Dragonflies are among the most ancient of insects — they were darting across rivers and lakes long before dinosaurs appeared — and have evolved many mechanisms to survive, says Dr Dan Bickel, an entomologist with the.Powerful eyes and impressive flying abilities are chief among their abilities, says Bickel.' They can fly further, higher and faster than most insects, sometimes at speeds of up to 70km per hour.' Dragonflies are able to propel themselves upwards and downwards, backwards and forwards, side to side and hover in midair.And many of these flying abilities are thanks to the insect's distinctive wings.The dragonfly has two sets of wings — one behind the other — that can be used in tandem or independently.Running through each wing is a network of veins that adds strength and flexibility. This allows the dragonfly to curve and cut through the air, Bickel says.' It's a very dynamic sort of system — it's very lightweight, flexible and strong.' This vein structure is held together by a very thin, shiny film made from chitin (pronounced kite-en); a starch variation that makes up the exoskeletons of most insects.A great number of invertebrates — including prawns, spiders and insects — have exo or external skeletons; meaning that unlike humans they are 'soft on the inside, hard on the outside,' Bickel says.Chitin, says Bickel, is not elastic so that when the animal wants to grow, it has to push out of its wings, split open the structure and wait for a new exoskeleton to harden. The most well known example of this is the cicada pushing out of its shell.Bickel says the wings are 'really smooth, with no bumps' which makes the chitin appear glassy and reflective.Ken Walker, insect curator with says chitin in its natural form is translucent and it's the 'extreme thinness' of dragonfly wings that make them appear glassy.This shininess is not exclusive to dragonflies.'

In contrast to the dull and drab larva that breathes through gills, the adult dragonfly is a vibrant and swift creature with beautiful wings! This aspect of its life symbolizes transformation and renewal, and is even associated with spiritual renewal and self realization. Dragonfly species (Anisoptera) are characterized by long bodies with two narrow pairs of intricately veined, membranous wings that, while generally transparent, may have coloured markings. Unlike damselflies, the front and rear wing pairs are shaped differently.

There are a lot of other insects with the glassy wing — flies, bees, wasps. Many of them have the same transparent, glassy, chitinous structure,' says Walker.Bickel says if you were to remove the colourful scales from a butterfly, their wings would be glassy too.Also, not all dragonfly wings appear glassy. Ridiculous fishing free download iphone.

With some 6,000 species worldwide — 320 of which are found in Australia — there is a great variety to how their wings look.' Some are transparent while others are brightly coloured, reddish, brown or even metallic,' Bickel says.' Those which lack pigment look more pure and glassy.' The different wing patterns and colours probably allow the insects to attract and recognise desired mates within their own species.Nor is the wing appearance uniform over the course of a dragonfly's lifespan, with the colour often dulling as the insect matures.Dr Dan Bickel, is an entomologist with the Australian Museum; and Dr Ken Walker is Senior Curator of Entomology and Arachnology at Museum Victoria. They were interviewed by Katie Silver.Tags:,Published 02 April 2013.

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On Dragonfly Wings a Skeptic's Journey to Mediumship, is a candid and personal search for the meaning of life, of death and of grief. It aims to give hope to those who have lost a loved one and to those who are about to pass beyond hope that this is not an end.

Written for lay people, rather than experienced spiritualists or mediums, and for anyone who is curious about On Dragonfly Wings a Skeptic's Journey to Mediumship, is a candid and personal search for the meaning of life, of death and of grief. It aims to give hope to those who have lost a loved one and to those who are about to pass beyond hope that this is not an end. Written for lay people, rather than experienced spiritualists or mediums, and for anyone who is curious about exploring further, it provides practical tools to help readers find their own spiritual truth and path.' This is an engaging memoir, full of useful information for all of us.

Beginning with the death of her younger brother, the author reveals how Spirit works with each of us to rediscover connections - whether these are past life connections, or connections with those special people we love who have transitioned to the next phase of life. I especially enjoyed the author's sharing of her doubts and misgivings along her own spiritual path - as all of us experience.

If you would like to 'delve in This is an engaging memoir, full of useful information for all of us. Beginning with the death of her younger brother, the author reveals how Spirit works with each of us to rediscover connections - whether these are past life connections, or connections with those special people we love who have transitioned to the next phase of life. I especially enjoyed the author's sharing of her doubts and misgivings along her own spiritual path - as all of us experience. If you would like to 'delve in deeper', as this author did, I highly recommend this book! I received this book as part of a FirstReads giveaway here on Goodreads.Being a skeptic, but sometimes believer of the supernatural, I took to this book with an open mind. It surprised me, at first, that the book was somewhat easy to read.

