.

The company use the data they’ve collected to help athletes with:

Exercise therapy
Rehabilitation
Footwear recommendations
Gait retraining
Injury prevention advice
Physiotherapy
Performance recommendations
Progress monitoring

The Next Step for Run3D

Upon building a franchise of sports performance clinics, the team now operate in 6 UK locations. The next step for the company is to open this intuitive 3D technology up to the world of professional sport. This could be a real game changer which allows professional athletes to push their bodies to new limits.

The Run3D experts are now taking their findings and research to athletes and sport scientists around the world. With Innovate UK’s funding, the business have developed a prototype 3D gait analysis system which can now be used in sports clinics. This can be tailored to the requirements of different sports. The potential for this level of reporting and retraining is applicable to a wide range of athletes of all ages and sports.

“We know that the technology can benefit runners of all ages and all abilities” – Dr Jessica Bruce, Founder of Run3D.

If you’d like to see more videos like this, you can subscribe to Innovate UK’s YouTube channel here.

Additionally, you can follow @InnovateUK on Twitter here.

How animals see the world

Our eyes are pretty amazing but we so often forget that animals see the world differently. What we see isn’t always the full picture and animals often see things in their own special way. Dogs have worse eyesight than humans but they can still see plenty of color. Some people believe that they can only see in black and white but this is not true. They can detect browns, blues, and yellows but have fewer color detecting cells than we do. They have better peripheral vision at 250 degrees compared to our field of vision of 180 degrees.

Cats generally have slightly worse vision than dogs but it is still pretty decent and they again have better peripheral vision than we do.

Then we come to birds, many of whom can see light that we cannot called ultraviolet light(UV). Birds have four colour cones compared to our three, one of which is extremely sensitive to UV wavelengths. Check out the infographic now for more information on how a variety of animals see the world.

An infographic by the team at GAP NSW

Article by Tom Clarke

Tom Clarke is Marketing Manager at a not for profit organisation called Greyhounds As Pets, which focuses on the adoption and fostering of retired greyhounds into loving homes. He is an animal lover and loves to create content about all animals but writes about greyhounds most often.

Real Superhuman Powers and the Science Behind Them

We would all love to have superpowers that let us fly to work rather than take the bus, see into the future to pick the winning lottery numbers and read minds so that we can understand what our partners are thinking, but the truth is some things are just beyond human capability. Though we can’t fly like Superman or shoot webs out of our hands like Spider-Man (like we would want to), we do have pretty amazing powers locked inside of us, no doubt. Human beings are pretty special.

To start off with, we actually possess a crazy amount of physical strength. Technically, we have the muscle structure to be able to punch through walls, but it is our brain that stops us from demonstrating our incredible strength at any given moment. Instead, we reserve our full capabilities for when we need them the most.

Take Angela Cavallo, a lady with more strength than she could ever imagine. Her son was performing mechanic work on his vehicle when the jack fell, and he became trapped under it. Angela shouted her neighbor to help but decided to act on her own to save her son. She lifted up the vehicle, weighing approximately 3,500 pounds, high enough and long enough time for her son to wiggle free.

Angela is not an exceptional human; though she acted with exceptional courage. Adrenaline clearly kicked in, giving her a boost of strength, but during this heightened state, bodily functions like the immune and digestive systems also shut down to free up energy. Thus, we can’t use our super-strength all the time because it would damage our tendons and tissues, as well as shut down our functions, but we can draw on this superpower when we need it the most.

It’s not just physical strength that humans can harness. We also have incredible mental strength. Our brains are extremely fast processors with nearly unlimited storage space. The only reason we can’t remember everything is because our memory works by creating links, contextual and emotional. If these links are not strengthened or nothing triggers them, they become “lost” and the memory is forgotten.

Forgetting is how we prioritize, and so it is just as important as remembering, but in some remarkable cases, humans have been able to remember obscene amounts of information, either as the result of obsessiveness or refreshing. Or because their brains are wired up slightly differently. Take Daniel Tammet, who’s a high-functioning, autistic savant syndrome allowed him to recall Pi to 22,414 decimal places without making a mistake. Pretty much anyone can improve their memory using techniques, and most of us with practice.

