Skip to main content

Sorry Sophie, we don't have a dragon research program

In Tbilisi, Georgia, right at the top of the column in Freedom Square, is a glorious golden statue of St George slaying a dragon. But I haven’t heard of any dragon research programs in Georgia. Australia doesn’t have a dragon research program either, for which it has apologized to a seven-year-old girl (Canberra Times, January 8, 2014).

Sophie from Queensland, Australia, wrote to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the federal government agency for scientific research in Australia’s capital, Canberra. Sophie asked for a female dragon. “Would it be possible if you can make a dragon for me. I would like it if you could but if you can’t that’s fine,” she wrote.

She began her letter with “Help Lovely Scientist,” stating that her father told her all about the scientists at CSIRO. “I would call it toothless if it was a girl. And if it it a boy I would name it Stuart.” She said she would play with it every weekend. “I would keep it in my special green grass area where there are lots of space. I would feed it raw fish and I would put a collar on it. If it got hurt I would bandage it,” she wrote.

A CSIRO lovely scientist responded to Sophie. CSIRO has promised to step up its dragon research program, and in a light-hearted statement to the nation, it apologized for their lack of a dragon research program. “Over the past 87 odd years [since the inception of CSIRO] we have not been able to create a dragon or dragon eggs … our work has never ventured into dragons of the mythical, fire breathing variety,” said the CSIRO statement. “And for this Australia, we are sorry,” it added.

CSIRO’s reponse continued, stating that there could be many practical uses for dragons. “How much energy could it produce? Would dragon fuel be a low emissions option?” it wrote.

Sophie’s mother said Sophie was overjoyed with the CSIRO’s response and has been telling everyone dragon breath can be a new fuel. Sophie now wants to work in the CSIRO, saying that Australian scientists can do anything.

Perhaps one option in the meantime is a research program on the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard!


Martina Nicolls is the author of "The Komodo Verses: Dragon Poems."


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/csiro-apologises-for-lack-of-research-on-dragons-20140108-30ggg.html#ixzz2pmyLkbT4

 A Copenhagen dragon

An origami Komodo dragon
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass
Post a Comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing
1 comment
Read more