Search

Placeholder Content Image

Jelena Dokic's powerful message on body image

<p>Jelena Dokic has shared a powerful message about body image, after years of online trolls commenting on her weight. </p> <p>The tennis great took to Instagram to share before and after photos of her from nine months ago with the caption: "NOW THE SAME PERSON REGARDLESS OF MY SIZE".</p> <p>"Whether 30 kilos more on the left 10 months ago or now. Proud of myself in exactly the same way," she said.</p> <p>"Because my size and number on the scale doesn't define me.</p> <p>"My kindness, hard work, humility, loyalty, good heart, resilience, strength in face adversity and fighting spirit does. And that's what really matters."</p> <p>"Nobody at your funeral will ever talk about your size," Dokic continued.</p> <p>"They will talk about who you were as a person. So make sure they can say what an amazing and kind person you were. And that's what it's about. Legacy of kindness and being a good person.</p> <p>"And if you do it at a size 20 or a size 2, it really doesn't matter. But don't ever judge anyone and don't ever base your opinion on others based on their size.</p> <p>"Because then you are just not a good person and it's not kind."</p> <p>She then urged her followers to be kind before saying that she is not ashamed of who she was "because it doesn't matter what size I am as long as I am a good person."</p> <p>She continued saying that no matter what size she is "nobody will shame me into feeling bad about myself and who I am especially nobody that sits behind a keyboard or phone and takes time out of their life to write something negative to someone else especially someone that you don't even know." </p> <p>"And the same goes if you see me or anyone else in person and you judge us and base your opinion of us based on our size," she said.</p> <p>"That's just terrible. And what you think of me and others based on size says everything about you. Full stop."</p> <p>Dokic has been a vocal advocate for body positivity, after years of online trolls commenting on her changing body size. </p> <p>Just last month she opened up about her <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/jelena-dokic-s-candid-admission-on-weight-loss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">body transformation </a>and struggles with depression and an eating disorder. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

New rendered image holds hope in William Tyrrell disappearance 10 years on

<p>A new rendered image has shown what William Tyrrell would look like now on the 10-year anniversary of his disappearance. </p> <p>On September 12th 2014, the then three-year-old disappeared from his foster grandmother's home in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast and has not been seen since, making his disappearance one of the nation's most enduring mysteries. </p> <p>Now, 10 years on, <em>Ten News</em> have released a rendered image of what William might look like now at 13, with experts hoping it might prompt someone to come forward with information. </p> <p>Criminologist Xanthe Mallett said the image was a way to keep William’s face in the public eye.</p> <p>“An image such as this could encourage someone who knows what happen to unlock the mystery,” Dr Mallett told <em>Ten News</em>.</p> <p>A $1million reward has been offered for information to help locate William, with a coronial inquest into his disappearance to take place at the end of this year.</p> <p>As William's family continue to struggle with the mystery around his disappearance, Close friends of Tyrrell’s foster parents, Clare and Alice Collins, have told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/how-william-tyrells-loved-ones-are-spending-the-10-year-anniversary-of-his-disappearance-c-16030683" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>7News</em></a> reporter Michael Usher the family was “crushed” to still have no answers on the 10-year anniversary.</p> <p>“They remember William every minute of every day,” Clare said. “They’re living a nightmare.”</p> <p>Alice added, even a decade on, they believed “hope is the key”.</p> <p>“You hear cases from around the world with kids who had been abducted, and they turn up 10, 20 years later,” she said.</p> <p>“There is still a chance that he is out there ... it’s a big reach ... but in light of the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that William is deceased there is that very, very slim chance.”</p> <p>The pair appealed to anyone across the country with information as to where William might be to “make the call”.</p> <p>“It’s as though he’s just vanished ... we need answers ... Australia needs answers. Help bring William home ... and we will do everything in our power,” Alice said. “We are never giving up.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: NSW Police / Ten News</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

TV star charged over making indecent images of children

<p>Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children. </p> <p>The 62-year-old, who left the UK public broadcaster in April after 40 years, faces three charges over alleged activity between December 2020 and April 2022.</p> <p>Police claim the offences are claimed to be linked to images shared on WhatsApp.</p> <p>After being arrested in November last year by London's Metropolitan Police, he was charged with the offences on June 26th.</p> <p>A Metropolitan Police spokesman said of the arrest, “Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children following a Met Police investigation."</p> <p>“The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat. Edwards was arrested on 8 November 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service."</p> <p>“He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 31 July."</p> <p>Married dad-of-five Edwards resigned from the BBC three months ago after a stellar career spanning almost 40 years.</p> <p>The BBC revealed their star presenter’s resignation in a short statement on April 22nd, writing, “Huw Edwards has resigned and left the BBC."</p> <p>“After 40 years of service, Huw explained that his decision was made on the basis of advice. The BBC has accepted his resignation.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: BBC</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Can you control your image? Gina Rinehart, King Charles and ‘moral portraits'

