420-year-old Italy church almost crushed by rock fall

A 420-year-old Church in Italy’s North has narrowly avoided being crushed by a rock fall which covered the town in a thick dust cloud on Tuesday.

 

Italian media reported 5,000 cubic meters of material fell, after the town received 60 millimetres of rain in under 24 hours.

 

The historical church didn’t suffer any significant damage and authorities are continuing to monitor the situation.

Not eating enough veggies? Broccoli coffee could be the solution

Australian scientists are planning to launch broccoli coffee to reduce crop waste and improve diets.

 

CSIRO researchers are formulating a powdered form of the vegetable to be added to the pulled espresso shot in coffee.

 

CSIRO food scientist Maryann Augustin says two thirds of Australians aren’t eating enough veggies, so coffee with two tablespoons of broccoli powder equivalent to one serve of vegetables could be the solution.

Earphone volumes are putting your hearing at risk

Australian experts are warning that anyone using their earphones longer than 90 minutes per day could be putting their hearing at risk.

 

A 2017 study has revealed one in ten Australians turn their earphone volume up to over 85 decibels regularly, equivalent to standing next a running lawnmower.

 

Currently one sixth of Australians experience hearing damage, but by 2050 that figure is expected to rise to a quarter of the population.

 

Experts advise earphone volume should never exceed 80%.

A sight for sow eyes

Two little piggies went to the servo yesterday, making themselves a home in the garden beds of a Gold Coast petrol station.

 

The two pigs escaped from their pens around 2:30am Tuesday morning, undisturbed by motorists who were filling up.

 

The pair were finally tracked down by their owner, Mich Cochran, who had discovered his pigs were missing via a local Facebook community page.

Rail-fail costing QLD on many fronts

Queensland’s  “rail-fail” has cost taxpayers more than $41.6 million since 2016.

The 41.6 million has been spent on replacing cancelled trains with buses, issuing taxi coupons to passengers and overtime for train drivers and guards.

Currently, Queensland Rail runs a timetable with 470 fewer services than October 2016.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said there was a steady increase in train drivers which will fix the rostering issues.

McCollough teams up with Adidas for RSPCA

Brisbane Broncos star Andrew McCollough has earned a good reputation, using his influence to promote causes such as the RSPCA and Parley, a global ocean sustainability organisation.

McCollough has said his wife’s influence and the strong women in his life has motivated him to give back to the community.

The RSPCA ambassador recently jumped at the chance to work with Adidas to promote the work of Parley in protecting the oceans from plastic waste.

 

New wind farm for Rockhampton

A wind farm planned for Central Queensland is proposed to be the largest in the state and rivaling the biggest in Australia.

The State government has granted approval for the one billion dollar project to begin construction in Clarke Creek, north-west of Rockhampton.

Minister Cameron Dick has endorsed the project as a stepping-stone to the Government’s 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.

Breakthrough in breast cancer research

A US woman with advanced breast cancer is healthy again after taking part in an experimental treatment which uses her body’s own immune system to wipe out tumours.

The Florida woman had advanced breast cancer which had stopped responding to chemotherapy and other treatments.

Researchers took a small sample of Ms Perkins’ tumor and studied the DNA mutations in it. They extracted immune cells from the tumor and grew billions of them, finding those most effective to kill her cancer.

'Nessie' nowhere in sight

The legendary Loch Ness Monster mystery might finally be put to rest after a team of international scientists travelled to Scotland to conduct a DNA survey of the famous lake.

New Zealand scientist Neil Gemmell says the technique the team is using is called “environmental DNA”, a mechanism through which they will collect cells from the living things in the Loch Ness.

However, Professor Gemmell says it’s more likely the search will uncover more discoveries on a microscopic level.