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Italian village offers $1 homes to Americans upset by US election results

An Italian village in Sardinia, Italy is offering one-euro homes to Americans seeking a new start following the results of the 2024 U.S election that saw Donald Trump being re-elected as president. Ollolai has long been trying to persuade outsiders to move in to revive the community after decades of depopulation. Now, it's selling dilapidated houses for as little as one euro — just over a US dollar or $AU1.60 — to entice Americans to move abroad. Following the November 5 outcome, they have launched a website aimed at potential American expats, offering cheap homes in hopes that those disappointed by the result and seeking a fresh start will snap up one of their empty properties. "Are you worned (sic) out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities?" the website read. "It's time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia." Mayor Francesco Columbu told CNN that the website was specifically created to attract American voters in the wake of the presidential elections. The mayor loves the United States and is convinced Americans would be the best people to revive the community. "We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all," he said. "We can't of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card." The village is offering three tiers of accommodation: Free temporary homes to certain digital nomads, ($1.6) homes in need of renovations, and ready-to-occupy houses for prices up to $160,000. The mayor also set up a special team to guide interested buyers through every step of the process including finding contractors, builders and navigating required paperwork. "Of course, we can't specifically mention the name of one US president who just got elected, but we all know that he's the one from whom many Americans want to get away from now and leave the country," Columbo added. "We have specifically created this website now to meet US post-elections relocation needs. The first edition of our digital nomad scheme which launched last year was already solely for Americans." Photos and plans of available empty properties will soon be uploaded to the website. The website has since received nearly 38,000 requests for information on houses, with most of them coming from the United States In the past century, Ollolai's population has shrunk from 2,250 to 1,300 with only a handful of babies born each year. Over the last few years, this has dropped 1,150 residents. Image: Shutterstock

International Travel

How should Australian media cover the next federal election? Lessons from the US presidential race