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-benjamin-119535">Roger Benjamin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>“She’s no oil painting”.</p> <p>Those were the unkind words of a colleague commenting on the subject of Vincent Namatjira’s acrylic painting, Gina. Every one of the prominent Australians and cultural heroes in Namatjira’s ensemble <a href="https://theconversation.com/vincent-namatjiras-paintbrush-is-his-weapon-with-an-infectious-energy-and-wry-humour-nothing-is-off-limits-217361">Australia in Colour</a> (2021) is subject to his trademark distortions.</p> <p>When the painter gets to work interpreting the press photographs that his main source, resemblance is always stretched. No one comes out unscathed: Tony Abbott looks just as scary as Angus Young from AC/DC; a grimacing Queen Elizabeth as grisly as a roaring Cathy Freeman. Indeed, in the <a href="https://thamesandhudson.com.au/product/vincent-namatjira/">2023 volume on Namatjira</a> there are no fewer than four paintings of Gina Rinehart – and they look like four different people.</p> <p>Do we expect a portrait to be a moral <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiognomy">physiognomy</a>, the ancient pseudoscience that assumes the way someone has lived their life shapes their features and appearance?</p> <p>Roman emperors were shown to be ideal types: the heroic portrait. Who knows what these men actually looked like? In the case of King Charles III, whose <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68981200">new portrait</a> by Jonathon Yeo was unveiled this week, we can compare his likeness to the myriad photographic and filmic images.</p> <p>Newspaper caricature, <a href="https://firstamendmentmuseum.org/exhibits/virtual-exhibits/art-politics-300-years-of-political-cartoons/political-cartoons-part-1-1720-1800/">popular since the 1700s</a>, works hard to point out imperfections, posit animal likenesses, and exaggerate specific facial features to satirise public figures.</p> <p>Namatjira brushes with caricature even when depicting himself.</p> <h2>Can you control your image?</h2> <p>I think Rinehart should be flattered to be one of Namatjira’s favourites. The wits in the twittersphere have in the past 24 hours shown several more of his Ginas, and it turns out there are also at least half a dozen colour portraits of her by other artists.</p> <p>They range from <a href="https://scottmarsh.com.au/products/mothers-milk">Scottie Marsh’s mural</a> on a Sydney wall of a matronly Rinehart giving the breast to infant Barnaby Joyce (with apologies to Raphael), to Xavier Ghazi’s demonic hard-hatted Gina <a href="https://citynews.com.au/2023/bald-archy-prize-heading-for-immortality/">giving Australians the finger</a> – it’s in newspaper caricature mode, his entry in the Bald Archies competition for 2023.</p> <p>Although Rinehart has reportedly called for Namatjira’s painting to be taken down, the initiative <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/gold-medallist-led-campaign-to-take-down-gina-rinehart-portrait-20240516-p5je1y.html">apparently comes</a> from members of the Australian swimming team and their former coach (Rinehart is that sport’s major private sponsor).</p> <p>I suspect their discomfort comes from reading Namatjira’s Gina as a moral portrait; that is, ugliness of appearance projects an ugly spirit (whereas for them she is the epitome of generosity).</p> <p>It’s an interesting idea that the fresh-faced teenage daughter of Lang Hancock in <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/abcs-australian-story-focuses-on-gina-rineharts-bond-with-father-lang-hancock-20150706-gi6h1f.html">old news photos</a> has changed not just because times takes beauty away (as we all know), but because of the impact of things she inherited from her father: not just the extreme wealth and the jawline, but the conservative views, and the ways she has used her money and power.</p> <p>Her control of vast tracts of (unceded) grazing land across western and central Australia give reason to reflect on what Western Aranda man Namatjira might think of her.</p> <h2>And yet what about commissions?</h2> <p>When can a sitter control their portrait image? Only when they commission the work. Art history has plenty of cases in which a sitter has rejected their portrait. Monet in the 1860s painted his brother Leon, who so disliked the canvas he locked it in an attic, from which it emerged 150 years later.</p> <p>Portrait paintings have had to be altered, payment refused, or be paid for then destroyed. The commissioned portrait, it’s assumed, must flatter the sitter or at least offer a fair and non-judgemental likeness.</p> <p>The British royal family has historically been very forgiving about portraits, and has the sophistication to know it is futile to protest a likeness. Doing so invokes the perverse “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect">Streisand effect</a>”, as we see happening with Namatjira’s Gina.</p> <p>There are dozens of depictions of Elizabeth II and Charles III in Namatjira’s pantheon – including one of the late queen alongside Rinehart in Australia in Colour. Namatjira has a family link to Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who met Albert Namatjira (the painter’s great grandfather) on their 1954 tour of Australia.</p> <p>But no one is asking for Queen Bess to be removed from the National Gallery of Australia.</p> <p>As a mark of <em>noblesse oblige</em>, King Charles has accepted the newly unveiled commissioned portrait of himself by Jonathon Yeo. It is an absolute shocker, and he should have sent it back.</p> <p>The King, de-aged by 20 years, looks pleasantly out at us from a floor-to-ceiling fog of strawberry- and cerise-coloured paint that covers his dress uniform. The joke, of course, is that the red colouration can be read as a reference to “<a href="https://time.com/6226657/crown-charles-camilla-tampongate/">tampongate</a>”, the product of an infamous case of tabloid phone-hacking in 1993.</p> <p>It’s a case of a portrait generating an unintended consequence – just as Namatjira surely did not expect to provoke international headlines today with his Gina, whom he’s been depicting for years.</p> <p>Fittingly, wise heads have rejected calls for the gallery to remove the canvas, starting with director Nick Mitzevich’s <a href="https://amp.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/portrait-gina-rinehart-doesn-t-want-you-to-see-mogul-demands-national-gallery-remove-her-image-20240513-p5jd59.html">measured statement</a>, seconded by the National Association for the Visual Arts whose <a href="https://visualarts.net.au/news-opinion/2024/nava-defends-vincent-namatjiras-artistic-freedom-amid-demands-removal-nga/">press release</a> insists on freedom of expression.</p> <p>Finally, late yesterday, Namatjira, resisting myriad calls for interviews, issued a statement in the pithy mode of his book texts. Let him have the last word:</p> <blockquote> <p>I paint people who are wealthy, powerful, or significant – people who have had an influence on this country, and on me personally, whether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad. Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/230297/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-benjamin-119535"><em>Roger Benjamin</em></a><em>, Professor in Art History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-you-control-your-image-gina-rinehart-king-charles-and-moral-portraits-230297">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Incredible treasure trove of unseen royal images

<p>In a mesmerising blend of history and artistry, Buckingham Palace's newly christened King's Gallery has unveiled a captivating journey through time and royalty with the debut of "Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography".</p> <p>Opening its on May 17, this groundbreaking exhibition delves into the illustrious lineage of the Royal Family through more than 150 carefully curated portraits – some never before seen by the public eye.</p> <p>A highlight among these treasures is a poignant snapshot capturing a rare familial moment: Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra, and The Duchess of Kent cradling their newborns. Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret's husband, immortalised this touching scene as a token of gratitude to Sir John Peel, the esteemed royal obstetrician responsible for delivering all four babies within a mere two-month span.</p> <p>In this heartfelt image, Queen Elizabeth II tenderly holds Prince Edward, her youngest offspring, while Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and The Duchess of Kent embrace their own bundles of joy. Accompanying this snapshot is a handwritten letter penned by Princess Margaret to her sister, affectionately addressed as "Darling Lilibet", requesting a signature on a print destined as a cherished memento for the esteemed doctor.</p> <p>The exhibition transcends mere family portraits, delving deep into the evolution of royal portraiture over the past century. Visitors are treated to a visual feast of iconic images captured by renowned photographers, including Dorothy Wilding, Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey and Rankin. Notably, the legendary Cecil Beaton's immortalisation of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation remains a cornerstone of the collection, offering a timeless glimpse into history.</p> <p>The exhibition also pays homage to the enduring allure of Princess Anne through her striking appearances on <em>Vogue</em> covers and a celebrated coming-of-age portrait by Norman Parkinson, commemorating her 21st birthday. From the timeless elegance of Princess Anne to the radiant charm of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the spirited grace of Zara Tindall, the exhibition showcases a diverse tapestry of royal personalities spanning generations.</p> <p>Yet, it is not merely the portraits themselves that captivate visitors, but the untold stories and intimate moments woven into each frame. Delving into the depths of royal history, the exhibition reveals unseen wartime images by Cecil Beaton, illustrating King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's unwavering resolve amidst the chaos of conflict.</p> <p>As visitors explore the gallery, they are guided by a free multimedia experience narrated by Dame Joanna Lumley, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the artistry and craftsmanship behind these timeless portraits. From Hugo Burnand's vivid recollections of photographing the royal coronation to the candid insights of royal photographers such as Rankin and John Swannell, the multimedia guide adds depth and dimension to the exhibition, inviting visitors to immerse themselves fully in the rich tapestry of royal history.</p> <p>"Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography" is not merely an exhibition; it is a testament to the enduring legacy of the British monarchy, captured through the lens of some of the most esteemed photographers of our time. From the grandeur of coronations to the tender embrace of a mother cradling her newborn, each portrait tells a story – a story of tradition, resilience and the timeless allure of royalty.</p> <p><em>Images: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024.</em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Police release new images in search for church rioters

<p>The images of 12 men who were allegedly involved in the violent riot outside The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley have been released by NSW Police. </p> <p>Three men have been charged over their alleged involvement in the riot last Monday, shortly after bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed during a service that was being live-streamed. </p> <p>A 16-year-old boy has been <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/teenage-boy-in-custody-after-stabbing-at-sydney-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> over the stabbing incident, with police describing it as a "terror incident". </p> <p>Now, Strike Force Dribs have been established to investigate the violent incidents, and they have released the images of the men they would like to speak to. </p> <p>Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said that around 2,000 people were at the scene but up to 50 were there "to start problems". </p> <p>"We know that there's groups of families involved that have gone there to support their parishioners, and we're not looking for those people," he said.</p> <p>"We're looking to speak with them if they can provide us information about the people involved."</p> <p>In the immediate aftermath of the incident, dozens of police were injured, their cars vandalised, and some officers and paramedics were forced to take shelter inside the church. </p> <p>One police officer had their jaw broken, while another suffered facial and knee injuries. </p> <p>Superintendent Andrew Evans said that the images of the men have been released  "due to the violent and aggressive nature of their actions".</p> <p>"We are doing everything we can to identify these men and are now appealing for public assistance," he said in a statement.</p> <p>"Someone in the community knows who they are."</p> <p>One man — known as Person A — had his face covered but was filmed jumping on top of police cars. He has a large tattoo of Jesus Christ on his stomach, and others on his left arm. </p> <p>Another — known as Person C <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">—</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> was described as being of</span> Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance with short black hair and a beard. </p> <p>A full list of all the people police believed were involved in the riots were released on their <a href="https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGMTExNTU0Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, with descriptions of their features and the clothes they were wearing. </p> <p>Investigators are also collecting evidence including mobile phone and CCTV footage to identify those involved.</p> <p>Over the weekend, Issa Haddad, 28, was charged and granted bail for over the public disorder incident. </p> <p>Two others, Dani Mansour, 19, and Sam Haddad, 45, have also been charged and granted bail. </p> <p><em>Images: NSW Police/ SBS News</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Yes, Kate Middleton’s photo was doctored. But so are a lot of images we see today