If all that remembering is giving you a headache, then you’ll be glad to know that humans are also capable of demonstrating pain immunity. We actually have built-in natural painkillers known as “endorphins”, which are released when we exercise (hence, why athletes can break through their pain threshold during performance), when we are excited or are experiencing extreme pleasure, and when we experience an event that would otherwise cause us a level of pain that we couldn’t handle. Endorphins are a superpower that we cannot control; mostly because we need to feel the pain to survive. It also guides us away from harm and damage.

Another mechanism that guides us away from harm is our ability to manipulate time. Yes, we are like Neo from the “Matrix”; all of us. When we sit in our dentist’s waiting room feeling bored, time slows down until it almost stands still. We watch the seconds ticking down, slowly. When we are doing what we love or are highly occupied, time goes in a blink. And most amazingly of all, when we are in a situation of immediate danger, time slows down so that we can react. We flip over from our rational thinking into a more instinctual mode known as “experiential thinking”. We make rash decisions, but we make them fast, and because our mind is moving fast the outside world seems to move slower. Nice!

The “powers” mentioned so far can be explained by science. They are normal bodily functions heightened during extraordinary circumstances. But there are still anomalies in humans. There are superpowers that are more difficult to explain and come across more like something out of a film or computer game. For example, in the new poker/eSports game Power Up, the X-ray power allows you to view opponents’ cards, but did you know that remote viewing was actually used by the CIA in attempts to gather information? Yes, intelligence agencies experimented in this area and found results suggesting that it is possible for humans to view events and objects without being physically present.

Take also Wim Hof, also known as “Iceman”, who submerged himself in ice without losing any body heat. He is said to have controlled his body temperature using meditation and other techniques and has since climbed Everest in his shorts, ran a marathon in the desert with no water and proven in lab conditions that he can influence his own immune and nervous systems. Try to explain that one.

How to Avoid Venomous Snakes While Touring the U.S.

There’s one characteristic that most of us share with Indiana Jones, and no, it’s not being a renowned archaeologist who travels the world and just so happens to be as handsome as Harrison Ford. It’s having that pit-in-your-stomach, adrenaline-fueled-desire-to-run-away-screaming-at-the-top-of-your-lungs fear of venomous snakes. And while having that innate fear is certainly justified, it’s not going to help you to avoid being one of the 8000 reported snake bite victims in North America each year.

With medical treatment having the potential to be prohibitively expensive, and temporary paralysis or even death being a distinct possibility, it’s preferable to prevent snakebites from occurring over having to deal with actually being bitten.

Learn to identify venomous snakes.

As you probably already know, not every snake is created equal. Some are completely harmless (other than the pain of an actual bite!), while a bite from venomous snakes species might equal a swift helicopter ride to the nearest hospital. In North America, there are four different types of venomous snakes, each with distinct features and behavior patterns.

Coral Snakes

The brightest venomous snake in the U.S. can be identified by the famous rhyme: “red and black, friend of Jack; red and yellow, kill a fellow.” The visual difference is relatively small, but knowing it is essential.

Some snake species look remarkably similar to the coral; for example, the harmless Florida scarlet snake also has red, black, and yellow bands. However, the red and yellow never touch, signifying that you have nothing to worry about.

You’ll find coral snakes throughout the southern coastal plain, anywhere from Louisiana to North Carolina. They’re most common in Florida and are known as a shy snakes as they often are hiding in forested areas.

Cottonmouth Snakes

The trouble with the cottonmouths is that they’re quite difficult to identify. Adults of this venomous snake species don’t have many distinctive features or markings. Nevertheless, there is one characteristic that sets the cottonmouth apart: it has a bulky head that is generally wider than its neck.

A cottonmouth has light shading between its crossbands, and the body is commonly quite dark. A younger cottonmouth will have crossbands that are widest near the top of its body, a characteristic not found in copycat snakes.

This snake is the only venomous snake in North America that’s known as semi-aquatic, meaning that it resides near water. If you’re visiting Virginia, Florida, or southern Texas, ensure you’re on your toes near swamps, rivers, and lakes.

Rattlesnakes

The rattlesnake is perhaps the most famous snake around; its rattle is its most recognizable feature, meaning you’ll usually hear them first. Visually, rattlesnakes have a diamond-shaped head and a noticeably thick body.

Keep in mind that while baby rattlesnakes won’t have a developed rattle they are just as venomous. Even more confusing: adult snakes sometimes lose their rattle, which means identification can be even more difficult.

Rattlesnakes are found in a variety of habitats, from dense forests to sparse grasslands and deserts. You’ll find them in Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Minnesota, and California.