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-muller-1865">Denis Muller</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Media coverage in Australia of the US presidential election and of the Voice referendum in October 2023 offer some pointers to what we might expect during next year’s federal election campaign. They also suggest some ways in which the professional mass media might better respond to the challenges thrown up by the combination of disinformation, harmful speech and hyper-partisanship that disfigured those two campaigns. The ideological contours of the Australian professional media, in particular its newspapers, have become delineated with increasing clarity over the past 15 years. In part this is a response to the polarising effects of social media, and in part it is a reflection of the increased stridency of political debate. The right is dominated by News Corporation, with commercial radio shock jocks playing a supporting role. The left is more diffuse and less given to propagandising. It includes the old Fairfax papers, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, now owned by the Nine Entertainment Company, and Guardian Australia. These contours are unlikely to change much, if at all, between now and the 2025 election. <h2>Impartiality versus ‘bothsidesism’</h2> Under these conditions, how might Australian journalism practice be adapted to better serve democracy under the pressures of an election campaign? The objective would be to contribute to the creation of a political culture in which people can argue constructively, disagree respectfully and work towards consensus. In pursuing that objective, a central issue is whether and how the media are committed to the principle of impartiality in news reports. This principle is under sustained pressure, as was seen in both the presidential election and the Voice referendum. We know from the words of its own editorial code of conduct that News Corp Australia does not accept the principle of impartiality in news reports. Paragraph 1.3 of that code states: <blockquote> Publications should ensure factual material in news reports is distinguishable from other material such as commentary and opinion. Comment, conjecture and opinion are acceptable as part of coverage to provide perspective on an issue, or explain the significance of an issue, or to allow readers to recognise what the publication’s or author’s standpoint is on a matter. </blockquote> This policy authorises journalists to write their news reports in ways that promote the newspaper’s or the journalist’s own views. This runs directly counter to the conventional separation of news from opinion accepted by most major media companies. This is exemplified by <a href="https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2023/07/27/GNM_editorial_code_of_practice_and_guidance_2023.pdf">the policy</a> of The Guardian, including Guardian Australia: <blockquote> While free to editorialise and campaign, a publication must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact. </blockquote> Appended to The Guardian’s code is the essay written in 1921 by C. P. Scott, first the editor and then the owner-editor of the Manchester Guardian, to mark the newspaper’s centenary. It includes these words: “Comment is free, but facts are sacred”. Referring to a newspaper’s public duty, he added: “Propaganda […] is hateful.” In the present overheated atmosphere of public debate, impartiality has come to be confused with a discredited type of journalism known as “bothsidesism”. “Bothsidesism” presents “both sides” of an issue without any regard for their relative evidentiary merits. It allows for the ventilation of lies, hate speech and conspiracy theories on the spurious ground that these represent another, equally valid, side of the story. Impartiality is emphatically not “bothsidesism”. What particularly distinguishes impartiality is that it follows the weight of evidence. However, a recurring problem in the current environment is that the fair and sober presentation of evidence can be obliterated by the force of political rhetoric. As a result, impartiality can fall victim to its own detached passivity. Yet impartiality does not have to be passive: it can be proactive. During the presidential campaign, in the face of Trump’s egregious lying, some media organisations took this proactive approach. When Trump claimed during his televised debate with Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants were eating people’s pets in the town of Springfield, Ohio, the host broadcaster, the American Broadcasting Company, fact-checked him in real time. It found, during the broadcast, that there was no evidence to support his claim. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nlCe8iOCJlQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> And for four years before that, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/">chronicled</a> Trump’s lies while in office, arriving at a total of 30,573. <h2>Challenging misinformation</h2> During the Voice referendum, many lies were told about what the Voice to Parliament would be empowered to do: advise on the date of Anzac Day, change the flag, set interest rates, and introduce a race-based element into the Constitution, advantaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over others. These were rebutted by the relevant authorities but by then the lies had been swept up in the daily tide of mis- or disinformation that was a feature of the campaign. At that point, rebuttals merely oxygenate the original falsehoods. More damaging still to the democratic process was the baseless allegation by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton that the Australian Electoral Commission had “rigged” the vote by accepting a tick as indicating “yes” but not accepting a cross as indicating “no”. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y_4H1IQID_M?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Opposition Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, also said allowing ticks but not crosses undermined the integrity of the process. The electoral commissioner, Tom Rogers, was reported as repudiating these claims, but by then these lies had acquired currency and momentum. A proactive approach to impartiality requires establishing the truthful position before or at the time of initial publication, then calling out falsehoods for what they are and providing supporting evidence. Neither the principle of impartiality nor any other ethical principle in journalism requires journalists to publish lies as if they might be true. It would not have been a failure of impartiality to say in a news report that Dutton’s claims about a rigged referendum were baseless, with the supporting evidence. That evidence, set out in an <a href="https://antonygreen.com.au/how-many-voters-mark-referendum-ballot-papers-with-a-cross-not-many-based-on-evidence/">excellent example</a> of proactive impartiality by the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green at the time, was that the ticks and crosses rule had been in place since 1988. <h2>‘Proactive impartiality’ is the key to reporting the 2025 election</h2> The question is, do Australia’s main media organisations as a whole have the resources and the will to invest in real-time fact-checking? The record is not encouraging. In March 2024, the ABC dissolved its fact-checking arrangement with RMIT University, replacing it with an in-house fact-checking unit called ABC News Verify. In 2023, a team led by Andrea Carson of La Trobe University published a <a href="https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/21078">study</a> tracking the fate of fact-checking operations in Australia. Its findings were summarised by her in The Conversation. In the absence of a fact-checking capability, it is hard to see how journalists can perform the kind of proactive impartiality that current circumstances demand. On top of that, the shift from advertising-based mass media to subscription-based niche media is creating its own logic, which is antithetical to impartiality. Mass-directed advertising was generally aimed at as broad an audience as possible. It encouraged impartiality in the accompanying editorial content as part of an appeal to the broad middle of society. Since a lot of this advertising has gone online, the media have begun to rely increasingly on subscriptions. In a hyper-partisan world, ideological branding, or alternatively freedom from ideological branding, has become part of the sales pitch. Where subscribers do expect to find ideological comfort, readership and ratings are at put risk when their expectations are disappointed. Rupert Murdoch <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe">learned this</a> when his Fox News channel in the US called the 2020 election for Joe Biden, driving down ratings and causing him to reverse that position in order to claw back the losses. These are unpalatable developments for those who believe that fair, accurate news reporting untainted by the ideological preferences of proprietors or journalists is a vital ingredient in making a healthy democracy work. But that is the world we live in as we approach the federal election of 2025.<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/243267/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-muller-1865">Denis Muller</a>, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: DEAN LEWINS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial - LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial 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/how-should-australian-media-cover-the-next-federal-election-lessons-from-the-us-presidential-race-243267">original article</a>. </div>