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/t-j-thomson-503845">T.J. Thomson</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>Rumours and conspiracies have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/style/princess-kate-middleton-health.html">swirling</a> following the abdominal surgery and long recovery period of Catherine, Princess of Wales, earlier this year. They intensified on Monday when Kensington Palace released a photo of the princess with her three children.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The photo had clear signs of tampering, and international wire services <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-princess-photo-surgery-ca91acf667c87c6c70a7838347d6d4fb">withdrew the image</a> amid concerns around manipulation. The princess later <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1767135566645092616">apologised for any confusion</a> and said she had “experimented with editing” as many amateur photographers do.</p> <p>Image editing is extremely common these days, and not all of it is for nefarious purposes. However, in an age of rampant misinformation, how can we stay vigilant around suspicious images?</p> <h2>What happened with the royal photo?</h2> <p>A close look reveals at least eight inconsistencies with the image.</p> <p>Two of these relate to unnatural blur. Catherine’s right hand is unnaturally blurred, even though her left hand is sharp and at the same distance from the camera. The left side of Catherine’s hair is also unnaturally blurred, while the right side of her hair is sharp.</p> <p>These types of edits are usually made with a blur tool that softens pixels. It is often used to make the background of an image less distracting or to smooth rough patches of texture.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">At least eight logical inconsistencies exist in the doctored image the Prince and Princess of Wales posted on social media.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/">Photo by the Prince of Wales/Chart by T.J. Thomson</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Five of the edits appear to use the “clone stamp” tool. This is a Photoshop tool that takes part of the same or a different image and “stamps” it onto another part.</p> <p>You can see this with the repeated pattern on Louis’s (on the left) sweater and the tile on the ground. You can also see it with the step behind Louis’s legs and on Charlotte’s hair and sleeve. The zipper on Catherine’s jacket also doesn’t line up.</p> <p>The most charitable interpretation is that the princess was trying to remove distracting or unflattering elements. But the artefacts could also point to multiple images being blended together. This could either be to try to show the best version of each person (for example, with a smiling face and open eyes), or for another purpose.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C</p> <p>— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1767135566645092616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <h2>How common are image edits?</h2> <p>Image editing is increasingly common as both photography and editing are increasingly becoming more automated.</p> <p>This sometimes happens without you even knowing.</p> <p>Take HDR (high dynamic range) images, for example. Point your iPhone or equivalent at a beautiful sunset and watch it capture the scene from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. What happens here is your camera makes multiple images and automatically stitches them together to make an image <a href="https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/hub/guides/what-is-hdr-photography.html">with a wider range of contrast</a>.</p> <p>While face-smoothing or teeth-whitening filters are nothing new, some smartphone camera apps apply them without being prompted. Newer technology like Google’s “Best Take” <a href="https://blog.google/products/photos/how-google-photos-best-take-works/">feature</a> can even combine the best attributes of multiple images to ensure everyone’s eyes are open and faces are smiling in group shots.</p> <p>On social media, it seems everyone tries to show themselves in their best light, which is partially why so few of the photos on our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15551393.2020.1862663">camera rolls</a> make it onto our social media feeds. It is also why we often edit our photos to show our best sides.</p> <p>But in other contexts, such as press photography, the <a href="https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/telling-the-story/visuals">rules are much stricter</a>. The Associated Press, for example, bans all edits beyond simple crops, colour adjustments, and “minor adjustments” that “restore the authentic nature of the photograph”.</p> <p>Professional photojournalists haven’t always gotten it right, though. While the majority of lens-based news workers adhere to ethical guidelines like those published by the <a href="https://nppa.org/resources/code-ethics">National Press Photographers Association</a>, others have let deadline pressures, competition and the desire for exceptional imagery cloud their judgement.</p> <p>One such example was in 2017, when British photojournalist Souvid Datta admitted to <a href="https://time.com/4766312/souvid-datta/">visually plagiarising</a> another photographer’s work within his own composition.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Photographer Souvid Datta appears to have plagiarized Mary Ellen Mark: <a href="https://t.co/iO1Lm8CowU">https://t.co/iO1Lm8CowU</a> <a href="https://t.co/jswHyApGNj">pic.twitter.com/jswHyApGNj</a></p> <p>— PetaPixel (@petapixel) <a href="https://twitter.com/petapixel/status/859824132258537472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2017</a></p></blockquote> <p>Concerns around false or misleading visual information are at an all-time high, given advances in <a href="https://theconversation.com/nine-was-slammed-for-ai-editing-a-victorian-mps-dress-how-can-news-media-use-ai-responsibly-222382">generative artificial intelligence (AI)</a>. In fact, this year the World Economic Forum named the risk of misinformation and disinformation as the world’s greatest <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/ai-disinformation-global-risks/">short-term threat</a>. It placed this above armed conflict and natural disasters.</p> <h2>What to do if you’re unsure about an image you’ve found online</h2> <p>It can be hard to keep up with the more than <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-2-billion-images-and-720-000-hours-of-video-are-shared-online-daily-can-you-sort-real-from-fake-148630">3 billion photos</a> that are shared each day.</p> <p>But, for the ones that matter, we owe it to ourselves to slow down, zoom in and ask ourselves a few simple <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck-resources/how-we-check-the-facts/">questions</a>:</p> <p>1. Who made or shared the image? This can give clues about reliability and the purpose of making or sharing the image.</p> <p>2. What’s the evidence? Can you find another version of the image, for example, using a <a href="https://tineye.com/">reverse-image search engine</a>?</p> <p>3. What do trusted sources say? Consult resources like <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/">AAP FactCheck</a> or <a href="https://factcheck.afp.com/">AFP Fact Check</a> to see if authoritative sources have already weighed in.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225553/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/t-j-thomson-503845">T.J. Thomson</a>, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-kate-middletons-photo-was-doctored-but-so-are-a-lot-of-images-we-see-today-225553">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Hero image: The Conversation / X / Instagram</em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Mothers’ dieting habits and self-talk have profound impact on daughters − 2 psychologists explain how to cultivate healthy behaviors and body image

