Welcome to Cosmix!

Read Issue One online!

Roll your mouse over the speech bubbles to read Cosmix!

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Cover

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Inside Cover

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ALTER WRECK BOAST

Episode One: Garage Days

Story: Emily Duncan

Illustration: Serge Ratten

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‘You’ll never believe what just slapped me in the face!’

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‘Er, a girl with good taste?’

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‘No, gumby. Take a read of this.’

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BAND COMPETITION. Can you rock with your original music? Brand New instruments to be won!

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‘Man, this is wicked. We could get totally kitted out if we win this thing!’

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‘Get real, Andy. We can’t win this competition. We don’t have any instruments to play with. It’s a total have.’

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‘Why do we always have to drown out the good stuff with your negativity?’

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‘There’s no point getting all hippy and earth, Andy. It doesn’t solve the fact that we’ve got zip to play with. Nada.’

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‘We have got stuff. It`s just not great...’

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‘Practice...’

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‘...tomorrow?’

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‘Yeah.’

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‘It’s gonna be for real,

It’s gonna be a real big deal,

I’ll never have to pay for a meal!

I’ll be a total singing star,

And drive a real mean car...’

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‘Whoa! Sorry about that, bro. I’ll have a tinker and see if we can get her going again.’

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‘It’s just temporary, bro, so no need to tell Mum.’

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‘Remember the method, Stuart! Trial and error. trial and error!’

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Better just use battery power, or I’ll die!

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‘This is like, totally awesome.’

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‘I found the capacitors! They suck up the energy until they get full and then release it all at once!’

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Ohm’s Law: Resistance = Voltage / Current

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Experimenting with sound - different sticks make different sounds…

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At practice the next day...

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‘Are you girls going to help me, or do I have to bring this thing in by myself?’

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‘I’ll get the garage door up and you can bring it in.’

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‘Strings of weed-eater line! I used an old biscuit tin for the body – it boosts volume by resonating with vibrations from the strings. a bridge carries vibrations from the strings to the body!’

‘And it’s electric! a buzzer from the back of a digital watch - Now it works backwards! The guitar vibrates the peizo crystal which generates an electric signal! Let's plug it in!’

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PAGE 6:

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‘Look at this drum! I sprinkle sand over the top to see sound! Sometimes the vibrations are circles, sometimes star shapes!’

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‘I've hooked it up to a touch plate made from some paper clips! I become part of the instrument! The electricity goes through my sweaty palms. The harder I push the higher the sounds I get out of this crazy thing!’

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‘Wanna give it a go?’

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‘This thing is going to make one hell of a bang!’

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‘Hello...police?’

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‘These sounds are crazy. My little brother was like, thinking there was a cat stuck there, or something...’

‘These are whole new sounds!’

‘But the pitch is perfect.’

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‘No, I don’t know what’s going on...’

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‘They’re in there... what could be making such a noise?’

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To be continued.

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PAGE: 7

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WITHIN A FICTIONAL UNIVERSE...?

Story: Emily Duncan

Illustration: Greg Seal

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‘Quick, Lieutenant Guiltron, Use your Azuron Laser Beam to transfer the sekret kode to my signal amplifier!!!’

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‘Comets and stardust! You saved the day with your laser beam, Neutrek!’

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‘Like that would ever happen...’

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‘Wait a minute Lieutenant Jane, and I’ll laser you up a cup of tea!’

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‘I don’t want any crusty mud drink.’

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Microwaves: 2,450 million vibrations per second.

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CD laser beam: 385 million, million vibrations per second – highly organised light.

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Remote control pulses of infrared light: 3 million, million vibrations per second.

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‘I told you, I’m not drinking that @!$%# cup of tea!’

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‘Lieutenant Jane, your liquid fortification supplement has been prepared.’

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PAGE: 8

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The new prOd holds a googol (10100) of songs

(that’s 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 songs). That’s more than you could listen to in many lifetimes!* Available in a wide range of colours, styles and piercings.

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Simply pop the device through your nose, eyebrow, lip, tongue, or wear it as a traditional earring!

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prOd resonates your sinus cavity bones and cartilage to make the sounds you can hear.

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The prOd utilises an innovative new system of sound transference. Just pop the device through your nose, eyebrow, lip, tongue, or wear it as a traditional earring! The prOd will do the rest! Simply text it instructions to change the volume, request a favourite song or update your playlist!

prOd – it will revolutionise your life! For only 16 easy payments of $69.95! You need it now!!