Copperhead Snakes

Yet another snake that we often misidentify, copperheads share many characteristics with other snake species. Most have brown hourglass bands, with the colors being similar to chocolate milk. The bands are also much more precise, compared to the average cottonmouth for example.

Copperheads are nocturnal, so you’re unlikely to find them during the day unless it’s unusually cold. What makes this snake a potential danger is its tendency to freeze in place; this makes it tough for the average passerby to notice the copperhead. This snake is known to act defensively and will strike when it feels threatened.

Copperheads are versatile creatures that adapt to a wide variety of environments. You’ll find them anywhere from Texas to New England. Not only are do they call forested areas home, but they’re also common in the suburbs.

Prevention

When it comes to snakes, it’s all about prevention. All it takes is a couple of simple steps, and you’ll save yourself a whole lot of trouble.

Don’t prod snakes or act aggressively!

Most of us make the mistake of thinking that snakes will attack humans by default, causing people to attack snakes with rocks, sticks, or other objects. Don’t be one of those people.

Snakes will often keep a defensive stance; they won’t attack unless provoked. If you spot a snake, move away slowly and calmly. And don’t underestimate a snake’s reach, either.

Research your area.

Planning a holiday to somewhere you’ve never been before? Plan ahead: look into whether venomous snakes are common in the area, and look at photos so that you know what to expect. If you do get bitten, it’s important to give medical professionals as much information as possible.

Stick to the paths.

Snakes usually avoid being out in the open and are often hiding underneath bushes or stacks of leaves. If you’re out for a walk or around a river or swamp, avoid walking through areas where a snake may be lurking. Stick to walking paths or trails as much as you can.

Wear appropriate gear.

While snakebites can’t always be avoided with gear, some products can potentially help if you know you will be in a snake-prone area. For example, snake chaps and boots are made from materials that prevent fangs from piercing through to the skin.

However, be careful when looking into these products. They can get a little pricey, which means people often look to cut corners. The result? Cheap snake chaps that don’t do what the packaging promises.

Bitten by a venomous snake? Here’s what to do.

Even with the necessary precautions, there’s always the possibility that you’ll still fall victim to a nasty bite. Fortunately, most venomous bites in North America are not life-threatening. Keep to the following pointers, and you’ll most likely be just fine:

Call emergency services as soon as possible. The biggest error you can make is waiting for symptoms to appear; do this, and it may be too late! Many deadly bites come as a result of individuals refusing to seek medical services.
Minimize your movement and loosen your clothing, removing any constricting jewelry.
Avoid taking painkillers or any stimulants.
Do not use snakebite kits, suction devices, or similar.
Keep the wound at heart level until further advised by a medical professional.
You should only put pressure on the wound if bitten by a coral snake.
Only take a photo of the snake if you are at a safe distance.

What is the most dangerous dog breed in the world?

Everyone and their mother has a story about being bitten, scratched, or even attacked by a dangerous dog.

It can become such a problem that some areas have even enacted breed-specific legislation (BSL), outlawing breeds of dogs that we think of as dangerous, like pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, and German shepherds.

But, which breed of dog is actually the most dangerous one? Let’s try looking at actual data rather than coming up with emotional judgements about Petey from The Little Rascals.

Which dog breeds are the most aggressive?

Luckily, we don’t have to rely on anecdotal evidence like your Uncle Bob’s stories to get to the heart of the matter (No, Uncle Bob, the fish was not five feet long!).

A 2008 study actually did a survey about breed differences in canine aggression. There are some flaws; because this study relied on survey data, there’s no way to verify the dogs in question really were the breed their owners thought they were, or acted how their owners were interpreting things. It’s also just one small slice of data from a very big world, but it can give us an idea about what’s really going on.

What the researchers found was surprising. There was huge variation in dog aggression within each breed. Still, some breeds really were statistically more aggressive towards some targets when you looked at the group as a whole.

For example, beagles and cocker spaniels were more aggressive than most dogs towards their owners. Akitas, Australian cattle dogs, Australian shepherds, German shepherds, Jack Russell terriers, and pit bulls were more aggressive towards other dogs than most. Australian cattle dogs, Australian shepherds, Doberman pinschers, and German shepherds (but not pit bulls) were rated as more aggressive towards strangers.

And what about tiny dogs, you may ask? Dogs like dachshunds and chihuahuas were rated as the most aggressive dog breeds towards almost everything.