Legal

40 tonnes of butter recalled for absurd reason

Costco has recalled nearly 40 tonnes of butter for an absurd reason. America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent out an initial recall for 36,000kg of Kirkland Signature butter in October because the label failed to mention that the kitchen staple contains milk. Packages for both the salted and unsalted version of the butter listed cream as an ingredient, but did not include an allergy warning for milk. The bizarre recall left many internet users scratching their heads, with many slamming the wasteful move stating the obvious: "It's butter". “Costco butter was just recalled, because the label doesn’t say that it contains milk. It’s butter. News articles are telling people how they can return, or safely dispose of, the butter. It’s butter,” one person deadpanned. “Can y’all please safely dispose of it at my house? I have a lot of holiday baking to do," another joked. “If you need to government to tell you that butter is a dairy product then … well, I can’t help you God I loathe the state," a third added. “To be called ‘Butter’ it must contain milk or milk derivatives. Talk about useless government,” another social media user wrote. “Rather than waste (40,000kg) of butter why don’t they print stickers that say “Contains Milk” and save perfectly good food? So wasteful,” a fifth wrote. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention mentioned in the recall that milk is one of the main foods that “account for most serious allergic reactions in the United States”. The FDA did not say if there has been any illnesses or adverse reactions from the product. Image: The Image Party / Shutterstock.com

Legal

"I miss her daily": Fergie opens up on friendship with Diana

As the Duchess of York wraps up her visit Down Under, she has shared some of her most cherished memories in an interview with 9Honey. Following a busy schedule of meet and greets as part of her book tour, Sarah Ferguson opened up on her friendship with the late Princess Diana, who, like the duchess, is a beloved member of the royal family. "The thing about Diana was that she had the best sense of humour of any single person I know – that's quite a big thing, so it's a really big hole because she'd get my sense of humour," the duchess told the publication. "It's really, really hard to really make me cackle with laughter like she used to. "And so, yes, I miss her daily, and I think in the '80s it was just her and I, wasn't it?" The two women were brought together by their marriages to then Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, and the royal affectionately recalled their strong bond. "There isn't anybody else to know, really, what we know because there was no social media and it was just newspaper headlines. "I was so proud of her, what she achieved, and she would be SO proud of her grandchildren. "Oh, my goodness. Can you imagine? She would be just loving every moment. "She was a great lady, and she still is a great lady." The duchess was originally scheduled to visit Australia in October, after she was invited by her Western Australia-based publisher, Serenity Press to showcase her commitment to literature, wellness and empowerment. However, she postponed her visit to not overshadow the King and Queen's tour. The soon to be grandmother of four celebrated the launch of her newest books including Flora & Fern: Wonder in the Woods which is a children's book, and Fabulous Food Art, which is a cookbook she created in collaboration with Melbourne mother and TikTok star Laleh Mohmedi, of Jacob's Food Diaries. Image: Alisdair Macdonald/ Shutterstock Editorial