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WARNING: This product will follow Moore’s Law of computer technology: in about 18 months a machine twice as powerful will be available for about the same price (or a little cheaper).

prOd Inc. takes no responsibility for this eventuality.

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*Many more lifetimes than all humans that have ever lived! - leave it in your will!

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PAGE: 9

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Broken Dawn

Story: Kate Morris

Illustration: Sian Tomlinson

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Wehi Point college: I first met Billy three years ago. We were best friends – and now we're something more. School hasn’t been the same since he was suspended...

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‘Billy?’

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‘Alex, it’s all over...’

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‘What? Are you talking about us? But Billy… I ...’

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‘You don’t understand. It’s all over.’

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‘Billy?’

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There was something in the tone of his voice...

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Someone sure got out of here in a hurry.

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The door was open...

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‘Hello? ...

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Billy?’

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...and the place deserted.

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Is he hurt? Maybe I should call an ambulance.

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But where is he?

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And what is that?

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Hair...

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And there was more..

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It was his shirt.

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Why is he walking around outside...

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...without his shoes?

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I had come home late last Friday...

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‘They don’t suspend students for nothing. He’s bad news Alex. You are not to see him again.

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‘Mum, you don`t know what he`s like. You`ve never even spoken to him.’

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He’s a trouble-maker’

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Her words echoed in my head. She thought of him the way everyone else did. Could they all be wrong?

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PAGE 11:

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‘Someone's got to give him a chance.’

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Human hair is usually consistent in pigmentation. This was white with a band of black, and the scales were steeper in formation, like a Christmas tree... human hair scales are much smoother.

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Food colouring and some corn flour will work as blood.

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This mark is too spread out...

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That looks more like his shirt...

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It’s as if he was holding something...

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Now, the muddy footprints... This detergent contains surfactants. They separate the particles of soil, suspending them in the water. The suspended soil particles will settle into layers. Sand at the bottom, silt next and fine particles of clay on top...

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Ahh. So that’s mostly clay…

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But everyone in Wehi Point has manicured gardens...

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Where on earth would you find clay?

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‘Wait...

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I know where you are.’

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What do they say about criminals returning to the scene of the crime?

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This was his place.

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Where he’d go when he had nowhere else.

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What was that? The wind...a cat, or...

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The hair. It wasn’t human...a cat. Billy has a cat - Barcode!

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What has he done?

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‘Billy?’

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‘He's dead.’

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‘Well go on Al, ask me if I did it.’

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To be continued.

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PAGE: 13

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EUGENIUS

Story: Kate Morris

Illustration: Serge Ratten

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Most teenagers can tell the difference between an Orc and a Hobbit; Eugene Nugent knows all the bugs in his backyard.

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‘Been watching him for weeks. Never speaks to no-one.’

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‘20 cents says you miss.’

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‘On my right we have invertebrate Manuka Chafer or Kekerewai, an earthworm named Neochaeta forsteri, and Kahukura, the Red Admiral Butterfly, sporting a brown 60mm wingspan with scarlet insignia...’

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Neochaeta forsteri

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Kekerewai

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Brachaspis robustus

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Kahukura

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*Relictual means leftover from its ancient past.

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‘On my left, native grasshopper named Brachaspis robustus, equipped with tiny relictual* wings and a broad silvery-grey body followed by... Hey!’

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‘You don’t belong here.’

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‘I know what you are...’

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‘Ow!’

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‘Neither do I.’

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Science News

‘Power in Numbers!

Biohazard alert! Argentine Ant discovered in Christchurch! Although only a few millimetres long, they are a great threat to native plants, birds and insects. They overwhelm their victims in sheer numbers!

Although the Argentine Ant is not poisonous, their bite may trigger an allergic reaction. If you find a nest please contact the Department of Conservation.’

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‘He’s gonna get us.’

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‘Oh yeah? Him and what army?’

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‘Follow the yellow brick road, my little friends!’

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PAGE: 14

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Is your child at risk of being a failure? 89.4632% of teenagers may be getting too much sleep, increasing the risk of over-growth, lethargy and failure. Every parent despairs of the deep-sleeping teenager. Maybe you cannot increase the `darkness-hormone` melatonin that knocks them out at night, but now you can wake the grumpiest adolescent from their Monday morning slumber. The `Teen-O-Starter` is guaranteed to rouse brains that have been over-stimulated by computer games in the hours before your teen commenced sleep the night before.

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WARNING: Machine will not function during winter months due to later sunrises than in summer months.

