How an Heading otter got for the a real Moon... shock and more see page 3 see page 4 The NEWS Shed Issue No.9 www.literacyshedplus.com June 18-25, 2021 Attenborough climate plea to world leaders ›› We must act now, says TV personality aturalist and television presenter David Attenborough has called on Nworld leaders to take urgent action on climate change. Famous for his wildlife programmes on television, Mr Attenborough (pictured) has also campaigned fiercely for action to be taken to slow down global warming. Now he wants political leaders in the world’s leading nations to act as quickly and seriously as they have done over the corona- virus pandemic. He said: “We know in detail what is happening to our planet, and we know many of the things we need to do during this decade. We have the skills to address it in time – all we need is the global will to do so.” His call came as leaders of the G7 group of powerful countries met recently and promised to move away from coal- fired power stations. Coal is the dirtiest of all major fuels Find out why marine biologists are so pleased and environmentalists say stopping its Nice to ‘sea’ you to meet this little fellow see page 3 use is vital to halting climate change. 2 The NEWS Shed June 18-25, 2021 Fisherman escapes being whale’s snack A fisherman had an amazing escape when a humpback whale tried to swallow him as he was diving to catch lobsters. Michael Packard was working around 45ft (14 metres) below the surface off the coast of Massachusetts in the United States when the scary incident suddenly happened. “All of a sudden I felt this huge bump, and everything went dark,” he said. “Then I realised, oh my God, I’m in a Women have better times than men in ultra-long running races whale’s mouth – and he’s trying to swallow me.” Mr Pickard was in the whale’s mouth for around 30 seconds but, unlike the Bible story of Jonah and the whale, he was not Catch us if you swallowed. The whale suddenly surfaced, shook its head and spat Mr Packard out. “I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water,” he can: ultra-girls said. He was taken to hospital but was soon released, suffering nothing worse than bruises. ›› Women’s faster Fact SHED times in mega-runs How men’s and women’s times compare over longer distances omen can run faster than men when it comes to ultra-distance +18% 3 miles Wraces, research has shown. Over shorter distances, men are able +11% marathon Humpback whale to run faster because they have bigger, (26.2 miles) stronger bodies and usually have larger hearts to push more blood and oxygen +3.7% 50 miles The NEWS Shed around the body. For example, Usain Bolt’s world 100m +0.3% 100 miles record time is 9.58sec, while the wom- n The News Shed is a digital en’s record, set by Florence Griffith- 195 miles +0.6% newspaper, produced weekly to Joyner, is 10.49sec. inform, entertain and educate But the longer the race, the more the pupils and to provide resources men’s advantage is reduced. As the table And once the distances get longer than for their teachers. shows, men are 18 per cent faster over 195 miles, women can actually finish three miles and 11 per cent over the mar- races in a shorter time. n It is among a whole host of athon distance of 26.2 miles. The researchers, who compared the educational resources at: But when it comes to the increasingly times of five million ultra-runners across www.literacyshedplus.com popular challenge of ultra-running – 15,000 races over a 20-year period, races over huge distances, which some- believe men’s physical advantage drops n For contact details please times take several days to complete – the as the body runs out of energy, and that see the website. difference between men and women is women’s bodies are better at burning fat almost nothing. to feed the body when energy is lost. June 18-25, 2021 The NATURE Shed 3 What a shocker for hotter otter An otter has been returned to the wild The otter was slightly underweight after a run-in with an electric fence. and hungry so spent some time in the RSPCA Cymru (the Royal Society for RSPCA’s care and was fed well before the Protection of Animals in Wales) was being returned back to the wild. contacted after members of the public Ms West said: “This poor otter was spotted the otter looking lethargic in found appearing very out of sorts, and west Wales. we’re grateful to the member of the It is believed the otter had run into a public who spotted and safely confined nearby electric fence and was disorien- him before I arrived. Luckily, he soon tated from the shock. had a spring in his step again and we The member of the public was able to were able to return him to the wild. confine the otter before RSPCA animal “When released, he came out of the rescue officer Ellie West arrived to help. cage fairly quickly and dipped into the RSPCA Cymru took the otter into their running water and headed downstream care and fortunately, despite his ordeal, at a fast pace through some white water. found no injuries, although Ms West “He just seemed very happy to be back thought his “pride had been hurt”. where he belongs – the wild!” Otters are semi-aquatic mammals in brief Rare seahorse Prehistoric giant croc named as ‘river boss’ Scientists have identified a species of giant crocodile which roamed found by divers Australia millions of years ago. They made the discovery from a skull which had been found in the ›› Habitat destruction puts species at risk 19th century. “For a very long time it was kept in a museum drawer,” said threatened species of seahorse University of Queensland researcher has been spotted off the south Fact SHED Jorgo Ristevski. Acoast of England. Taking measurements from the Marine biologists from the Ocean skull, the scientists have worked out Conservation Trust were checking the the crocodile, which lived around five condition of sea grasses when they spot- million years ago, would have been ted the long snouted seahorse – also up to seven metres long. known as a spiny seahorse. The species has been named as The Trust says the sighting of an iconic ‘gunggamarandu’, meaning ‘river and threatened seahorse shows the impor- boss’ in a local Aboriginal language. tance of protecting marine habitats. Long snouted seahorses were found in sea grass beds throughout the south of Picture: Mark Parry/Ocean Conservation Trust Big hit for beetles the UK, but environmental changes such Seahorses as the destruction of sea grass habitats n Seahorses are fish which breathe Gardeners are being urged to help has caused a sharp decline in their popu- through gills, but do not have fins the beetles in their garden. lation and this once common marine and have a long snake-like tail. They As part of their Wild About species is becoming increasingly rare. also have a neck and snout. Gardens campaign, the Wildlife Mark Parry, a development officer Trusts and Royal Horticultural at the Ocean Conservation Trust, said: n Their long, thin snouts allow them Society want people to record the “After seven years of working in sea to probe into nooks and crannies different sorts of beetles found, using grass conservation it was humbling to for food. They suck food up through the nature app iNaturalist. experience this rare seahorse sighting, their snouts like a vacuum cleaner. “There is growing evidence the cold as it highlights the significance of what spring has affected this year’s beetles. we’re trying to do with our sea grass res- Source: The Seahorse Trust Ladybird numbers, in particular, toration work.” seem very low,” said the Trusts. 4 The SPACE Shed June 18-25, 2021 Humans heading Millionaire joins flight into space A mystery millionaire has paid back to the Moon $28 million (about £20 million) for a seat on the first civilian men on the Moon, starting with Apollo passenger flight into space. ›› Major step taken 11 in 1969, but nobody has set foot on Jeff Bezos, founder of the online the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in retailer Amazon, will be on the in building the rocket December 1972. flight launched by his Blue Origin The first Artemis mission will be an operation, along with his brother lans to send manned missions back unmanned test flight in November this Mark. to the Moon have taken a big step year. Artemis II, in 2023, will be manned The extra passenger, whose Pforward with the latest stage of but will only fly past the Moon and identity has not been revealed, won building the rocket. return to Earth. his seat in an auction. Nasa (the United States’ National Artemis III in 2024 is expected to be The automated 11-minute flight Aeronautics and Space Administration) the first to put people on the Moon – but takes off from Texas on July 20. is constructing the rocket in Florida and the programme does not stop there. As The capsule can carry up to six has now connected the core stage – step Nasa explains: “We will use what we people, but it is not known who 2 in the Nasa infographic above.