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/janet-j-boseovski-451496">Janet J. Boseovski</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-north-carolina-greensboro-2069">University of North Carolina – Greensboro</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashleigh-gallagher-1505989">Ashleigh Gallagher</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-north-carolina-greensboro-2069">University of North Carolina – Greensboro</a></em></p> <p>Weight loss is one of the most common health and appearance-related goals.</p> <p>Women and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db340.htm">teen girls</a> are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db313.htm">especially likely to pursue dieting</a> to achieve weight loss goals even though a great deal of research shows that <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-thin-people-dont-understand-about-dieting-86604">dieting doesn’t work over the long term</a>.</p> <p>We are a <a href="https://www.duck-lab.com/people">developmental psychologist</a> and a <a href="https://psy.uncg.edu/directory/ashleigh-gallagher/">social psychologist</a> who together wrote a forthcoming book, “Beyond Body Positive: A Mother’s Evidence-Based Guide for Helping Girls Build a Healthy Body Image.”</p> <p>In the book, we address topics such as the effects of maternal dieting behaviors on daughters’ health and well-being. We provide information on how to build a foundation for healthy body image beginning in girlhood.</p> <h2>Culturally defined body ideals</h2> <p>Given the strong influence of social media and other cultural influences on body ideals, it’s understandable that so many people pursue diets aimed at weight loss. <a href="https://communityhealth.mayoclinic.org/featured-stories/tiktok-diets">TikTok</a>, YouTube, Instagram and celebrity websites feature slim influencers and “how-tos” for achieving those same results in no time.</p> <p>For example, women and teens are engaging in rigid and extreme forms of exercise such as 54D, a program to <a href="https://54d.com/">achieve body transformation in 54 days</a>, or the <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/75-hard-challenge-and-rules">75 Hard Challenge</a>, which is to follow five strict rules for 75 days.</p> <p>For teens, these pursuits are likely fueled by trendy body preoccupations such as the desire for “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/well/move/tiktok-legging-legs-eating-disorders.html">legging legs</a>.”</p> <p>Women and teens have also been been inundated with recent messaging around <a href="https://theconversation.com/drugs-that-melt-away-pounds-still-present-more-questions-than-answers-but-ozempic-wegovy-and-mounjaro-could-be-key-tools-in-reducing-the-obesity-epidemic-205549">quick-fix weight loss drugs</a>, which come with a lot of caveats.</p> <p>Dieting and weight loss goals are highly individual, and when people are intensely self-focused, it is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2000.19.1.70">possible to lose sight of the bigger picture</a>. Although women might wonder what the harm is in trying the latest diet, science shows that dieting behavior doesn’t just affect the dieter. In particular, for women who are mothers or who have other girls in their lives, these behaviors affect girls’ emerging body image and their health and well-being.</p> <h2>The profound effect of maternal role models</h2> <p>Research shows that mothers and maternal figures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.11.001">have a profound influence on their daughters’ body image</a>.</p> <p>The opportunity to influence girls’ body image comes far earlier than adolescence. In fact, research shows that these influences on body image <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-toxic-diet-culture-is-passed-from-moms-to-daughters">begin very early in life</a> – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2016.10.006">during the preschool years</a>.</p> <p>Mothers may feel that they are being discreet about their dieting behavior, but little girls are watching and listening, and they are far more observant of us than many might think.</p> <p>For example, one study revealed that compared with daughters of nondieting women, 5-year-old girls whose mothers dieted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(00)00339-4">were aware of the connection between dieting and thinness</a>.</p> <p>Mothers’ eating behavior does not just affect girls’ ideas about dieting, but also their daughters’ eating behavior. The amount of food that mothers eat <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.04.018">predicts how much their daughters will eat</a>. In addition, daughters whose mothers are dieters are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.04.018">more likely to become dieters themselves</a> and are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.03.001">more likely to have a negative body image</a>.</p> <p>Negative body image is <a href="https://theconversation.com/mounting-research-documents-the-harmful-effects-of-social-media-use-on-mental-health-including-body-image-and-development-of-eating-disorders-206170">not a trivial matter</a>. It affects girls’ and women’s mental and physical well-being in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317710815">host of ways</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2011.06.009">can predict the emergence of eating disorders</a>.</p> <h2>Avoiding ‘fat talk’</h2> <p>What can moms do, then, to serve their daughters’ and their own health?</p> <p>They can focus on small steps. And although it is best to begin these efforts early in life – in girlhood – it is never too late to do so.</p> <p>For example, mothers can consider how they think about and talk about themselves around their daughters. Engaging in “fat talk” may inadvertently send their daughters the message that larger bodies are bad, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.07.004">contributing to weight bias</a> and negative self-image. Mothers’ fat talk also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2021.1908294">predicts later body dissatisfaction in daughters</a>.</p> <p>And negative self-talk isn’t good for mothers, either; it is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105318781943">lower motivation and unhealthful eating</a>. Mothers can instead practice and model self-compassion, which involves treating oneself the way <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.03.003">a loving friend might treat you</a>.</p> <p>In discussions about food and eating behavior, it is important to avoid moralizing certain kinds of food by labeling them as “good” or “bad,” as girls may extend these labels to their personal worth. For example, a young girl may feel that she is being “bad” if she eats dessert, if that is what she has learned from observing the women around her. In contrast, she may feel that she has to eat a salad to be “good.”</p> <p>Moms and other female role models can make sure that the dinner plate sends a healthy message to their daughters by showing instead that all foods can fit into a balanced diet when the time is right. Intuitive eating, which emphasizes paying attention to hunger and satiety and allows flexibility in eating behavior, is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-00852-4">better physical and mental health in adolescence</a>.</p> <p>Another way that women and especially moms can buffer girls’ body image is by helping their daughters <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.12.009">to develop media literacy</a> and to think critically about the nature and purpose of media. For example, moms can discuss the misrepresentation and distortion of bodies, such as the use of filters to enhance physical appearance, on social media.</p> <h2>Focusing on healthful behaviors</h2> <p>One way to begin to focus on health behaviors rather than dieting behaviors is to develop respect for the body and to <a href="https://theconversation.com/body-neutrality-what-it-is-and-how-it-can-help-lead-to-more-positive-body-image-191799">consider body neutrality</a>. In other words, prize body function rather than appearance and spend less time thinking about your body’s appearance. Accept that there are times when you may not feel great about your body, and that this is OK.</p> <p>To feel and look their best, mothers can aim to stick to a <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-best-diet-for-healthy-sleep-a-nutritional-epidemiologist-explains-what-food-choices-will-help-you-get-more-restful-zs-219955">healthy sleep schedule</a>, manage their stress levels, <a href="https://theconversation.com/fiber-is-your-bodys-natural-guide-to-weight-management-rather-than-cutting-carbs-out-of-your-diet-eat-them-in-their-original-fiber-packaging-instead-205159">eat a varied diet</a> that includes all of the foods that they enjoy, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-runners-high-may-result-from-molecules-called-cannabinoids-the-bodys-own-version-of-thc-and-cbd-170796">move and exercise their bodies regularly</a> as lifelong practices, rather than engaging in quick-fix trends.</p> <p>Although many of these tips sound familiar, and perhaps even simple, they become effective when we recognize their importance and begin acting on them. Mothers can work toward modeling these behaviors and tailor each of them to their daughter’s developmental level. It’s never too early to start.</p> <h2>Promoting healthy body image</h2> <p>Science shows that several personal characteristics are associated with body image concerns among women.</p> <p>For example, research shows that women who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.001">higher in neuroticism</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-2974-1-2">and perfectionism</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.983534">lower in self-compassion</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.08.001">lower in self-efficacy</a> are all more likely to struggle with negative body image.</p> <p>Personality is frequently defined as a person’s characteristic pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But if they wish, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1945">mothers can change personality characteristics</a> that they feel aren’t serving them well.</p> <p>For example, perfectionist tendencies – such as setting unrealistic, inflexible goals – can be examined, challenged and replaced with more rational thoughts and behaviors. A woman who believes she must work out every day can practice being more flexible in her thinking. One who thinks of dessert as “cheating” can practice resisting moral judgments about food.</p> <p>Changing habitual ways of thinking, feeling and behaving certainly takes effort and time, but it is far more likely than diet trends to bring about sustainable, long-term change. And taking the first steps to modify even a few of these habits can positively affect daughters.</p> <p>In spite of all the noise from media and other cultural influences, mothers can feel empowered knowing that they have a significant influence on their daughters’ feelings about, and treatment of, their bodies.</p> <p>In this way, mothers’ modeling of healthier attitudes and behaviors is a sound investment – for both their own body image and that of the girls they love.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221968/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/janet-j-boseovski-451496"><em>Janet J. Boseovski</em></a><em>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-north-carolina-greensboro-2069">University of North Carolina – Greensboro</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashleigh-gallagher-1505989">Ashleigh Gallagher</a>, Senior Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-north-carolina-greensboro-2069">University of North Carolina – Greensboro</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/mothers-dieting-habits-and-self-talk-have-profound-impact-on-daughters-2-psychologists-explain-how-to-cultivate-healthy-behaviors-and-body-image-221968">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