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1. A sunbeam streams onto the solar panel

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2. Solar panel generates electricity that runs a motor

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3. Motor pulls open the curtains

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4. Sunlight reflects off a concave mirror

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5. Focused light ignites a hydrogen-filled balloon

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6. This makes a very loud explosion and sends a shock wave to the ceiling

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7. Shock wave hits tennis balls resting on a chute

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8. A ball rolls down the chute and falls into a bucket of ice water

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9. Bucket of ice water is knocked over, soaking the body of teenager and startling him/her awake

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PAGE: 15

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RISKY 4 CAST

Story: Lani Evans

Illustration: Greg Seal

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Storm Warning ••• Gail Force 8 ••• Winds up to 40 Knots (74 km/hr) ••• Up to 10 Metre swell •••

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‘ “A paddle round the headland”? Whose dumb idea was that? Do you even know where we are? You don’t have a clue!’

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‘Dude! The weather came in! What was I supposed to do?’

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‘Calm down! You guys are just high on adrenaline! We’ll sort it out in the morning.’

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At dawn next day...

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‘Where are we?’

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‘yawn!’

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PAGE: 16

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‘Any ideas?’

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‘Food? I’m starving’

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‘Me too. Need to find something to eat and some water, a stream or something.’

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‘That valley’s formed by a river. We might find fresh water if we head there.’

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‘Or maybe we’ll find some people who can tell us where we are.’

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‘Let’s head uphill, we’ll be able to see if there are any houses around and the view will help us work out where we are.’

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‘Whoa–! Volcano!’

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‘An Island.’

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‘Rim of fire! Dude, this is fantastic!’

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‘Yeah. It’s cool, but it doesn’t help get us home... unless you can harness the volcanic energy and rig up a jet engine?’

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Hydro Electric Turbine

Power to get us off the island? How?

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Hot air takes up more room, so less air in balloon.

When balloon + hot air + passengers weigh less then cool air of the same size, balloon will float in the cool air. We get off the island! Maybe…

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‘We’ve got to get off this thing! We should be wearing gas masks!’

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‘Why?’

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‘Duh! Don’t you know volcanoes can spit out colourless, odourless killer gases?’

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‘Don’t freak me out, I’m sure it’s fine.’

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‘Oh really? So where are the houses?’

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If it wasn't dangerous then people would live here!

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Who'd live here? Probably can't even get broadband.

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PAGE : 17

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‘I mean, imagine how much history there is here.’

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Overlying Plate

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Melting and rising magma

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Water

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Sinking Pacific Plate

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‘You can still see scars from the ash hurricane, the pyroclastic flow! The eruptions must have been pretty violent.’

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‘Ha! I’ll show you violent!’

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‘Testosterone’

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‘Ah-huh. Not sorry I’m a girl.’

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Meanwhile...

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In the Auckland Seismology Lab...

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‘Hey Mike! Look at this!’

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‘I don’t understand it, there’s no sign of activity anywhere else. It’s just on one sensor.’

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‘Hmm. Could be important. Localised tremors can be the first sign of volcanic activity, the magma beginning to stir and force its way through the fissures.’

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Let’s take a look at the webcam.’

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‘Aw, it’s just a bunch of kids, probably kicked a stone or something. Look, they are right by our sensor.’

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‘Nothing to worry about?’

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‘Well, no other sensor picked up the vibration... So, I’m off for lunch – let me know if there’s any change. Seeya…’

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PAGE : 17

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‘I mean, imagine how much history there is here.’

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Overlying Plate

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Melting and rising magma

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Water

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Sinking Pacific Plate

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‘You can still see scars from the ash hurricane, the pyroclastic flow! The eruptions must have been pretty violent.’

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‘Ha! I’ll show you violent!’

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‘Testosterone’

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‘Ah-huh. Not sorry I’m a girl.’

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Meanwhile...

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In the Auckland Seismology Lab...

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‘Hey Mike! Look at this!’

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‘I don’t understand it, there’s no sign of activity anywhere else. It’s just on one sensor.’

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‘Hmm. Could be important. Localised tremors can be the first sign of volcanic activity, the magma beginning to stir and force its way through the fissures.’

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Let’s take a look at the webcam.’

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‘Aw, it’s just a bunch of kids, probably kicked a stone or something. Look, they are right by our sensor.’

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‘Nothing to worry about?’

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‘Well, no other sensor picked up the vibration... So, I’m off for lunch – let me know if there’s any change. Seeya…’

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Page 18

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Under the surface, giant bubbles of gas are building up resonant vibrations...

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‘Hang on a second! What’s that? Now that's an earthquake!’

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TIM!!!

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To be continued.

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PAGE : 19

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Look out for Issue 2 of Cosmix in August 06.

