Australian Science Illustrated — Issue 54 2017

20 | SCIENCE ILLUSTRATED

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KERATIN PLATES

CALCIUM-RICH FIBRES

SPONGE

CAVITIES

The Chernobyl power plant’s

reactor 4 will be finally sealed in November.

What is happening inside Chernobyl?

INSIDE THE BODY

In 2016, a 110-m-high steel coffin was pushed

to cover the Reactor 4, which is to be finally

sealed against leaks in November 2017. At

the centre of the reactor building, tonnes of

highly radioactive nuclear fuel, control rods,

and molten concrete still remain. Radioactive

isotopes such as caesium-137 and

europium-152 emit high concentrations of

gamma radiation, making it lethal to stay

nearby for more than one hour. Over many

years, remote-controlled robots are to

remove the radioactive material.

As compared to the size of its body, the toco toucan

has the world’s longest beak, accounting for about

1/3 of the bird’s length. According to new research,

the beak functions as a kind of climate system,

allowing the bird to regulate its body temperature.

?

With its some 20-cm-long

beak, the toco toucan measures

63 cm from beak to tail. The

whole bird weighs about 680 g.

The beak only makes up 5 %

of the bird's body weight. It

consists of a grid of cal-

cium- rich fibres, which

make up a structure like

that of a hard sponge with

small cavities. With rising

temperatures, warm blood

flows from the body out

through the grid of blood

vessels in the beak, so the

heat is diverted away from

the body, cooling the bird.

Microscopic, hexagonal

plates made of keratin

• the material that
  makes up hair and
  nails – overlap like
  roof plates to make
  up a sturdy surface.

The point of the beak is efficient

for picking fruit and berries. As

the beak is so long, the toco

toucan can reach fruit on

branches, which are not thick

enough to carry its weight.

SHUTTERSTOCK & MIKKEL JUUL JENSEN

BRENDAN HOFFMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Why is the toco toucan’s

beak so large?

DAMAGED REACTOR

SEALED IN STEEL

COFFIN

26 April 1986: Reactor 4 of

the Chernobyl plant in

Ukraine explodes.

September 2010: The

construction of the 36,000 t,

110-m-high, and 162-m-long

steel casing begins.

November 2017: The steel

casing is in place, ensuring

no new leaks for 100+ years.

BEAK EXTERIOR

BLOOD

VESSELS

SPONGE