"What gives?" Victorian MP slams "photoshopped" image

<p>A Victorian MP has slammed Channel Nine for airing a "photoshopped" image of her, in which her outfit was made more "revealing" and her breasts were "enlarged". </p> <p>Georgie Purcell, an MP for the Animal Justice Party, was featured on Nine News on Monday night during a segment about duck hunting, with the network using a promotional image of the MP for the TV package. </p> <p>However, Ms Purcell claims the major news work altered the photo, and took to social media to share a side by side comparison of the original image and the one Nine aired. </p> <p>“I endured a lot yesterday. But having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card,” she wrote alongside the images. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I endured a lot yesterday.</p> <p>But having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card.</p> <p>Note the enlarged boobs and outfit to be made more revealing. </p> <p>Can’t imagine this happening to a male MP. </p> <p>What gives? <a href="https://t.co/NhnkDRMidc">pic.twitter.com/NhnkDRMidc</a></p> <p>— Georgie Purcell (@georgievpurcell) <a href="https://twitter.com/georgievpurcell/status/1752088649527853107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>“Note the enlarged boobs and outfit to be made more revealing," she added, pointing out that her white top had been altered to look like a crop top, showing off her midriff.</p> <p>“Can’t imagine this happening to a male MP. What gives?”</p> <p>In a second tweet, Purcell pointed out her stomach has been tattooed since 2020 and the photoshopped image did not show any tattoos, despite her outfit being changed to show her stomach.</p> <p>On Tuesday, a statement was issued from Nine News Melbourne news director Hugh Nailon apologising for the “graphic error”.</p> <p>“Our graphics department sourced an online image of Georgie to use in our story on duck hunting,” he said.</p> <p>“As is common practice, the image was resized to fit our specs. During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original.</p> <p>“This did not meet the high editorial standards we have and for that we apologise to Ms Purcell unreservedly.”</p> <p>Purcell told 7News that she only realised her image had been photoshopped when she watched Nine’s bulletin.</p> <p>“I noticed because my stomach didn’t have a tattoo on it. So I found the original photo and noticed not only had they given me abs and the crop top, but they’ve enlarged my breasts as well,” she said.</p> <p>“Seeing your own body altered on TV on the big screen is very confronting and I hope lessons are learnt from it."</p> <p>“This has affected me in some way and it could affect other women even more and it should never happen again.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p> <p class="css-1n6q21n-StyledParagraph e4e0a020" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; line-height: 25px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-family: HeyWow, Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; caret-color: #292a33; color: #292a33;"> </p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Tragic and eerie images emerge after 51 whales stranded on WA beach

<p>Heartbreaking and haunting scenes have surfaced after 51 majestic whales met a tragic fate, stranded on a Western Australian beach, leaving a somber and desperate atmosphere as wildlife experts struggle to save the remaining 46.</p> <p>Amidst a desolate backdrop, a once-thriving pod of long-finned pilot whales was spotted, their lives hanging by a thread perilously close to Cheynes Beach, 60km east of Albany, on Tuesday morning.</p> <p>As the day progressed, the pod's slow and ominous movement toward the shore was closely watched by officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, fearing that the worst was about to transpire.</p> <p>In an eerie twist of fate, moments before the tragic stranding, the officers were taken aback as the pod formed a loose heart shape in the vast ocean. A haunting drone camera captured the poignant moment, further intensifying the melancholic atmosphere.</p> <p>“Crews captured this remarkable behaviour from a drone camera, shortly before the whales moved towards the beach,” a spokesperson for the DBCA Parks and Wildlife Service said.</p> <p>By 4pm, the once serene shoreline turned into a heartbreaking spectacle, as the beach became a resting place for the floundering bodies of these magnificent beings.</p> <p>DBCA Parks and Wildlife Service staff, along with Perth Zoo veterinarians and marine fauna experts, set up a vigil, their heavy hearts dreading what lay ahead for the dwindling pod.</p> <p>The initial estimation of 70 whales involved in the tragedy was quickly shattered, as the grim tally soared to 97 on Wednesday.</p> <p>The news of the stranded whales brought forth an outpouring of compassion from hundreds of individuals who wanted to help. But as the sad reality unfolded, authorities politely urged the public to stay away from Cheynes Beach, acknowledging the myriad hazards, including the presence of distressed and potentially sick whales, sharks, powerful waves, heavy machinery and vessels.</p> <p>Wildlife experts are attempting to discern the reasons behind this heart-wrenching event, speculating on stress or illness within the pod. Yet the enigma of why whales strand themselves remains unresolved.</p> <p>The availability of drone footage depicting the pod before their tragedy sets this event apart from previous strandings. The haunting visuals of these social creatures huddled together in distress leave a lasting impact, a stark reminder of how unusual and deeply troubling this occurrence truly is.</p> <p>Pilot whales, known for their close-knit familial bonds, rely on a follow-the-leader mentality, which may be one of the reasons why multiple individuals find themselves stranded in such circumstances. The complexity of their relationships only adds to the heartache surrounding their plight.</p> <p>To view drone footage of the incident, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/25/wa-mass-stranding-pilot-whales-beached-cheynes-beach-albany-caravan-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.</p> <p>Images: Cheynes Beach Caravan Park / Facebook / WA Government.</p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Artist creates amazing images of celebrities with their younger selves

<p>A talented artist has taken a step back in time by capturing photos of older celebrities with their younger selves.</p> <p>Dutch designer Ard Gelinck has helped fans envision what their favourite A-listers looked like when reunited with their past selves by cleverly photoshopping images together. </p> <p>The photos, which depict stars embracing their younger selves in different settings, show how these celebs have aged throughout the years while their careers have skyrocketed. </p> <p>The digital creator combines existing photos of famous faces into one seamless “then and now” shot, revealing how they’ve aged over time.</p> <p>The series of photos showcase celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen, Boy George, Madonna, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone and many more. </p> <p>The artist also featured celebrities that have died, including Robin Williams, George Michael and Tony Bennett, giving fans a trip down memory lane. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Legendary model Christie Brinkley talks body image ahead of her 70th birthday