Pick it up for free from video stores, public libraries and science centres nationwide. A full list of where you can get your copy of Cosmix is on the Cosmix website.

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Read Issue Two online!

Roll your mouse over the speech bubbles to read Cosmix!

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Cover

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Inside Cover

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ALTER WRECK BOAST

Episode Two: Testing... Testing...123

Story: Emily Duncan

Illustration: Serge Ratten

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The band have invented their instruments for the Sound-Off Competition and the ban enforced by the police has finally lapsed!

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We’ve got some really great sounds going.

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But we need

a singer.

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What about that girl, Miho? Andy says she can play real piano music, so she’ll be able to sing.

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You go and see what she says.

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I’ve got a favour to ask you. We need a

singer for our band.

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You wanna hear me sing?

HAaaargh!!

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Um. That’s raw.

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Well... This is kinda cool. But I’m not really supposed to do it.

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That sound is awesome!

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When I speak, I am rapidly changing the shape of my mouth, tongue, and throat...

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I am making different tunnel shapes which resonate with vibrations from my vocal cords to create the sound of the words.

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Instead of using sound from my vocal cords, I’m changing the ‘shape’ of the keyboard sounds...

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...with my mouth and tongue to make the words!

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Hi there, sorry about our instruments, they could look better.

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Appearance is everything.

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This fluorescent paint will brighten them up!

It has chemicals that ‘fluoresce’. They become excited by high-energy

Ultra Violet light - that’s a colour of light we can’t quite see. When excited in this way the chemicals give out the bright fluorescent colours we can see.

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And this is cool: ‘Supa-Strong’ Glow-In-The-Dark paint!

It uses a phosphorescent chemical called Strontium Aluminate.

This chemical absorbs the energy of Ultra Violet light. That energy is then slowly released as colours we can see as it glows into the night!

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To our first show ever!

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These regional competitions are either going to make us or break us!

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Let’s give it up for the fourth band in our line-up this afternoon -

Alter Wreck Boast!!

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aAAY! What do you call those?

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Instruments.

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I’m afraid we’ll have to...ahem...discuss...whether this calls for...disqualification.

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We have decided that in the spirit of musical innovation you will be allowed to play in this heat of the Sound Off Competition.

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Thank you...

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We are very pleased to announce that Alter Wreck Boast has made it into the nationals of the Sound Off Competition.

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Watch out for more inventive inspiration from Alter Wreck Boast in Episode 3!

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Within a Fictional Universe…?

Story: Emily Duncan

Illustration: Greg Seal

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I’d have felt better about watching that movie if I knew that you could fight off giants.

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Where do we see giants anyway?

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Who could overcome a giant?

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Eee-yew! Check out the hog!

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I’d hate to be a giant.

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Look at her Fred, she’s beautiful. I think I’m in love. Do you think she’s noticed me? Is she looking this way?

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Even better, she’s coming over! You’d better watch out though man, I don’t think she’s from around here.

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I can handle it.

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Hey Baby, I’m Graham. Where are you from?

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We immigrated from Austraalia mate.

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Uh-oh!

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And the moral to the story… Be careful who you love!

Scientists dissecting an Australian Green and Gold Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) Once found bits of half-digested New Zealand Archey’s Frogs (Leiopelma archeyi) in its gut.

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‘A dark cloud hung over Wehi Point. Someone, somewhere, had blood on their hands...’

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You won’t ask me if I did it...I know why...you’re afraid of my answer...

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...Not that I can give you one.

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What do you mean?

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‘All I know is...when I woke up this morning I was sitting on the curb, holding my cat and it was dead. Barcode was dead and I had blood all over me’.

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Broken Dawn

Part Two

Story: Kate Morris Illustration: Sian Tomlinson

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So you were sleepwalking again?

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I don’t remember anything...d’you know what they say about people like...like...they start off with small animals mice, rabbits, cats...and turn into psychos that-

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You’re jumping to conclusions.

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My parents will flip. I’m already suspended. They’ll send me away...

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Back up...you first saw the cat dead this morning right?

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Yeah. He didn’t come for a feed yesterday – but that’s not unusual ‘cause he roams the fields. He can be ages.

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Well, if we count from when you woke up this morning up until now, that’s nine hours - even if we include the whole night that’s still not enough...This cat has been dead for at least thirty-eight hours.

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How do you know?

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Ok. It’s kind of gross. Do you remember that science fair project I did in fourth form? About Calliphora quadrimaculata, the New Zealand blue blowfly? They’re quick to find decomposing flesh so you can calculate an approximate time of death through their life-cycle.