Family & Pets

Jelena Dokic's teary admission about 2001 Australian Open controversy

Jelena Dokic has shared that she would endure "100 years of abuse" to go back in time and represent Australia at the 2001 Australian Open. During an emotional interview with Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little, the tennis champion recalled the earlier years of her career, and the abuse she faced at the hands of her father, who was also her coach. At 17 years old, Jelena was booed off Rod Laver Arena at the 2001 Australian Open after losing to Lindsay Davenport, after she announced plans to turn her back on Australia and represent her native Yugoslavia instead. The decision not to represent Australia was made by her father, and at that point in her career, he had been banned from attending her matches. “I would take 100 years of abuse if I could take back not playing for Australia for a few years,” an emotional Dokic told the Carrie & Tommy Show. <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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCBcdwFPDVE/?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/reel/DCBcdwFPDVE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Carrie and Tommy (@carrietommyshow)</a> </div> </blockquote> “He took away from me, something that I loved so much." “He took that away from me in that moment. He’s sitting in a hotel room watching this while I’m getting booed by 15,000 people. I just wanted to kind of drop into the ground and disappear and never come back." “I would take any abuse, anything in this world to not even just go through that personally, but that it didn’t take my people, Australians and my fans and everyone that always cheered for me, that it didn’t take 10 or 15 years until my book came out for them to know the truth and just how much I really love Australia.” Jelena switched allegiances back to Australia in 2005 and went on to represent Australia in the 2009 Fed Cup, winning several matches. Dokic said getting booed by the Australian crowd was a low point of her career, given there was nothing she loved more than representing Australia. “I came to this country as an 11-year-old and I really accepted it and loved Australia,” she said, “I loved representing Australia. I loved team events. Everything that had to do with team events, I always won. I had like a 99 per cent win rate. There’s a reason for that." “He (Damir Dokic) took that away from me for those few years. I wanted to come back earlier but I was worried about people’s reaction, even though I did come back three, four years later." “Everyone did embrace me when I did come back but people still had doubts. They didn’t look at me as someone who was this patriotic Australian, and it hurt me because I was." “I really accepted this country. I always say, I was born in a different country but I am Australian. I always looked at myself that way. I love Australia. I love my fans so much." “It doesn’t matter what match it was, every time you would hear from the crowd,’ Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi’ when I was playing, I would literally get goosebumps.”" Image credits: Instagram

Caring

World reacts as Donald Trump wins US election

World leaders, celebrities and millions of Americans have shared their first reactions and messages of support - or messages of anger, upset and frustration - as Donald Trump claimed his victory in the US election. The Republican leader won both the electoral college vote and the popular vote, taking a hold of the majority of key swing states, as his victory just hours after the polls closed. The win will see Trump re-enter the White House in January as the 47th President, making him the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. Reactions to the unprecedented win flooded online spaces, with world leaders sending their congratulations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the election of the US president marked an important moment for Australia and the Asia Pacific region, and vowed to work closely with the Trump administration. “Australia and America are old allies and we are true friends,” he said. “Our nations are bound by a history of shared sacrifice, a commitment to common values and — above all — enduring respect and affection between our peoples." “I look forward to talking with President Trump and working with him in the best interests of both our nations.” Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also extended his congratulations to the Republican leader on behalf of the federal Coalition, describing the US as an “overwhelming force for good”. Unsurprisingly, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the first to speak to Trump, writing on X, “Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory! In true friendship.” Elon Musk, petulant billionaire and owner of Twitter, also shared a series of memes on X, after he publicly endorsed Trump throughout his campaign. Among the posts is an image of Musk holding a bathroom sink photoshopped into the Oval Office with the caption "Let that sink in", a reference to how he marked his controversial takeover of X when it was still known as Twitter. Musk also shared a photo of a conversation he was having with Trump as votes were being counted. "The future is gonna be so [fire]," Musk said with American flag emojis. "The future is gonna be fantastic," he said in a follow up post with a photo of his recent SpaceX rocket test that Trump discussed at length, for some reason, in his declaration speech. Despite the messages of well wishes from world leaders, social media has been awash with messages of disbelief and anger since the victory was announced, with many American citizens anxious and scared about the next four years under Trump's controversial <a href="https://www.project2025.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a>, which will see mass deportations of immigrants, more tax cuts to the rich, harsher penalties for those seeking abortions or reproductive care, and unprecedented power in the hands of a President with authoritarian aspirations. Image credits: Brian Prahl/Shutterstock

