Archeology was one of my dream careers while I was growing up. Life, however, turned me into a different kind of scientist. I still love Archeology, though I haven't studied anything in that field for some time. So you can guess how curious I got when I watched a tv show about Archaeoastronomy the other day!
   Archaeoastronomy is the science that studies archaeological sites, their constructions and their relation with astronomical observation. It aims to understand the knowledge of ancient societies about the celestial dynamics from archaeological traces related to the theme. It admits that ancient people used such type of knowledge to orient their cities and temples in regards to the movement of the stars and to count time by means of stone callendars.
    The need to guide oneself through astronomical references in the past was essential to regulate the development of a great number of activities which depended directly on that knowledge for a good performance (such as hunting, fishing and farming). Nowadays, such need seems forgotten, if not decreased and unnoticed.

~Ally

     I'm a big fan of Mythology and always seek new material in that field. However, I tend to focus only on Greek, Norse, Roman and Celtic lore... But it is time to change that!
     In Australian Aboriginal cultural and spiritual belief, there was a time when sacred totemic and ancestral spirits formed the land and all creation. This time is sometimes referred to as "The Dreaming" but this word is not a clear translation (there are many different names for this time in Aboriginal languages eg. Alcheringa, Tjukurpa, Ngurampaa…. And over 200 more).
     It describes the arrival of the natives in the world, in the beggining of time, when Earth was plain and dark. There was no life or death, Sun, Moon or stars. All was asleep underneath the Earth, along with the eternal ancestors. One day, the Sun rose and all the others woke from their eternity to travel throughout the territory, creating rivers and lowlands, walking as men, animals, plants or hibrid beings, spreading Guruwari, the seed of life.
     Two of those Ungambikulas (who created themselves from nothing) started to see people who were partially created by the ancestors. Those people laid shapeless, unfinished, semitransformed, hibrids of animals or plants. So, with their stone knives, the duo started to sculpt head, body and members, finishing the work. For that reason, it is believed that every human being has an animal or plant totem of which he/she was sculpted from.
      When all was done, the ancestors returned to "The Dreaming". Some transformed into rocks and trees to mark the sacred path they once walked. "The Dreaming" isn't just a period of the past, though. It is still present, manifesting itself in sacred rituals, in which priests become the ancestors to tell these travels along the Australian territory. It is also said that spirits who live in "The Dreaming" come to Earth through children, incarnating when the baby is five months old and begins to move inside the mother for the first time. After birth, children are considered special guardians of their tribes or regions, and are taught the stories and songs of their birthplaces.

~Ally

      I already mentioned my lack os skills and knowledge when ships and naviagtion are concerned, and today I'll try to improve on that a little bit more!
      A Sextant is an instrument used to calculate global positioning in estimated navigation, but it can also be used in order to calculate distances based on the apparent size of objects. It is used to measure the angle between two objects, observing the horizon through its lunette and moving the alidade until the image of the object coincides with the horizon. A double reflection mechanism allows the user to reach a calculated angle value, which will be pointed in the alidade through the Sextant's limbo. Such angle measures usually have great accuracy.
     Due to its enormous importance to navigation, the Sextant has been recognized as the symbol of maritime navigation for more than two centuries.

~Ally

      The Common Firecrest or just Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) is a small European bird species. It has 9 cm in length and a wingspan of 13–16 cm. Curiously, it weighs the same as a teaspoonful of sugar, that is, about 4–7 grams. It has bright olive-green upperparts with a bronze-coloured patch on each shoulder, and whitish underparts washed with brownish-grey on the breast and flanks. It has two white wingbars, a tiny black pointed bill, and brownish-black legs. The head pattern is striking, with a black eye stripe, long white supercilium, and a crest which is bright yellow in the female and mainly orange in the male. The sexes are very similar, apart from the crest colour, although the female is a little duller in plumage and on average slightly smaller.
     They are insectivorous, monogamous and Is is considered UK's smallest bird and categorized as a least concern species in terms of extinction possibility.