But, this might occur for several reasons: it’s easier to let small dogs get away with being aggressive, because the consequences of a nippy chihuahua are not the same as with a nippy mastiff. As a society we typically don’t focus on training these little guys very much, and life really is tough as a small dog in a big world, according to Dr. Jessica Hekman, a dog researcher.

Which dog breeds are most dangerous?

Of course, aggression is only part of the issue. A tiny ankle-biter may be more aggressive, but it isn’t likely to kill you.

In general, big dogs are more dangerous. But, is the legislation against certain big dog breeds warranted?

Why are pit bulls often targeted with breed-specific legislation?

It’s time to separate fact from feelings. According to a 2000 study, more than half of dog-related deaths between 1979-1998 were reportedly caused by pit bulls or Rottweilers. However, more than 25 different breeds of dogs were implicated in dog-caused fatalities as well.

Most dogs that actually cause deaths have certain physical characteristics. They’re large, very muscular, have a low center of gravity, and extremely powerful jaw muscles. Many of these dogs were even bred to attack and protect other animals and people.

It sounds pretty bad when you look at it on the surface like that. So, let’s dig in deeper.

First, it’s pretty hard to identify pit bulls in the first place. Don’t believe me? Check out this site. It’s sort of a generic term to begin with, and doesn’t really apply to any one breed of dog except the American Pit Bull Terrier. In fact, one 2013 study showed that it was actually pretty common for media and official accounts of dog breed to vary in cases where people had been killed by dogs.

Second, there are millions of pit bulls in the U.S. right now. Most are loving family members. So, what causes a good pit bull to go bad? The same study pointed out a host of factors that led to people being killed by dogs.

Most dogs who kill people share common backgrounds: they’re usually left chained up outside, away from the family where they would develop normal social behaviors towards people (it really is tough to master human social interactions; just ask any introvert like myself). Many are also abused by their owners. Most people who are killed by dogs tend to be small kids who wander onto the dog’s property, and the dog, who’s never seen anyone else and is suddenly trapped, freaks out.

According to Dr. Hekman, some people also get pit bulls precisely because they have a reputation as a “vicious dog.” They then house them in these exact conditions, and boom! Before you know it, you have a perfect storm headed on a collision course for eventual disaster.

Of course, some dogs do attack outside of these circumstances. For the most part, though, dog deaths boil down to a simple factor: mismanagement and unfortunate circumstances. The good news? We can guard against this as a society—but maybe not how you’d think.

Does breed-specific legislation really work?

In a word, no.

Some places, like Manitoba, actually have seen successes with breed-specific legislation. In many other places, though, they’ve failed. Why? It turns out that there are several reasons.

The major reason why breed-specific legislation doesn’t work is that it doesn’t treat the cause of the problem. The cause is not pit bulls themselves, the cause is mismanagement by owners—many of whom happen to be attracted to “scary” dogs like pit bulls and put them in high-risk environments.

By focusing on the thing that isn’t causing the problem, local governments are actually shifting resources away from more effective preventions, like finding and fixing bad-owner situations.

Furthermore, breed-specific legislation trains people to view the entire breed as bad, when that’s simply not the case.

Finally, banning one breed won’t solve the bad-owner problem because if you outlaw one breed, they’ll just find another one. For example, if you outlaw the American Pit Bull Terrier, then someone may just get a Presa Canario or a Cane Corso instead—two other dog breeds with “vicious” reputations.

So, what is the most dangerous dog breed in the world?

Here’s the surprising answer: none.

“Dangerous” breeds like pit bulls are not actually more aggressive towards people than any other dog breed on their own, as we saw in the dog aggression study. The fact that they do cause most deaths does point to a larger problem: dog owners.

It’s actually a complex interplay between genetics that give dogs the tools to be dangerous, and people who actively nurture those qualities where they might not otherwise have developed.

What the real question should be is, “How can we train people to be better dog owners?”

Deadly Australian Wildlife

Inside: Down Under may seem notorious for deadly Australian wildlife, but there is more to the story.

Australia is home to more than just Crocodile Dundee and the Hemsworth brothers. There are all kinds of critters there, and not all of them play nicely. Australia is full of plenty of things that can bite, sting, or poison—and some of them can even kill you.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid Australia, though. If anything, it’s an explorer’s paradise due to all the awesome biodiversity. Just be sure to keep your distance from the wildlife unless you’re absolutely sure it’s safe! Here is a compilation of just some of the things that can kill the unsuspecting.