News

Jill Farnham opens up on John's health battle

John Farnham's wife Jill has opened up about her husband's devastating cancer battle, and how his health journey took a toll on their entire family. Jill, who has been notoriously private throughout her marriage to the Aussie music legend, has penned two chapters in Farnham's memoir The Voice Inside, sharing how John's cancer diagnosis changed everything, and shared her opinions on his future singing. “I don’t know if John will sing again,” she wrote. “It just depends. Because of the radiation, that whole side of his face is rock hard. The flesh, the muscle, the tendons, none of it is supple." “The surgeons need to work out how to loosen it all, so we have to be patient. He’s disappointed, naturally, because he may not be up on a stage again and he loved that.” Jill also revealed it was her who pushed Farnham to see a doctor before his diagnosis with cancer in August 2022, explaining, “He had a big white mass on the inside of his cheek and you could physically see it.” “For several months I was saying to him, ‘Let’s go see about that thing in your mouth,’ and he’d say, ‘No, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright.’ He kept putting it off and putting it off. I pleaded with him to go see a doctor and finally he did.” Jill explained how her husband's attitude as "a classic Cancerian” impacted the time it took to get a diagnosis, and how she has had to be strong for her whole family through the scary health ordeal. “Over the years I’ve had to be strong,” Jill wrote. “I’ve had to be a wife, a mother, a psychiatrist, a doctor, I’ve had to be all those things in one. I’ve had to be strong and bossy to keep the family together, to keep moving forward, and I have done that because I love John and I love my family." “John is a classic Cancerian, he likes to walk sideways and go around everything, rather than face any issues head-on,” Jill continued. “To this day he acts like that when he’s faced with a tough decision or situation. He always beats around the bush rather than deal with it and then, of course, that just makes a situation worse for him.” Later in the chapter detailing Farnham’s health, Jill set the record straight on some media reports relating to the surgery to remove the cancerous tumour. “And, just for the record, they didn’t take his jaw,” she wrote. “I know lots of people think that’s what happened, but in the end they removed the cancer from his cheek and they also scraped his jaw to make sure it hadn’t gotten into his bones." “Thankfully the cancer wasn’t in his bones, which was great news, and so he’s still got his bottom jaw, even though the radiation has messed that up a little bit." “In hospital they were feeding him through a tube in his stomach, which was pretty grim. I started taking in my home cooking. Things I knew John would like. He would eat a couple of mouthfuls and that would be it, he wouldn’t be able to manage any more. For a while there, it felt like one thing on top of another for John." “It was a traumatic time for all of us, but we got through it. Now he’s back to eating, which is a good sign, but he can’t open his mouth very far, so it’s hard.” Image credits: Nine

Caring

From eye exams to blood tests and surgery: how doctors use light to diagnose disease