<p>Christie Brinkley may be pushing 70 but she’s showing no signs of switching up her sensual public image.</p> <p>The 69-year-old Vogue model will still be donning bikinis for social media and says she feels as good as she did 40 years ago.</p> <p>“I feel strong,” Brinkley told <em>People</em>, “I pretty much feel, as I'm approaching 70, the same way that I felt when I was approaching 30. I feel good.”</p> <p>She spoke to the outlet while hosting Pet Life Unlimited’s Forever Young senior dog adoption event at the Animal Haven shelter in New York City.</p> <p>“I feel like the number doesn't match my spirit, so I may as well just keep spiriting on,” she added. She will turn 70 on February 2, 2024.</p> <p>“I think they all signal to us certain things,” she said.</p> <p>“I've been shocked by not feeling the way I thought I was supposed to be feeling at that age,” she explained.</p> <p>“I don't believe that focusing on age is going to make you feel any better about it.” And her advice for looking young was, “I think curiosity in the world around you and just wanting to do something with each day, that is what keeps you young and going.”</p> <p>The 69-year-old shared that her family keeps her grounded. She has two daughters, Alex Ray, 37, and Sailor, 24, and one son Jack, 27.</p> <p>“I just love any time I have any family and friends around, just being able to sit and laugh — I think laughter heals everything,” she continued.</p> <p>In 2022, Brinkley spoke about her figure. She was seen in a crop top and shorts while stretching on the beach and offered some solid advice.</p> <p>“When you eat too much, it’s not as easy to lose the weight, so here’s a tip that’s tried and true, that will make you feel like your best you,” she said.</p> <p>She also advised, “avoid the sugar and do exercise, it’s not about the size of your thighs.”</p> <p>“Vibrant good health will be your prize! Reminder this month when you buy a bottle, you’ll put planting trees into full throttle!” she said.</p> <p>The mum-of-three was spotted in a light blue swimsuit while walking on the shore in the Caribbean and took to Instagram to reveal to followers what she eats to stay in shape.</p> <p>She broke down her healthy diet tips and tricks that don’t skimp on flavour but rely heavily on freshly picked fruit.</p> <p>In one post she uploaded an image of freshly cut papaya sprinkled with greens.</p> <p>“My neighbors grew this papaya! Look at the rich color! I'm planting the seeds from this papaya!”she wrote.</p> <p>Another post showcased her breakfast which appeared to consist primarily of fresh fruit.</p> <p>“Today's breakfast! Chia seeds really fill you up fast, great source of fiber and quercetin an antioxidant that can reduce your risk of developing several health conditions including heart disease!”, she wrote.</p> <p>Another post saw blueberries and raspers over chia seeds mixed with a “milk replacement” and pecans on top.</p> <p>“Easy to make too just put 2 tablespoons of chia seeds for every half cup of your milk replacement of choice. I love it made with coconut milk or Oatmilk, Just pop it in the fridge and it will puff up. Ta Da!</p> <p>“Add fruit dribble with honey if you have a sweet tooth.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Global review shows link between social media use, body image and eating disorders

<p>Body image has remains a <a href="https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/research-impact-policy-advocacy/youth-survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top personal concern</a> for young people in Australia, with 76% concerned about the issue. </p> <p>Social media use by teens is rising at the same time – with <a href="https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Social-Media-and-Teens-100.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 90% on platforms</a> like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, WeChat and TikTok.</p> <p>While there have long been concerns about the association between social media, body image and eating disorders the connection remains relatively unexplored as a public health issue.</p> <p>Now, researchers from University College London in the UK have undertaken a systematic review of 50 scientific studies across 17 countries showing  clear links between social media use and body image concerns.</p> <p>The paper, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> in PLOS Global Public Health, analyses the relationship between body image or eating disorders in young people and social media use. </p> <p>The researchers identify specific aspects of social media – platforms with an emphasis on photos, and engaging with “fitspiration” and “thinspiration” trends – as the factors most closely linked to body image concerns, disordered eating and poor mental health.</p> <p>Other key risk factors included female gender, high body-mass-index and pre-existing body image concerns. </p> <p>The researchers note further studies are needed into the direction of causality. </p> <p>“For example, do body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating occur because of social media usage, or do these pre-exist, encourage engagement in certain online activities, and result in unfavourable clinically significant outcomes?” they ask.</p> <p>Eating disorders involve disturbed attitudes to body image, pre-occupation with weight and body shape and are associated with significant negative outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, reduced bone density, and psychiatric conditions.</p> <p>In Australia, the <a href="https://butterfly.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Butterfly Foundation</a> reports eating disorders affect around one million people, with the conditions causing more people die each year than the road toll. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images  </em></p> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/social-media-use-body-image/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Petra Stock. </em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

How body image changes as you get older

<p dir="ltr">How comfortable are adults with body image?</p> <p dir="ltr">Body image insecurities are not exclusive to youth. Our relationships with our bodies and how we view ourselves can change drastically over time.</p> <p dir="ltr">A lot of people have misconceptions about their body size and shape, which can cause dissatisfaction, but what really happens to sway our opinion in our later years?</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Ageing</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">With ageing comes the wrinkles, the infamous middle-age spread and loss of muscle mass and there’s really not much that can be done. Unfortunately, the western world in particular, associates beauty with being young and thin. </p> <p dir="ltr">People under the age of 25 are still producing collagen! Of course, their skin is going to be smoother and softer. It’s also easier to keep the weight off when you’re younger, so beauty in older people is highly underrepresented. There’s no surprise that older men and women feel insecure because they lack the representation of beauty that does exist and is suited to them. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Transition points later in life</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">There are many transition points in the older years, including retirement and changes in family dynamics. These transitions can cause changes to the routine, roles and responsibilities of people in later life. They can cause undue stress, which can lead to more wrinkles, weight loss or weight gain and mental health issues. It can cause you to look back on your past self that was wrinkle-free and become insecure. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What to do</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Do your best to love yourself and remember you are far from alone. Body image issues are so common amongst all age groups. The media is constantly throwing models in our faces as the “ideal” beauty standard. Well, they are wrong! Beauty cannot be defined by one thing; it is unique to each person. </p> <p dir="ltr">Celebrate the fact that you’ve gotten so far in life, and wear your wrinkles like a badge of honour because you’ve earned them! Nothing is more beautiful than being happy and healthy.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Rare new image of Archie emerges

<p dir="ltr">Three-year-old Archie has been seen in a photo with his mum Meghan Markle, making a rare appearance in the public eye after the photo was shared on social media.</p> <p dir="ltr">Archie and Meghan were joined by Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mum, on a video call with Full Circle Strategies CEO Jotaka Eaddy and political strategist Donna Brazile.</p> <p dir="ltr">The toddler was seen on camera sitting on Meghan’s lap, while his grandmother stood behind them.</p> <p dir="ltr">The image was shared by Duchess Harris, a professor in American studies and political science, and quickly spread online.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-270906b6-7fff-a6b8-28aa-02496c034416"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">While it is unclear what the meeting was about, the photo marks one of Archie’s few appearances since his birth in May 2019.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/12/archie-meghan-zoom.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Meghan Markle, Archie, and Doria Ragland appeared on a video call with Jotaka Eaddy and Donna Brazile, marking one of the few times Archie has been seen on camera. Image: Twitter</em></p> <p dir="ltr">The meeting and photo also come as Prince William and Kate Middleton prepare to head to the United States on Thursday, with an itinerary including attending the second Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston, Massachusetts.</p> <p dir="ltr">Coincidentally, Harry and Meghan will also be on the East Coast within days of the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they are due to attend a ceremony in New York to accept the Ripple of Hope award for their stance against “structural racism” in the royal family.</p> <p dir="ltr">The recognition of the Sussexes also comes amid more racial controversy for the royals.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/prince-william-s-godmother-resigns-amid-racism-row" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigned from her royal position</a> for making “deeply regrettable comments” about Ngozi Fulani, the CEO of Sistah Space, an organisation aimed at supporting women of African and Caribbean heritage that are affected by abuse.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