Australian Bugs

If there’s one thing Australia is home to, it’s a lot of bugs. Spiders in particular have a fearsome reputation, but only a few can actually kill you, such as the Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) or the Syndney Funnel-web (Atrax robustus).

The robustus part of the Sydney Funnel-web’s scientific name should give you a clue to what they look like: big, large-fanged, and with a habit of rearing up on its hind legs to show off its fangs when threatened.

Luckily, spiders are one of the least likely things to kill you. Only one spider death has been recorded in the last 40 years, thanks to spiders’ slow-acting venom and the invention of anti-venom in the 80s.

Aside from spiders, there are many bugs that can sting but won’t cause death—unless you are allergic and suffer anaphylactic shock. This is unfortunately common with a few types of bugs. The Jack Jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula) and various Bull ants (Myrmecia spp.) have been responsible for at least six deaths between 1980 and 1999. The common honeybee and paper wasps are also responsible for at least a few deaths each year.

Microorganisms

Sometimes you can’t even see the dangers coming. Australia is home to infectious diseases just like anywhere else, but it also has a few special ones of its own.

The Hendra virus affects fruit bats, which don’t normally interact with people. The problem comes when horses eat underneath bat roost trees, incidentally eating their droppings as well—and spreading the deadly disease to people. At least four people have died of this disease.

Melioidosis is another disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria. It lives in muddy areas and was responsible for killing 77 people from 1989 to 2009.

Australian Snakes

You’ll also find that Australia has a lot of snake species—around 172, to be precise. What’s more, just over half of them can actually kill you! Luckily, all snakes try to avoid biting you if possible (why waste the venom?), so if you see a snake, just leave it be. Only a few species have been recorded as the culprit when the cause of death is a snakebite.

The Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is a nondescript 4’-6’ snake that’s responsible for more than half of snakebite deaths. It’s no wonder: they’re cranky, they’re the second-most venomous land snake in the world, and they love the same types of coastal areas where most people are concentrated in Australia.

Tiger snakes (Notechis scutatis), the Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), Mulga snakes (Pseudechis australis), and Common Death Adders (Acanthophis antarcticus) are also responsible for a few snakebite deaths every so often.

Sharks and Rays

Unlike many deadly species in Australia, sharks are one of the few things that may actually seek you to try and kill you. Even so, most shark attacks are just mistakes on the shark’s part; they either mistake people for regular prey items like seals, or they might be curious and just “tasting” us rather than being driven by all-out bloodlust.

Most shark attacks in Australia come from three species of sharks: the fearsome Great White (Carcharadon carcharias), the aggressive Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), and the garbage-can-like Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).

While not technically a shark (although it does have a cartilaginous skeleton like sharks), the stingray is now a notorious (if extremely rare) killer. Steve Irwin, the famous Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a stingray whose venomous tail spine pierced his chest and poisoned him while filming. Rest assured, though, it was a unique event, and Steve was one of the few people in the world to be killed by these beautiful critters.

Even though sharks are one of the few animals that can develop a taste for humans, we’re causing them far more harm than they are to us. Shark populations are declining, and it’s up to us to help these guys so we can keep these guys around for a long time. If we can all learn good ways to prevent bad shark encounters, then all the better for sharks and for us.

Sea Invertebrates

Sea invertebrates are unlikely to come after you, so it’s up to you to avoid them. Australia has at least two deadly species of jellyfish. Its most famous is the box jellyfish, the most venomous marine animal in the world. Box jellyfish stings can be so painful that people can actually die from the shock of them.

On the other hand, the sting of the Irukandji jellyfish isn’t necessarily that painful at first. Half an hour later, though, victims go into full-blown Irukandji syndrome, where they’ll have excruciating lower back pain, hypertension, muscle cramps, anxiety, and a host of other unpleasant symptoms. Oh, and watch out—the Irukandji jellyfish is only about a half-inch long.

If you see any small octopuses with blue rings, keep away! The blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena spp.) looks link a tiny trinket, but when it’s blue rings are flashing, it’s a warning: stay back, I’m deadly! And because there is no antivenom for this little guy, you definitely don’t want to get stung.

