Friday, 26 August, 2022
Dinosaur footprints in riverbed; Teen pilot breaks a Guinness Record; big weekend for AFLW; and Australia’s best vanilla slice.
LINKS
Dinosaur drought discovery: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-25/drought-uncovers-dinosaur-tracks-in-us-park/101369122
Acrocanthosaurus: video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8s_6ZECpLk
Acrocanthosaurus: fact sheet: https://www.thoughtco.com/things-to-know-acrocanthosaurus-1093769
Sauroposeidon; fact sheet: https://dinosaurpictures.org/Sauroposeidon-pictures
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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You’ve heard the saying that every cloud has a silver lining, right? It means that things that might at first seem bad can have an upside on closer inspection.
And it’s a saying that holds true for the drought that’s currently sweeping large parts of the United States. Especially in the state of Texas where the drought is so severe it has caused rivers to dry up.
So what can possibly be the good news in that?
Well – in one particular river – as the water has receded, a perfectly preserved set of dinosaur footprints have been revealed.
You have to see the photos to properly understand just how well preserved the footprints are. They’re so well-defined, it looks like the dinosaur that made them walked across the riverbed just yesterday.
I’ve stuck a link to photos in your episode notes.
And I’m not talking one or two footprints – but rather, 100 footprints. And get this … scientists estimate the footprints were made over 113 million years ago.
Ouch. That hurts my brain a little bit.
Paleontologists – who are people that study dinosaurs for a living – reckon the footprints belong to a giant of the prehistoric world called Acrocanthosaurus … a 7 ton predator that looked a little bit like a T-Rex .. same enormous jaw filled with rows of sharp teeth, same hunting habits, same taste for eating other dinosaurs.
Other footprints found in the river bed include those of the much larger Sauroposeidon dinosaur … which despite being almost seven times heavier than the Acro, often served as its lunch.
I’ve stuck a link to video of Sauroposeidon in your episode notes too.
Because it’s a Friday .. and it’s a perfect day to get lost in the prehistoric world and the wonder of nature … Enjoy …
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops .. and today we’ve landed in Bulgaria … where a 17 year old teenager has just become the youngest person ever to fly solo around the world.
Mack Rutherford – who is from Britain – touched down in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on Wednesday having spent five months flying through 52 countries over five continents – and claiming a Guinness World Record for his troubles.
He encountered sandstorms over Sudan, extreme heat in Dubai, monsoon rains in India and deserted islands near Alaska.
He was 16 years old when he set off on his adventure, and turned 17 on his remarkable journey.
Just remarkable.
And guess who holds the Guinness World Record for the youngest woman to ever fly solo around the world? That would be his 19 year old sister, Zara, who achieved her feat back in January of this year.
Wowsers. What an adventurous family. Imagine their camping trips? Extreme or what?
SPORT TIME
And it’s a big weekend ahead for the AFLW – as the season kicks off – and what makes this one so special is that it’s the first season in which every AFL club will be fielding a team
Sydney, Hawthorn, Essendon and Port Adelaide will all be joining the comp this season, with foot commentators predicting we’re about to be treated to some of the best footy the country has ever seen.
Carlton and Collingwood kicked off proceedings last night, with the Pies beating the Blues – and this weekend will see clashes between the Swans and St Kilda, Brisbane and Fremantle, last season’s premiers Adelaide and Melbourne – and the big one on Saturday night when newcomers Essendon and Hawthorn face off at Marvel Stadium.
It’s going to be epic …
SQUIZ KIDS SALUTES
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Look – I admit – this Squiz Kids Salutes is a little bit indulgent .. which is to say, it’s literally an attempt by me to get a free sample … but because it’s a Friday and we all need to treat ourselves on a Friday, I thought it was worth pausing to congratulate a bakery in regional Victoria which has won what I would suggest is the most important award in all of Australia.
I’m talking about the award for the best vanilla slice in the entire country.
Now I know … vanilla slice is totally old school .. and that vanilla-custard-y goodness in the middle is not everyone’s cup of tea – but it’s practically a national dish.
And for the folks at Sharp’s Bakery in Merbein – a town just north of Mildura – it’s a mini-industry. They’ve just won the award for the best vanilla slice in Australia – the fifth year they’ve won it. So popular are their vanilla slices, they make an estimated 35,000 every year and ship them all over the country.
Dear people at Sharp’s Bakery … what have I got to do to get a slice of that action? Slice .. Get it? Vanilla slice … (DAD JOKE ALARM) …. Oops – there goes the Dad joke alarm .. which I’ve slipped in especially for Squiz Kids listener Nuri Valcarcel in Spain – who wrote in yesterday to say it’s been a long time between dad jokes… i am here to serve.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- How old do scientists reckon the dinosaur footprints in a Texas riverbed are? 113m
- How many countries did solo flyer Mack Rutherford cross through on his big round the world adventure?
- What sort of flaky, pastry, custard-y delight has a bakery in Victoria once again been honoured for?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s August 26 … today, my friends, is International Dog Day … my dog Louis’s favourite day of the entire year … i reckon i’m off to the butcher shop after this to get him a bone.
It’s also a Friday – and that means an extra long bunch of birthday shout outs for today and over the coming weekend – for which we ought to break out the ol’ birthday reggae tune for the second time this week … which reminds me: a HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful birthday messages I received from Squiz Kids on Wednesday – it really did make my day …. Ready for reggae? Hit it ..
And it’s a Happy Birthday today to … August from Walpole, Lachie from Davidson, Imogen from Perth, Natasha from Stanmore, Oliver from Torrens, Billie from North Curl Curl, Conner from Ballajura, Kobe from Bathurst, Harry from St Marys, Ava from Meadowbrook, Joe from Darlington and David listening over in Virginia Beach, USA.
And happy birthday to those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend…Gemma from Forbes, Kaylee from Cobar, Mason from Mount Cotton, Xavier and Ewan from Craigburn, Stella and Charlotte from Kempsey, Lily-May from Broken Hill, Loretta from Lismore, Simon from Walcha, Aayush from Carlton, Mason from Kotara and Simon from Ivanhoe.
Two special requests for classroom shout outs…class 1-Pompeii at Rozelle Public School and a happy birthday to their teacher Miss Pullin and to class 3SF at North Ainslie Primary School in Canberra and a happy birthday to their teacher Ms Farjardo (pronounced Far-har-doh) for tomorrow.
And finally: a special shout out to my little buddy Chester .. who’s in hospital recovering and making a speedy recovery .. .don’t worry mate – you’ll be back on the soccer field kicking goals again in no time …
The S’Quiz Answers:
- 113 million years old
- 52
- Vanilla Slice