The elements flowed well together. Even when I was reading elements that happened a century ago, it seemed natural and even personal to me. There's a lot of information in the book, which I felt like it was successfully written because there isn't any I received this book as part of a FirstReads giveaway here on Goodreads.Being a skeptic, but sometimes believer of the supernatural, I took to this book with an open mind. It surprised me, at first, that the book was somewhat easy to read. The elements flowed well together. Even when I was reading elements that happened a century ago, it seemed natural and even personal to me.

There's a lot of information in the book, which I felt like it was successfully written because there isn't any unnecessary information. The majority of these experiences, discussed in the book, are about the death of Michael. Yet, his passing isn't taken as such a horrific or depressing thing, to me. Instead, he is an important part of the author's journey to spiritual aspects of her life.

We further go into other important times and places where she's felt comfortable in that lifestyle. From the beginning, through to the end, I felt like I experienced somewhat of a spiritual journey of my own as I read into her life.I don't necessarily believe in a spiritual realm, though I don't deny that one exists. While reading this book, I thought that there were some deeply thought-provoking moments and some great information provided.

I was particularly interested in the idea of spirit-midwifery and wish the author had touched on that more, even whether she might have tried to discern the soul of her own third child, the pregnancy of which being introduced in a final portion of the book. I might be reading more into such things, being that the idea of such a thing intrigues me. I just can't find the words to say what I really feel about this book. In short, I think it felt like a very personal read, despite never having met the author or known of her work before this book. Being skeptical of such things, it felt kind of humbling and I found that I'm more open to the idea of a spiritual realm than I might have been before.Many moments were thought-provoking and I definitely think I want to look into such things in future, whether they're real or not. The book took me a little less than two hours to read, without any breaks; it was simply too interesting to put down. I think it's well deserving of five stars, being that it presented a beautiful introduction into the world of Daniela Norris, the author.

Having lost a loved one I knew I would identify with this book. I wanted signs that my husband was still with me and my children after he died.

I suppose I wanted him to bang me over the head with a hammer, to make it absolutely undeniable. I am not a skeptic, but I can be incredibly blind at times, especially when caught up in the grief of the moment.It took a year and friendly medium to point out all the messages I had been ignoring. It was a real 'doh' moment. The medium told me to look out Having lost a loved one I knew I would identify with this book.

I wanted signs that my husband was still with me and my children after he died. I suppose I wanted him to bang me over the head with a hammer, to make it absolutely undeniable.

I am not a skeptic, but I can be incredibly blind at times, especially when caught up in the grief of the moment.It took a year and friendly medium to point out all the messages I had been ignoring. It was a real 'doh' moment. The medium told me to look out for a missing item somewhere unexpected. We found my son's house keys, complete with Homer Simpson fob (previously his father's) in the post box outside our house! How is beyond questioning, but it was my 'take home' and my proof to my children that their Dad still remained around us.This book is beautifully written, it charts the author's journey to mediumship, her experiences with past life regression, tips on a range of tools for connecting to the 'other side', and her own personal memoir.

Daniela has walked the walk, which makes it all so much more powerful.Highly recommended. This book describes aura-reading, divination with pendulums, communication with departed souls, hypno-birthing, and other visualization techniques. Norris was always 'convinced that there is more to us than our physical bodies', but she was a skeptic about mediumship until she tried these techniques; now, she says, she can bend spoons with her mind.These life experiences were prompted in part by the loss of her much younger brother, who accidentally drowned during his time of compulsory military This book describes aura-reading, divination with pendulums, communication with departed souls, hypno-birthing, and other visualization techniques. Norris was always 'convinced that there is more to us than our physical bodies', but she was a skeptic about mediumship until she tried these techniques; now, she says, she can bend spoons with her mind.These life experiences were prompted in part by the loss of her much younger brother, who accidentally drowned during his time of compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces. Norris writes evocatively about this loss and about her friendship with a Palestinian woman, Shireen, who helped her through her grief.The assertions about afterlife will not ring true for everyone.

“The thought that there is something beyond this world, and that you might be held accountable for your actions in this life, makes people feel differently about their entire lives. It makes them better human beings,” she writes.

This is true for a good number of people. There are, however, people who feel accountable for their own actions here and now, and who desire to hold other people accountable for their actions here and now, without the sense that meaning and accountability will come from a third-party judge in an afterlife who will sort it all out nor from reincarnations th.