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Let’s say the cat died, a blowfly landed on it and laid eggs...those eggs take eighteen hours to hatch. Now see how the larvae are about the size of a grain of rice? That means they’ve reached the first instar which takes around twenty hours. Twenty plus eighteen is thirty-eight.

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The life cycle of the blowfly speeds up when it is warmer. But it has been quite cold around here lately.

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But what if I killed Barcode some other time?

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Well you wouldn’t have done it if you were awake. You loved that cat. Did you sleepwalk the night before?

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No. My parents were home. They lock my door from the outside when I go to bed for my protection. It was just last night they couldn’t because they were away.

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‘They went to my bro’s graduation, started driving very early yesterday morning. Said they’d be back this evening at eight’.

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‘There was a light rain all yesterday’.

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We need to figure this out before they come home. Quick, show me where you woke up this morning.

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I was here.

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Skid marks... In light rain oil would float on the thin layer of water on the road – harder to stop than in heavy rain.

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‘Someone hit something’.

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‘Yeah. But they didn’t hit another car...there’s no glass on the road and only one set of skid marks’.

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You didn’t do it Billy. Your shirt had blood on it because you were holding Barcode after he was injured.

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If you had killed him there would have been a splatter pattern, but there was none. Your shirt was just soaked through.

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And the flies – the timing’s not right. If the cat had been killed this morning or last night. The eggs would not have hatched into larvae by now...Barcode must have been hit by a car. He probably crawled to the side of the road where you found him.

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So someone just hit him and drove off? ...I’m going to find them Alex. In this place, everyone knows everyone.

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How are you going to find them?

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Wait here.

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They don’t teach you everything you need to know in school...

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Toe-in is the distance between the front wheels. Whoever matches this...that’s our killer.

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I’m impressed.

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Billy, that’s a ‘mare of a job...

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Yeah well I’ve got to make the time or I’ll be doing time. I have to find who did this otherwise my Dad will think I had something to do with it.

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‘My parents... they’re early’!

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‘The phone! We didn’t clean off the blood’.

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Oh my lord. What happened? Billy?

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What has he done now?

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I can explain. The cat. Barcode. He’s dead...he got hit by a car and-

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What?! That’s it Billy.

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You mess about in class, skip school, spend most of your time dithering about in that condemned house doing who knows what and now what have you done to your cat?!

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I mean where does it end?

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I didn’t do anything to Barcode. How could you...?

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Don’t you walk away from me!

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The timing’s right...I wonder.

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No way...

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I can prove who did it...

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...It definitely wasn’t you.

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It’s funny Alex, you can know someone all your life, but you know me better than...well anyone.

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The End

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Eugenius

Eugene’s Living Consortium

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Saprotrophic Fungi

- A decomposing fungus which recycles dead plant or animal matter into chemical nutrients e.g carbon and nitrogen. These chemicals are then released back into surrounding air and soil. As fungi do not contain chlorophyll they cannot produce their own food. Therefore saprotrophic fungi absorb nutrients from the source they decompose.

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Carpet Beetle (Anthrenocerus australis)

-Whose larvae are called “woolly bears”, are around 3mm in length and covered with tiny bristle-like hairs. When these hairs are discarded or break off they pass into circulating air, presenting a significant problem to asthma sufferers. They feed on wool or wool products and can be eradicated through regular vacuuming.

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Dust Mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus)

- Dust mites adore the warm conditions of modern residential homes. Globular in appearance, they are related to the tick and arachnid family. They consume dead skin which has been partially digested by fungi. Although not a direct threat to humans, their faeces contain strong allergens which can be inhaled by our respiratory system.

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Book lice (Psocidae)

-If you sit very quietly you may be able to hear a ticking sound, a bit like the ticking of a wind-up wristwatch. That’s the sound of a Book louse hitting its head against something hard to create this sound as a mating call! They usually live in books, eating glue. They have also been found living inside computers!

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Roll up! Roll up! Incredible life forms to be discovered in every nook and cranny... bring your own microscope.

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The Re-Styler

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Are you worried about what to wear on the first day of school? Are you sick of having to wear the same thing twice? Research has shown that first impressions count. Whether you’re wanting to improve the first impressions that others make of you or correct the impression that they already have, the re-styler is the machine for you!

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Stand on the machine.

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The machine scans you with a laser beam to accurately calculate size measurements.

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The machine connects to internet searching images of the latest fashion from catwalks around the world.

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Seasonal colours are chosen from the spectral colour wheel.