New NASA images capture birth of a star

<p dir="ltr">The James Webb Space Telescope continues to stun with its images of the universe following the release of an image showing a “fiery hourglass” housing a newborn star.</p> <p dir="ltr">The image of the protostar (a young star that is still unstable and cocooned in a cloud of dust and gas) has offered scientists insight into what stars might look like “in their infancy”.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the star located in the dark cloud L1527 and only visible in infrared light, the image was captured using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).</p> <p dir="ltr">The protostar itself is hidden from view within the “neck” of the hourglass shape.</p> <p dir="ltr">"An edge-on proto-planetary disk is seen as a dark line across the middle of the neck," NASA said in <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-catches-fiery-hourglass-as-new-star-forms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a release</a>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5b29e609-7fff-75b1-1c05-9a8cee017e57"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"Light from the protostar leaks above and below this disk, illuminating cavities within the surrounding gas and dust."</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/star-birth1.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a photo of a young star using its infrared camera. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Blue and orange clouds forming above, below and around the protostar that form the hourglass represent empty spaces created as material shoots away from the protostar and collides with surrounding matter, with the colours being caused by layers of dust between the camera and the clouds.</p> <p dir="ltr">The thicker the dust, the more orange the clouds appear, since blue light is unable to escape and be perceived by our eyes.</p> <p dir="ltr">While it may appear small, the disk in the middle of the hourglass is about the size of our solar system.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to NASA, the protostar is relatively young at about 100,000 years old and considered a class 0 protostar, “the earliest stage of star formation”.</p> <p dir="ltr">‘Protostars like these, which are still cocooned in a dark cloud of dust and gas, have a long way to go before they become full-fledged stars,” NASA said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"L1527 doesn't generate its own energy through nuclear fusion of hydrogen yet, an essential characteristic of stars.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-83fc6d66-7fff-9fca-4c7e-d55b846fada4"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"Its shape, while mostly spherical, is also unstable, taking the form of a small, hot and puffy clump of gas, somewhere between 20 and 40 percent the mass of our Sun."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our universe is beautiful. <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAWebb</a> captured a stellar birth which is so poetically nestled in this hourglass shape. A truly stunning marker of time. <a href="https://t.co/8UflbFPdid">pic.twitter.com/8UflbFPdid</a></p> <p>— Shannon Stirone 💀 (@shannonmstirone) <a href="https://twitter.com/shannonmstirone/status/1593026314310934528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The protostar will get closer to stable nuclear fusion (the requirement to be a star) as it gathers more mass and its core compresses.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The scene shown in this image reveals L1527 doing just that," NASA said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The surrounding molecular cloud is made up of dense dust and gas being drawn to the centre, where the protostar resides.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As the material falls in, it spirals around the centre.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This creates a dense disk of material, known as an accretion disk, which feeds material to the protostar.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Ultimately, this view of L1527 provides a window into what our Sun and solar system looked like in their infancy.”</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><em>Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)</em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Could mobile phones revolutionise chronic wound treatment?

<p>Australian researchers are developing a contactless, thermal imaging system that uses artificial intelligence to help nurses determine the best way to treat leg ulcers without waiting to see if the wound is going to heal properly.</p> <p>It’s estimated that 450,000 thousand Australians currently live with a chronic wound.</p> <p>Being able to predict early on which wounds will become chronic could improve outcomes by enabling nurses to start specialised therapy as soon as possible. But current techniques rely on physically monitoring the wound area over several weeks.</p> <p>New research from RMIT in Melbourne paired thermal imaging with AI.</p> <p>The software was able to accurately identify unhealing ulcers 78% of the time, and healing ulcers 60% of the time, according to the new study <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20835-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in <em>Scientific Reports</em>.</p> <p>“Our new work that identifies chronic leg wounds during the first visit is a world-first achievement,” says lead researcher Professor Dinesh Kumar, from RMIT’s School of Engineering.</p> <p>“This means specialised treatment for slow-healing leg ulcers can begin up to four weeks earlier than the current gold standard.”</p> <p><strong>How do you normally assess wound healing?</strong></p> <p>The work builds on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-92828-2.epdf?sharing_token=7SIEmbOksKOou2TGQ5qPWdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0NntGTf8gfSMhoDjLAz58SefUeGL0aP2A-0mDVnZaiZTcBjNNpA4cvP9FgK6-aoPzyk4oQ0OSbPh83HNS_AwGDQVMg43K4WmG60QDoQohtsdkaRv70YSxfPg4Dn0qa_CUs%3D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previous research</a> by the same team, which found that this method could be used to predict wound healing by week 3 after initial assessment. But they wanted to know whether healing could be predicted from the first wound assessment only, reducing any delay in treatment.</p> <p>If a wound is healing normally it’s area would reduce by 50% within four weeks, but more than 20% of ulcers don’t heal in this expected trajectory and may need specialist interventions.</p> <p>Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are the <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-03/258735_wounds_australia.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most common</a> chronic wound seen in Australia and currently, the gold standard for predicting their healing– conventional digital planimetry – requires physical contact. Regular wound photography is also less accurate because there can be variations between images due to lighting, image quality, and differences in camera angle.</p> <p>But a non-contact method like thermal imaging could overcome this.</p> <p>The thermal profile of wounds changes over the healing trajectory, with higher temperatures signalling potential inflammation or infection and lower temperatures indicating a slower healing rate due to decreased oxygen in the region. So, taking thermal images of wounds can provide important information for predicting how they will heal.</p> <p><strong>What did they do?</strong></p> <p>The study collected VLU data from 56 older participants collected over 12 weeks, including thermal images of their wounds at initial assessment and information on their status at the 12<sup>th</sup> week follow-up.</p> <p>“Our innovation is not sensitive to changes in ambient temperature and light, so it is effective for nurses to use during their regular visits to people’s homes,” says co-author Dr Quoc Cuong Ngo, from RMIT’s School of Engineering.</p> <p>“It is also effective in tropical environments, not just here in Melbourne.”</p> <p>“Clinical care is provided in many different locations, including specialist clinics, general practices and in people’s homes,” says co-author Dr Rajna Ogrin, a Senior Research Fellow at Bolton Clarke Research Institute.</p> <p>“This method provides a quick, objective, non-invasive way to determine the wound-healing potential of chronic leg wounds that can be used by healthcare providers, irrespective of the setting.”</p> <p><strong><strong>So, what’s next?</strong></strong></p> <p>There are a few limitations to this study. First, the number of healed wounds in the dataset was relatively small compared to unhealed wounds, and the study only investigated older people.</p> <p>The authors recommend that “future research should focus on improving the predictive accuracy and customising this method to incorporate this assessment into clinical practice on a wider pool of participants and in a variety of settings.”</p> <p>Kumar says that they are hoping to adapt the method for use with mobile phones.</p> <p>“With the funding we have received from the Medical Research Future Fund, we are now working towards that,” he says. “We are keen to work with prospective partners with different expertise to help us achieve this goal within the next few years.”</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=222978&amp;title=Could+mobile+phones+revolutionise+chronic+wound+treatment%3F" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/revolutionise-chronic-wounds-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Imma Perfetto.</em></p> <p><em>Image: RMIT University</em></p> </div>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Heart-breaking image captures reality of rental crisis

<p>A heart-breaking photo has highlighted the reality of Australia's rental crisis, with a six-year-old boy and his mother forced to live in their ute for four long months. </p> <p>Mackay, a 38-year-old mum from Perth, and her son Charlie spent two years couch-surfing with friends and family after Mackay escaped an abusive relationship. </p> <p>After continuously getting knocked back from rental properties due to Mackay's lack of credit and tenant history, the family had no choice but to sleep in their car during the freezing winter months. </p> <p>Their situation got so desperate that Mackay put out a plea for help on their local community Facebook page. </p> <p>Claire Orange, a therapist and co-founder of cyber safety program Digii Social, spotted the post and opened up her home to the pair. </p> <p>"I instantly recognised Charlie's school uniform in a picture Mackay posted and contacted the school to understand their situation," Ms Orange said.</p> <p>"I found out a rental would become available for them within a month and offered they stay with me while they waited."</p> <p>Ms Orange, herself a mother of four, described Mackay as a "remarkable" mum who consistently put her boy first.</p> <p>"I admire her terrifically for her fortitude and resilience," Ms Orange said. </p> <p>"I cannot give this woman any more credit. She looked after her son exceptionally and made sure she did everything to keep him stable, healthy and clean."</p> <p>"Taking him to school every day, cooking for him, putting up her small summer tent when the weather allowed so that they were able to sleep lying stretched out instead of bundled up." </p> <p>"She's a remarkable, ferocious mumma who's put her child's needs first consistently."</p> <p>Claire has since started a GoFundMe for Mackay and Charlie to get back on their feet, as they are "on the cusp" of moving into social housing. </p> <p>The funds will be used to help Mackay and Charlie buy furniture and whitegoods for their home. </p> <p>"Mackay and Charlie have been part of our family for the last month - and what a delightful gift they've been," Ms Orange wrote on the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/charlie-mackays-new-life?qid=dd61998c88987693d3e53c16020365a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page. </p> <p>"And now that a home is available - I'd love to give Mackay and Charlie enough money to start their new life together."</p> <p>Australia is facing a major housing crisis with rental prices skyrocketing to keep up with soaring mortgage costs, with vacancy rates plummeting.</p> <p><em>Image credits: GoFundMe</em></p>