~Ally

     In my readings about Australia I frequently stumbled with this man's name and got quite curious about him.
    Jandamarra (or Tjandamurra) was an Australian Indigenous of the Bunuba people who led a guerrilla war against police and European settlers for three years. His hit and run tactics and vanishing tricks became almost mythical. In one famous incident, a police patrol followed him to his hideout at the entrance to Tunnel Creek in the Napier Range, but Jandamarra disappeared mysteriously. It was many years later that it was discovered that Tunnel Creek has a collapsed section that allows entry and egress from the top of the Range.
   He was held in awe by other Aboriginal people who believed he was immortal, and that his body was simply a physical manifestation of a spirit that resided in a water soak near Tunnel Creek. It was believed that only an Aborigine with similar mystical powers could kill him. Police chasing Jandamarra were also in awe at his ability to cross the rugged ranges with no effect on his bare feet, despite their boots being cut to shreds by the sharp rocks.
   Jandamarra's war did not last long, ending when police recruited Micki, a remarkable Aboriginal trakcer also reputed to possess magical powers, by holding his children hostage. He tracked Jandamarra down and shot him to death at Tunnel Creek on 1 April 1897. The white troopers cut off Jandamarra's head as proof that he was dead and it was preserved and sent to a firearms company in England where it was used as an example of the effectiveness of the companies firearms. The head of another Bunuba was labelled as Jandamarra and put on public display in Perth. His body was buried by his family at the Napier Range where it was placed inside a boab tree.

~Ally

    Sounds like a poethic metaphor, but it's true. Although this red liquid is actually a resin that prevents insects from proliferating in its bark, it generally appears when the Dragon Blood tree is cut or wounded. This species is native of the Socotra archipelago off the horn of Africa.
     The resin has colouring properties, which also appears in other dragon trees, and were recorded by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is still used in incenses, dyes, varnishes and in medicine to this day.

~Ally

     Apparently there was another mammal's order I didn't know about!
    It's the Tubulidentata, which is solely represented by the Aardvark (Orycteropus afer), an animal that occupies grassland and savanna habitats in sub-Saharan Africa. They're the size of small pigs, with very thick skin and without a fat layer, but are more easily recognized by their long nose. Adults have an unique dental formula (0/0, 0/0, 2/2, 3/3), which is why they are categorized in a separated order.
   The aardvarks are nocturnal, solitary and territorial animals, coming toghether only to breed. It is believed that they breed earlier in the year the closer they are to the Equator.

~Ally

      There's one mammal I didn't know!
    The Pholidota order comprises animals that resemble armadillos, though specialists say that they are more closely related with Carnivores. Instead of an armadillo's carapace, however, Pholidota have hard scales. When threatened by a predator, they wrap up, making it difficult for the other animal to attack them. They don't have teeth, and are basically insectivores. One representative of that order is the Pangolin (see image above), which can be found in Africa and Asia.

~Ally

      According to specialists, one of the oldest watersheds and possibly the oldest river in the world is the Finke river, in Australia's Northern Territory. It is said that its area goes back to 350 million years. Nowadays, it is located in the Finke Gorge National Park, a 458 square kilometers protected area, which also includes the oasis of the Palm Valley desert.

~Ally

      I am fascinated by dragons since I was a child. I think it would be awesome - and probably troublesome - if they were real. (Sigh) But, since our beloved Evolution and Natural Selection didn't allow those big reptiles to be present in our lives, I have to contet myself with the tiny flying lizards of the Draco genus from the tropical forests of southeast Asia.
     The word "flying" in their case isn't very accurate, since they mostry glide from one tree to another (they're arboreal) using the membrane that connects their ribs, and rarely go down into the ground. This dangerous task is only accomplished by the females, who lay their eggs on the soil. Those lizards are generally insectivores and their bodies can have up to 20 cm lenght.
     Now all that's left for me to wonder is if it is possible to have a pet Draco genus lizard...

~Ally