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A template garment is selected from a range on the rack.

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The Robotic arms re-tailor the garment.

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Laser-guided ink-jets reprint the fabric to suit the latest designs.

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TIM!!!

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Risky 4 Cast

Episode Two

Story: Lani Evans

Illustration: Greg Seal

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Previously... a navigational mishap landed our heroes on a deserted island, somewhere off the coast of the Coromandel. An earthquake caused by volcanic activity threw Tim off the cliff....

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Is he okay?

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I’ll climb down and find out.

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We’ll try to find another way.

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Marama! Be careful!

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Ok, calm down, relax, how hard can it be?

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Just don’t let go, that’s all there is to it!

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This is solidified lava - igneous rock - and that can be the most solid rock there is... I think... yeah.

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Just concentrate on holding on...

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... and don’t look down! But then how will I see where to put my feet!

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Phew! Made it!

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$$

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uhh... what happened...my ankle...

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Relax. You’ll be okay.

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He’s concussed and I think his ankle is broken. He could be bleeding internally! This is serious. We need to get him out of here and to a hospital.

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How are we going to handle this? We didn’t see any houses and there’s no sign of other people!

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We’ve got to get him on a stretcher and get back to the beach.

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We can build a signal fire. Someone is sure to see it.

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No! We shouldn’t move him!

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Well we can’t leave him here! What if the volcano erupts before they can rescue us?

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OK. The first thing we need to do is get Tim in the recovery position, untie his shoelaces and strap his legs together to support his ankle.

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Can you two build a stretcher?

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Dude, where do you learn this stuff?

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Television.

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PAGE: 17

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Be careful with his head! The concussion has, like, scrambled his grey matter. His brain could be swollen and bruised right now!

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Do you think there’ll be signs before the volcano blows its top? Or will we just get buried under piles of ash like the victims of Pompeii?

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We’ll be immortalised as King Tim’s servants!

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Yuck! You’re so morbid!

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Three hours later...

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We’re lost again aren’t we? Doesn’t anyone know how to navigate?

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Not really.

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Shh! I think I’ve found something!

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A campsite!

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I can’t wait to get back to my cell phone. I’ve probably got about a hundred messages by now.

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You’re a techno addict.

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Oh, like you don’t miss civilisation.

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I miss food. Man, I’m going to eat three burgers with extra chilli and then I’m going to sit down and watch Survivor.

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Scuba gear...

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$$

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These bottles are full! The regulator’s not leaking, its valve is giving air only when I breathe. This Buoyancy Compensation jacket looks good - it can be filled with air or deflated for floating, sinking or to stay at one depth. This Scuba gear is completely set up and ready to go... hmmm... I wonder...

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Come and look at this! I think we’ve stumbled

on a scuba diving group.

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There’s heaps of scientific gear. There’s even an air compressor!

And these tanks are full!

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If the divers were in the water, they might not have noticed the tremors.

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How long can those guys stay underwater?

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Only an hour or so, they must have a boat out there.

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What should...?

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Hey! I think I see someone!

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Hey you! Wait! Help us!

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He can’t hear us over the roar of the surf.

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I’m going after that diver!!

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I have to catch up!

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To be continued.

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$$

Read Issue Three online!

Roll your mouse over the speech bubbles to read Cosmix!

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Cover

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Inside Cover

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ALTER WRECK BOAST

Episode 3: A Choir of animals and Machines Story: Emily Duncan Illustration: Serge Ratten

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When we last saw the band they had just won the regionals of the Sound Off competition ...

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...with their experimentally created musical instruments.

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With only a small amount of time before the nationals they now need to fine-tune their creations for a truly winning sound!

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There are people all over the world downloading our MP3's!

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Mum's old computer is working great as the server for our site!

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Our hit-rate is through the roof! The broadband bill will be too, unless we keep our MP3's super compressed.

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You are great with electricity big bro'. To be safe, just use battery power!

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People are catching on to our sound - we need to push what we do even further!

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I'm going to mix in static sounds from the radio. Radio static is the jumbled radio waves created by lightning and also electrical equipment and power lines.

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We need more bass! I'll get different vibrations from this bungee cord by bending the pole. The looser the bungee, the lower the note - down to sub-bass frequencies!

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I've mathematically worked out the exact lengths needed for the major scale ...fine-tuning my new Mega-Chime-Pipes...

If I halve the length of a pipe, I’ll get the same note an octave higher!

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My keyboard will send MIDI* signals to trigger the recorded sounds.

Mixing in samples of our own music will really enhance our sound!