If you love looking for cool shells, steer clear of Cone Snails. They have beautifully-patterned shells, but they’re hiding a secret: a harpoon full of venom which they use to hunt small fish. These snails produce a huge array of different venoms, each of which have different effects. Many scientists are interested in cone snails for this reason, and some are even being explored for medicinal purposes!

IndoPacific Fish

You thought fish were just a tasty dinner, didn’t you? Think again: some fish are deadly. Stonefish resemble, well, stones—and they can pack a deadly punch of poison if you step on them accidentally or pick them up. Venomous lion-fish are popular aquarium fishes, but they can also be found in the wild in Australia. Smooth toadfish (also known as pufferfish) are also deadly if eaten. You may know them as fugu, the dangerous Japanese delicacy.

Saltwater Crocodiles

Just like sharks, crocodiles are one of the only animals in Australia that can actually identify humans as prey. Crocodiles can live in saltwater and freshwater, and while they can go on land, they’re not very fast runners. As long as you heed good safety practices in crocodile country, you and crocodiles both will stay safe.

Decoding the Driftless

In the middle of what feels like endless cornfields is a hidden jewel – the Driftless Area. For reasons yet unknown to us, the glaciers of past ice ages missed a small section of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The crushing effect of miles of ice saved the land from turning into a plowed up mess. And while there’s nothing wrong with a plowed up mess (corn grows great in that), it saved the caves and billion year old rocks from getting reworked.

Where is the Driftless Area?

The driftless area or driftless zone as some call it, is a large section of land between Madison, WI and Minneapolis, MN. If you’re looking at a topographic map it’s easy to find – essentially the hilly regions of the upper midwest. If there are hills, bluffs, steep canyon walls and waterfalls, you’re probably in the driftless area.

Why is it special!

Because the glaciers missed the area, there exists a unique geology. There are landforms and animals that are non-existent in other parts of the midwest. Most people don’t know they exist though, which is why we’re doing the educational outreach that we are. In particular, we’re concentrating on these:

Effigy mounds – The native Americans built large burial mounds, often in the shape of animals. They scatter the landscape.
Cave Art – In the caves of the area, the Native American art is preserved. The story it tells is both interesting and shocking.
Caves, Sinkholes – There are limestone caves all throughout the area, all of which hold hidden passageways.
River Ecosystems – Some of the oldest rivers in the world are here!
Rare Ecosystems – Algific Talus Slopes, Goat Prairies, Dry Prairies, are but a few of the unique landscapes in the area.
Springs – cold water resources in the driftless are home to some of the world’s best trout fishing.
Glaciation – glacial geology shaped the area, but exactly why it missed this area is still a bit of a mystery.
Rare Species –Peregrines, monkshood, ice-age snails, timber rattlesnakes and other rare species call this area home.

The Feature Length Documentary

To help us tell the story of the driftless, we wanted to use the power of media. Here is the trailer to our indiegogo campaign where we’re trying to raise funds for the filmmaking process. Click here for more info on how you can help.

How Can You Help?

First and foremost, now that you know it’s here, you can visit the region. Stay in a Bed and Breakfast (like Nature Nooks or Justin Trails) and support local business. Eco-tourism helps spread the word that this area is worth protecting.

Secondly, learn as much as you can about the region before you come. We’ve found that the information that’s available today is few and far between. Even the locals often don’t know what an amazing place they are in. That’s why we’re putting our energy into a feature length doc and educational resources. If you do feel passionate about spreading the knowledge, I encourage you to donate a few dollars to our campaign. Every contribution goes a long way towards protecting this area through education! Thanks again.

Depression

Depression in independent scientists, filmmakers and artists is a very real thing. I know. I’ve experienced all of those careers and seen it first hand.

I’ve always thought that being depressed was a weakness to your character. I know my father explained it that way to me once. I don’t think that anymore. In fact, I think it may be more a symptom of the difficult career path – one full of uncertainty and one of comparison with others. Once I had the courage to explain what I was going through, I finally had everyone come out of the woodwork to explain they go through it too. That helped a lot.

I made a video this week about depression, to bring up the struggles I go through as an artist, filmmaker, guy, and dad. In some ways it’s for me – in others I just want to make sure anyone who is also feeling down or depressed, knows they aren’t alone. Link is in my description. 🙂 Sometimes #downdays sometimes #updays – #keepitinperspective

Over the last 5 years, I’ve had two 6-month periods where I was very down – I was depressed. I never went to see a doctor so I wasn’t diagnosed, but I realize that this action of not taking action was part of a bigger problem we all have in this filmmaking world. The more I started to tell people the more I realized it was everyone’s secret.