Real Estate

Placeholder Content Image

Am I seeing things?! Queen's image spotted in the clouds

<p>As fans around the world mourn the sad loss of Queen Elizabeth II, one woman in the UK claims to have spotted the late Queen on her drive home, only hours after her passing.</p> <p>Leanne Bethell, who lives in the town of Telford in England’s West Midlands, shared a photo of what appeared to be the late monarch in her signature hat.</p> <p>“Driving home and Lacey starts shouting OMG! I panicked … Then she pointed this image out in the clouds,” Ms Bethell shared on Facebook.</p> <p>The image has of course gone viral since it was shared at a 4:05 am AEDT. At the time of publishing, the post has racked up over 16,000 likes and reactions, 9600 comments and over 33,000 shares.</p> <p>Outside Buckingham Palace, leagues of mourners gathered to pay tribute to the royal. A <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/she-s-really-left-us-stunning-double-rainbow-graces-the-skies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">double rainbow was also seen outside the palace</a>, as people sang “God Save the Queen”. </p> <p><em>Images: Facebook / Getty</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

The Webb telescope has released its very first exoplanet image – here’s what we can learn from it

<p>Did you ever want to see an alien world? A planet orbiting a distant star, light years from the Sun? Well, the <a href="https://webb.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)</a> has just returned its first-ever picture of just that – a planet orbiting a distant star.</p> <p>The <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/09/01/nasas-webb-takes-its-first-ever-direct-image-of-distant-world/?utm_source=TWITTER&amp;utm_medium=NASAWebb&amp;utm_campaign=NASASocial&amp;linkId=179637235" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new images</a> reveal JWST will be a fantastic tool for astronomers aiming to improve their knowledge of exoplanets (planets around other stars) – even better than we had hoped it would be!</p> <p>But for those who’ve grown up on a diet of Star Trek, Star Wars, and myriad other works of science fiction, the images may be underwhelming. No wonderful swirling clouds, in glorious or muted colours. Instead, we just see a blob – a single point of light.</p> <p>So why do these observations have astronomers buzzing with excitement? And what might we learn in the months and years to come?</p> <p><strong>Observing hidden worlds</strong></p> <p>Over the past three decades, we have lived through a great revolution – the dawn of the Exoplanet Era. Where we once knew of no planets orbiting distant stars, and wondered whether the Solar System was unique, we now know planets are everywhere.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yv4DbU1CWAY?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The history of the first 5,000 alien worlds discovered – the dawn of the Exoplanet Era.</span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>At the time of writing, the number of known exoplanets <a href="https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stands at 5,084</a>, and the count grows larger with every week.</p> <p>But the overwhelming majority of those exoplanets are detected indirectly. They orbit so close to their host stars that, with current technology, we simply cannot see them directly. Instead, we observe their host stars doing something unexpected, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-to-find-an-exoplanet-part-1-56682" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infer from that the presence</a> of their unseen planetary companions.</p> <p>Of all those alien worlds, only a handful have been seen directly. The poster child for such systems is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HR_8799" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HR 8799</a>, whose four giant planets have been imaged so frequently that astronomers have produced a movie showing them moving in their orbits around their host star.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KVgKidAuf4o?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The first video of exoplanets orbiting their star. HR 8799 host four super-Jupiters, and it took seven years of imaging data to produce this movie.</span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Enter HIP 65426b</strong></p> <p>To gather JWST’s first direct images of an exoplanet, astronomers turned the telescope towards the star HIP 65426, whose massive planetary companion HIP 65426b was <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017A%26A...605L...9C/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered using direct imaging back in 2017</a>.</p> <p>HIP 65426b is unusual in several ways – all of which act to make it a particularly “easy” target for direct imaging. First, it is a long way from its host star, orbiting roughly 92 times farther from HIP 65426 than the distance between Earth and the Sun. That puts it around 14 billion kilometres from its star. From our point of view, this makes for a “reasonable” distance from the star in the sky, making it easier to observe.</p> <p>Next, HIP 65426b is a behemoth of a world – thought to be several times the mass of the Solar System’s biggest planet, Jupiter. On top of that, it was also previously found to be remarkably hot, with temperature at its cloud tops measuring at least 1,200℃.</p> <p>This combination of the planet’s size and temperature means it is intrinsically bright (for a planet).</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=444&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=444&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=444&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=558&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=558&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=558&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Four images of HIP 65426b, at four different wavelengths of infrared light." /></a></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">JWST’s first images of an alien world, HIP 65426b, are shown at the bottom of a wider image showing the planet’s host star. The images were taken at different wavelengths of infrared light.</span> Image: <span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI).</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>How were the images taken, and what do they show us?</strong></p> <p>Under normal circumstances, the light from HIP 65426 would utterly overwhelm that from HIP 65426b, despite the distance between them.</p> <p>To get around this problem, JWST <a href="https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1577/a-new-view-of-exoplanets-with-webb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carries several “coronagraphs”</a>, instruments that let the telescope block the light from a bright star to look for fainter objects beside it. This is a bit like blocking the headlights of a car with your hand to see whether your friend has climbed out to say hello.</p> <p>Using these coronagraphs, JWST took a series of images of HIP 65426b, each taken at a different wavelength of infrared light. In each image, the planet can be clearly seen – a single bright pixel offset from the location of its obscured stellar host.</p> <p>The images are far from your standard science fiction fare. But they show that the planet was easily detected, standing out like a sore thumb against the dark background of space.</p> <p>The researchers who led the observations (<a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.14990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailed on the preprint server arXiv</a>) found that JWST is performing around ten times better than expected – a result that has astronomers around the globe excited to see what comes next.</p> <p>Using their observations, they determined the mass of HIP 65426b (roughly seven times that of Jupiter). Beyond that, the data reveal the planet is hotter than previously thought (with cloud tops close to 1,400℃), and somewhat smaller than expected (with a diameter about 92% that of Jupiter).</p> <p>These images paint a picture of an utterly alien world, different to anything in the Solar System.</p> <p><strong>A signpost to the future</strong></p> <p>The observations of HIP 65426b are just the first sign of what JWST can do in imaging planets around other stars.</p> <p>The incredible precision of the imaging data suggests JWST will be able to obtain direct observations of planets smaller than previously expected. Rather than being limited to planets more massive than Jupiter, it should be able to see planets comparable to, or even smaller than, Saturn.</p> <p>This is a really exciting. You see, a basic rule of astronomy is that there are lots more small things than big things. The fact JWST should be able to see smaller and fainter planets than expected will <em>greatly</em> increase the number of possible targets available for astronomers to study.</p> <p>Beyond that, the precision with which JWST carried out these measurements suggests we will be able to learn far more about their atmospheres than expected. Repeated observations with the telescope could even reveal details of how those atmospheres vary with time.</p> <p>In the coming years, then, expect to see many more images of alien worlds, taken by JWST. While those pictures might not look like those in science fiction, they will still revolutionise our understanding of planets around other stars.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189876/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonti-horner-3355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonti Horner</a>, Professor (Astrophysics), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Southern Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-webb-telescope-has-released-its-very-first-exoplanet-image-heres-what-we-can-learn-from-it-189876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: NASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI)</em></p>

Technology

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.