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* MIDI : Musical Instrument Digital Interface

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$$

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That's awesome! That is so awesome!

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I think we're ready.

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Off to the nationals!

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Good thing we did enough fundraising to cover excess baggage.

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Aren't we meant to trash the room?

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Only if we win the competition.

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You guys are causing quite a stir with your “are they?” or “aren't they?” instruments.

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The regionals cleared up that debate. They most definitely are instruments.

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So how would you describe your sound?

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Like wind turbines and the sound of electricity and vibrating molecules...

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...a choir of animals, machines and the blood rushing around in your head.

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Alter Wreck Boast?

You're on in five minutes!

~

$$

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And now for the final band in the final round of the Sound Off Competition...

Alter Wreck Boast!

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Oh no! Something's wrong with my main circuit! I've lost all sound!

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Isolate the problem Stuart, and then test...test... and test again!

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I've found the problem! It's a dry solder joint! The circuit is broken.

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I need to re-melt the solder and re-connect the circuit...Kate, keep going with that Drum Solo!

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That's it! The circuit is connected! Electricity is flowing!!!

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$$

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Well... you all did great... but the audience has voted...the Judges have made their final decision... the band to be named `Grand Champions of Sound Off' is...

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Alter Wreck Boast!

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Here are your prizes...Brand new instruments...

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New instruments?...

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HUH?

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...But these are our new instruments...

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The science of invention...creativity...inspiration has led the band to great success! But will it stop here? No, no...their success will continue with the clear eyes they have gained from these experiences... Solving problems with cool heads and the knowledge that they have overcome troubles before! Calling on friends when their skills are needed... persevering when it is unclear what the future holds... and decorating when needed, to make things look really awesome...

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The End

~

$$

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The Science of the Paranormal

Illustrated by Abigaille (Felice Gazo)

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And now...

The ‘Illustrate for Cosmix’ winning entry!

by Felice Gazo.

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A seance is a meeting where people gather in an attempt to contact the spirits of dead people.

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You moved it!

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I did not!

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Waiit if neither one of us moved it ... Then that means...

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YEEK! Real ghosts!

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Zee Power of Physics Compels You!!

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Magnetic Field lines shown

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Magnetic fields are relative parts of a field. The movement is caused by opposite charges attracted to each other. Apparently, Iron (Fe) alloyed metals are the only types that possess magnetism. So what really made the coin move?

~

$$

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Stinky

Frogs

Story: Lani Evans

Illustration: Tina Lim

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The Maud Island frogs, Leiopelma pakeka, communicate using precise chemical signals. The smell of the chemical helps them find out important information about each other, like kinship, sex determination and species.

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So you're saying that they talk through stink?

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I sure am. They're very sophisticated communicators.

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Whatcha doing?

~

Just hanging.

~

$$

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Get your

‘Hominid’ action figures

While stocks last!!!

~

NEW!!!

~

If you liked this...

You will love THIS!

~

SAHELANTHROPUS TCHADENSIS

• Lived around 6-7 million years ago

• A thick layer of tooth enamel suggest an herbivorous diet

• Oldest known possible member of the human family tree

• Close to the last common ancestor of both humans and chimpanzees

• Thought to have been bipedal by most researchers

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HOMO SAPIEN

~

CAUTION - CONTAINS SMALL PARTS NOT SUITABLE FOR ANY APE UNDER 2 YEARS OF AGE.

~

$$

~

The `Write For Cosmix'

competition winner is...

Kieran Bunn of Dunedin!

~

Illustrator Serge Ratten has carefuly followed Kieran's Cosmix story to bring you...Future Ride

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My dad won't let me drive the car because he says it is too expensive.

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My parents won't let me either, because it is bad for the environment.

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Yeah, but that just means that they think it is too expensive.

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Probably true.

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In Iceland we are all planning to use hydrogen cars which are cheap and good for the environment.

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Hey that's not a bad idea.

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I have an idea, why don't we all design and build our own cars which are cheap and efficient?

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Ok then let's all go and build our own cars and then we can race them or something.

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Ok, so let's all meet back here in one week's time and have a race to see who can build the most efficient and environmentally friendly car.

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One week later

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So how did it go?

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Went well for me.

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So let's get on with it - and race!

~

$$

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This wind car is cool, it looks great and requires no fuel, just wind. And it's also almost completely silent.

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This nuclear car is awesome, it is super fast and almost never needs refuelling. And you don't even need headlights in the dark because it glows green.

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Well, I made a hydrogen- powered car that's cheap to run because its only fuel is water and its only waste is water too.