I was tired, unmotivated, stressed, anxious, couldn’t sleep and feeling worthless. I couldn’t get it to leave. Was it related to being a filmmaker and YouTuber in this modern world? I think so. I’d be willing to say that depression is higher in our field and I think we need to talk about it.

Here are my favorite videos that I’ve seen on the topic of depression all wrapped up into a nice little playlist. If you have others feel free to add them in the links below.

Also, do leave me your comments. Look, it’s important to let anyone that is going through it know they’re not alone. And, realize that it doesn’t mean you’re weak if you’re going through depression – anymore than having a broken leg means your weak. I might even see it as part of the struggle that anyone in our field will likely go through to get to where they want to be.

Thanks for watching and letting me share.

The Important Role Played by Viruses in Human Evolution

Scientists have long pointed to the relationship between pathogens and evolution, but until very recently, they have been unable to pinpoint specific patterns which occur across different species. In a fascinating new study carried out by the Genetic Society of America, they have discovered (using big-data analysis) that viruses are responsible for an impressive 30 per cent of all protein adaptations since the human divergence with chimpanzees.

The study, published in the journal eLife and presented on 14^th July at The Allied Genetics Conference, showed that the adaptive patterns caused by viruses are strong and very clear. Never before have viruses been shown to have such a powerful effect on how human beings have adapted. The researchers found that adaptations occurred three times as frequently in proteins which interacted with viruses, as in other proteins.

Thanks to the study, scientists can now identify which parts of the cell have successfully defeated viruses in the past. The differences in protein shape and composition in response to these threats, could help scientists find new ways to battle the most powerful viral threats currently faced by human beings. Previous research had focused only on individual proteins which are directly involved in the immune response.

When the body is faced with a virus, proteins throughout the whole body react; not only those involved with immunity. The researchers discovered that as much adaptation takes place outside the immune system, as within it. Viruses have affected us in every respect, affecting all parts of our cells. Proteins make a host of important cellular functions possible, so an analysis of tweaks and differences can give scientists vital clues as to how to face future threats. When pandemics and epidemics occur, populations must either adapt or risk becoming extinct and it is hoped that the observable changes in protein will help scientists new ways to help the body adapt.

The study helps scientists answer important questions, such as why species which are very similar have evolved different ways of fulfilling the same cellular function, such as cell membrane creation or DNA duplication. Scientists previously had no clue as to what evolutionary forces had provoked these similarities, and their results indicate that viruses hold vital secrets regarding the way different species have evolved.

The findings will have a great impact on the way researchers approach viral epidemics. Devastating viruses similar to HIV, for instance, have affected human beings and animals at many points in their long history. Seeing how cells have reacted to viruses of this type could help scientists glean a better understanding of how viruses work, and possibly lead to the discovery of how we can beat disease causing viruses for good, thus leading to greater health and a longer lifespan for humanity and other species.

Currently, viruses are taking countless lives, some of the most dangerous being the Marburg virus (which, like ebola, has a very high fatality rate), ebola (there are, thus far, five identified strains of the Ebola virus, which, like Marburg, has a fatality rate of 90 per cent), the Hantavirus (which actually comprises several types of virus and which can lead to lung disease, kidney failure and fever), some strains of bird flu, the Lass virus (whcich is transmitted by rodents), the Junin virus (which causes tissue inflammation), the Crima-Congo fever virus (transmitted by ticks and similar in its effects to Ebola and Margburg), the Machupo virus (which causes high fever and bleeding), the Kyasunur Forest Virus (which causes high fever, muscle pain and bleeding) and Dengue fever (passed on by a mosquito and boasting a very high fatality rate; Dengue is common in popular tourist destinations such as Thailand, India and the Philippines, affecting between 50 and 100 million people a year).

Thus far, viruses are treated by addressing specific symptoms and complications. For instance, with Ebola, the key is to provide fluids and keep electrolyte levels stable, to maintain oxygen levels and blood pressure, and to treat any infections that arise. For other viruses, researchers are working to discover vaccines which will keep them at bay. What would give scientists the upper hand by mimicking protein adaptations, however, is the ability to actually manipulate cell function, instead of merely responding to symptoms.

Article by Gemma Hunt