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    As the days get colder, and you long for the early days when humans were covered in fur like other mammals, consider a new theory which blames the loss of our hairy covering on our sexual urges. The theory challenges the orthodox view that we lost our hair in order to cope with the heat of tropical climates.
     Charles Goodhart, fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, thinks that out nakedness is the result of a long line of males preferring less hairy females. This led to hairless genes being propagated - and thus to runaway sexual selection. If heat had been the cause of fur loss, he says, many more primates would also have lost their hair.
     Dr Goodhart, who has persuaded The Biologist to publish his theory next April says that males have also driven women to develop long hair on their heads. "A man's uncut hair reaches scarcely down to his waist," he told the Linnaean Society recently. "A woman's hair is so long as to be a positive encumbrance to life under primitive conditions and... its excessive length must have been evolved by men preferring their women to have long silky hair."
     Dr Goodhart says his theory was omitted from the proceedings of an International Primatological Society congress on the grounds that it was too speculative. He also says that males have retained beards and moustaches to use in threat displays to other males.
     Females lost their facial hair because they do not take part in such displays. Pubic and armpit hair has remained because it traps scents which are useful in sexual attraction.
     Objectors to this theory include Chris Stringer, of the Human Origins Group at the Natural History Museum, who maintains that humans lost their hair in order to control body temperatures better.
     But Robert Kruszynski, also of the Human Origins Group, says that the two theories are compatible. "The ability to sweat was the probable cause of hair loss in males and females," he said. "But when it gets to the differences between males and females we need an additional theory."

-- Irwin, Aisling "Men's sex drive led to the naked ape" The Times Higher, 24 Nov 1995

In Australia, white sharks have been recorded from central Queensland to North West Cape in Western Australia, but they most commonly are found in southern waters. Scientists at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR) are using a range of tag types to learn more about these movement patterns and the links between populations.

The broad-scale movements of white sharks tagged in southern Australia suggest the population mixes across their Australian range, as well as across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. It confirms research findings in other parts of the world that white sharks also sometimes swim in the open ocean and can cross ocean basins, on occasion swimming at depths exceeding 500 metres. The purpose of their deep-water forays is unknown.

     Working in a hot shed with no airconditioning in the sweltering conditions would be a nightmare for anyone.
     But some lucky factory workers have not been doing it quite as tough since being fitted with "Cool Vests".
     In a move to keep its staff cool and healthy in the extreme heat of the shed, Ferno Australkia's Brisbane base has given each of them one of these special vests, which according to employees work "just like an airconditioner." "It's bloody terrific," said one very satisfied worker, Mick Cawley.
     I don't have to change my shirt six times a day now because of sweat.
"I've had it underneath my welding shirt this morning for the past two hours and it's cooled my body down dramatically," he said.
     A service managers, Mick said his staff's work output had been much more consistent and sick days fewer since they donned the new vests.
     Originally designed for firemen, the cool Vest functions within a comfortable cooling range which unlike ice packs does not cause blood vessels to constrict.

-- Witham, Katrina "Factory invests in its workers" The Courier Mail, 21 Feb 04 p.5.

CLEAN COAL POWER GENERATION IN AUSTRALIA

Despite calls for countries to adopt power, solar and hydro, power generation in the near future will continue to be carried out using coal. Thirty nine percent of the world's electricity is generated from coal. Manufacturing is dependent on coal with 70 percent of steel production being done using coal for power. Coal is the world's most abundant and widely distributed fossil fuel source. Even with cutbacks to fight carbon pollution, there will be a 43 percent increase in its use to 2020.

A great deal of research must be done in order to reduce global warming from the use of coal. Washing of coal has been done on developed countries for some time now. Electrostatic precipitators can be used to remove 99 percent of fly ash from flue gases. Flue gas desulfurisation will reduce sulfur dioxide being released into the atmosphere by as much 97 percent. Re-burning low-NOx burners decreases nitrogen oxide pollution by 70 percent. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle and Pressurised Fluidised Bed Combustion can improve thermal efficiencies by 50 percent. New processing technologies will provide cleaner input, reducing ash and sulfur levels. Underground gasification in situ using steam and oxygen turns coal into hydrogen. Liquid carbon dioxide can be captured in deep geological strata. A lot of work is being done to capture carbon dioxide directly from gas streams.

These technologies are not all cost for the producer. The EU uses much of its coal fly ash and bottom ash in building materials, where fly ash replaced cement.

The clean coal technology field is moving very rapidly in the direction of coal gasification with a second stage so as to produce a concentrated and pressurised carbon dioxide stream followed by its separation and geological storage. This technology has the potential to provide what may be called "zero emissions" - in reality, extremely low emissions of the conventional coal pollutants, and as low-as-engineered carbon dioxide emissions.

Australia is very well endowed with carbon dioxide storage sites near major carbon dioxide sources, but as elsewhere, demonstration plants will be needed to gain public acceptance and show that the storage is permanent. In several countries, "zero emissions" technology seems to have the potential for low avoided cost for greenhouse gas emissions.

Iron is indispensible for modern society. It is used in the production of many items. Iron ore is abundant in Australia. Consequently, Australia is the world's third largest producer, behind China and Brazil. The Australian industry is owned by BHP Billiton and Hamersley iron (Rio Tinto). The company Rio Tinto is the world's second largest seaborne iron ore supplier, with BHP in third place. Both companies are expanding production in respnse to strong demand from China and improved prices. Ninety percent of Australia's production comes from the Pilbara district of Western Australia.

COLORBOND� steel has been inspiring Australian building and design, from family homes to grand public buildings, for over 40 years. So much so that nine out of ten Australian homes now include COLORBOND� steel in their construction.

Beautiful, durable and versatile, it lends itself to a wide range of building products and applications - everything from roofing, walling and guttering, fences, sheds and warehouses, and even insulated panels for coolrooms and specialist architectural panels for distinctive cladding applications.

Steel house framing systems have been used in Australia for over 30 years, but developments in the last decade have seen steel framing come into its own.

Today, frames made from TRUECORE� steel are quick and simple to erect, easy on the environment, and adaptable to a myriad of home designs.

Rio Tinto is a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earth's mineral resources. Its businesses in Australia make up approximately 56 per cent of its global assets.

The Anglo-Australian company, the world's largest mining company, has more than 60 operations in 40 countries.

Rio Tinto discovers, mines, processes and supplies a wide range of metals and minerals that are essential to humanity and to the improvement of living conditions for communities throughout the world.

Our major products include aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy products, gold, industrial minerals (borates, titanium dioxide, salt and talc), and iron ore.

Alcan joined Rio Tinto on 25 October 2007 . The expanded aluminium product group became the new global leader in aluminium.