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Well, I have watched my rats at home run around and around in their exercise wheels and I thought...

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...this energy could be put to some use. the fuel for this car is really cheap and it keeps your animals fit and healthy.

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GO!

$$

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...hydrogen fuel too light!!

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..Floating away!!

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Help!

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...Lead radiation-proof shielding too heavy!!

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I'll weigh you down with my lead suit!

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...Animals and wind too hard to control!!

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That didn't work very well did it?

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But at least we tried.

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Well. I think the way forward is not any one of these but maybe a combination of all of them.

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Let's all work together to see what we can do and build a car for our future.

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One month later

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Yeah!!!

~

$$

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The Electric Hoodie

~

Story: Lani Evans

Illustration: Greg Seal

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Jimmy!

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Rangi!

~

Dude, what are you wearing?

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Only the latest in cool! It's a solar cell jacket. I can recharge my cell phone and my Prod with these solar panels on my back. Cool eh?

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Yeah man, sunshine power! You're turning photon energy into battery power!

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Very futuristic, Jimmy.

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Whoa! She totally shorts your circuits dude!

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You shouldn't have sweated it!

~

$$

~

Eugenius

of the Future

2050 - Man vs Nature: The battle for balance with nature continues with humanity caught in their own ambush. Unrestrained burning of fossil fuels during the previous century polluted the atmosphere for generations to come, causing fluctuating weather patterns and a global temperature rise of 3o Celsius. Eugene Nugent III is trying to make the best of it.

~

Kia Ora, Eugene. It's 11:00 AM. Here in Canterbury we have a forecasted high of 42oC so make sure you put on that UV-resistant skin suit...

~

Still Dark?

or a swarm of...

~

...Mosquitoes! not again...

~

bzzz...Mammal breath! YUMMY!!

~

CO2

~

...Time for Operation reclaim territory I need to create a diversion...

~

Who's hungry for mammal blood? that's right, follow the carbon dioxide trail into the neighbour's yard.

~

YUMMY!!

I smell mammals! This way!

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Good work, Eugene!

~

I love the smell of victory in the morning!

~

$$

~

Risky 4 Cast

Episode Three

~

Story: Lani Evans

Illustration: Greg Seal

~

It's all gone from bad to worse for Marama and her friends. They were washed onto a volcanic island in a storm. Then Tim was injured when an earthquake knocked him down a cliff. Finding someone's camp with all sorts of gear, Marama impulsively follows a diver under water to get some help...

~

I've got to reach that diver and get Tim airlifted to a hospital!

~

AHH!

That was close! The diver must have gone down into the trench, but there's no way I'm going to follow. It's way deep... I can't even see the bottom. I could get the bends!

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Which way did the diver go? It's like a forest down here. Amazing! I've never seen so many species of fish!

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A paper nautilus! No-one ever sees these!

~

Just like a soft drink bottle - you can't see the bubbles until you take the lid off reducing the pressure. You get bubbles in the blood if you rise from depth too quickly. It can kill you.

~

$$

~

Guess I'll head back to the beach. I'm never going to find that diver down here anyway.

~

What's that? I hope it's not a shark! Not that I'm scared! It's probably just a cloud anyway. Yeah... just a shark-shaped cloud.

~

...23,24,25... That's 10 minutes. Zone six is ticked. It looks like there's been a 10% increase in the Red Moki population since last year.

~

Dude, there's some weird action appearing on camera 4. Looks like there's someone else down there.

~

Okay, get Kim to check it out.

~

Hey Kim, we're seeing what looks like someone swimming around camera 4. Can you check it out?

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dash-dash-dash O

dash-dot-dash K

~

She says ` OK '. Guess she'll have a look around and come up shortly.

~

~

Ha! Looks like the diver's found me.

~

...and then I saw this huge shadow above me and I was terrified! Did you guys feel the earthquake?

~

We heard it! It's really loud when you're underwater.

~

I wonder what those guys are up to?

~

It could be seismologists coming to check out that tremor.

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They can help Tim. Can we go back to shore?

~

$$

~

Dude! The troops have arrived.

~

Hey Cole! How’s Tim?

~

Are you the marine reserve research group? We're from Auckland seismology monitoring. We thought you guys might need a hand evacuating.

~

Is it really that dangerous?

~

Yeah. We think there could be further volcanic activity over the next couple of days.

~

Lucky we decided to come by. That guy is in bad shape.

~

He'll be OK.

~

We can get him straight to hospital.

~

So, what are you guys doing next holidays?

~

I hear there's some good kayaking around Farewell Spit!

~

The End.

~

$$