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-griffith-1539353">Matthew Griffith</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> You’re not feeling well. You’ve had a pounding headache all week, dizzy spells and have vomited up your past few meals. You visit your GP to get some answers and sit while they shine a light in your eyes, order a blood test and request some medical imaging. Everything your GP just did relies on light. These are just some of the optical technologies that have had an enormous impact in how we diagnose disease. <h2>1. On-the-spot tests</h2> Point-of-care diagnostics allow doctors to test patients on the spot and get answers in minutes, rather than sending samples to a lab for analysis. The “flashlight” your GP uses to view the inside of your eye (known as an <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003881.htm">ophthalmoscope</a>) is a great example. This allows doctors to detect abnormal blood flow in the eye, deformations of the cornea (the outermost clear layer of the eye), or swollen optical discs (a round section at the back of the eye where the nerve link to the brain begins). Swollen discs are a sign of elevated pressure inside your head (or in the worst case, a brain tumour) that could be <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/increased-intracranial-pressure-icp-headache">causing your headaches</a>. The invention of <a href="https://openmedscience.com/lighting-the-way-in-healthcare-the-transformative-role-of-lasers-in-medicine/">lasers and LEDs</a> has enabled many other miniaturised technologies to be provided at the bedside or clinic rather than in the lab. <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-a-pulse-oximeter-should-i-buy-one-to-monitor-covid-at-home-174457">Pulse oximetry</a> is a famous example, where a clip attached to your finger reports how well your blood is oxygenated. It does this by <a href="https://www.howequipmentworks.com/pulse_oximeter/">measuring</a> the different responses of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood to different colours of light. Pulse oximetry is used at hospitals (and <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-a-pulse-oximeter-should-i-buy-one-to-monitor-covid-at-home-174457">sometimes at home</a>) to monitor your respiratory and heart health. In hospitals, it is also a valuable tool for detecting <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60107-X/fulltext">heart defects in babies</a>. <h2>2. Looking at molecules</h2> Now, back to that blood test. Analysing a small amount of your blood can diagnose <a href="https://theconversation.com/blood-tests-and-diagnosing-illness-what-can-blood-tell-us-about-whats-happening-in-our-body-80327">many different diseases</a>. A machine called an automated “full blood count analyser” tests for general markers of your health. This machine directs focused beams of light through blood samples held in small glass tubes. It counts the number of blood cells, determines their specific type, and reports the level of haemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that distributes oxygen around your body). In minutes, this machine can provide a <a href="https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/inside-the-pathology-lab-what-happens-to-my-blood">snapshot</a> of your overall health. For more specific disease markers, blood serum is separated from the heavier cells by spinning in a rotating instrument called a centrifuge. The serum is then exposed to special chemical stains and enzyme assays that change colour depending on whether specific molecules, which may be the sign of a disease, are present. These colour changes can’t be detected with the naked eye. However, a light beam from an instrument called a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5476943/#R88">spectrometer</a> can detect tiny amounts of these substances in the blood and determine if the biomarkers for diseases are present, and at what levels. <h2>3. Medical imaging</h2> Let’s re-visit those medical images your GP ordered. The development of fibre-optic technology, made famous for transforming high-speed digital communications (such as the NBN), allows light to get inside the body. The result? High-resolution optical imaging. A common example is an <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153737#risks-and-side-effects">endoscope</a>, where fibres with a tiny camera on the end are inserted into the body’s natural openings (such as your mouth or anus) to examine your gut or respiratory tracts. Surgeons can insert the same technology through tiny cuts to view the inside of the body on a video screen during <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9553337/">laparoscopic surgery</a> (also known as keyhole surgery) to diagnose and treat disease. <h2>How about the future?</h2> Progress in nanotechnology and a better understanding of the interactions of light with our tissues are leading to new light-based tools to help diagnose disease. These include: <ul> <li> <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.201903441">nanomaterials</a> (materials on an extremely small scale, many thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair). These are being used in next-generation sensors and new diagnostic tests </li> <li> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-019-0045-y">wearable optical biosensors</a> the size of your fingernail can be included in devices such as watches, contact lenses or finger wraps. These devices allow non-invasive measurements of sweat, tears and saliva, in real time </li> <li> AI tools to analyse how blood serum scatters infrared light. This has allowed researchers to build a <a href="https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/powerful-diagnostic-approach-uses-light-to-detect-virtually-all-forms-of-cancer/">comprehensive database</a> of scatter patterns to detect <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aisy.202300006">any cancer</a> </li> <li> a type of non-invasive imaging called <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554044/">optical coherence tomography</a> for more detailed imaging of the eye, heart and skin </li> <li> fibre optic technology to deliver a tiny microscope into the body on the <a href="https://www.uwa.edu.au/projects/microscope-in-a-needle">tip of a needle</a>. </li> </ul> So the next time you’re at the GP and they perform (or order) some tests, chances are that at least one of those tests depend on light to help diagnose disease.<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/231379/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-griffith-1539353">Matthew Griffith</a>, Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow and Director, UniSA Microscopy and Microanalysis Facilities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/from-eye-exams-to-blood-tests-and-surgery-how-doctors-use-light-to-diagnose-disease-231379">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Five reasons why owning a pet is good for us

With more pets than people, Australians have one of the world’s highest pet ownership rates with 62% of us owning at least one pet. And if you’re wondering why we’re so pet mad, research has shown the benefits include companionship, improved mental wellbeing, lower stress and better heart health. <ol> <li>Pets protect us from loneliness</li> </ol> We see our pet as part of the family. Their unconditional (and non-judgemental) love provides us companionship and help to lower stress and anxiety. Interacting with your pet increases feelings of social support and elevates mood. Dog walking increases opportunities for social interaction. When walking outside, fellow dog walkers love to say hello and introduce themselves and their dog to you. Some cafes and restaurants and hotels are dog-friendly venues too. When travelling alone, it’s wonderful to be able to take your furry companion with you. <ol start="2"> <li>Pets are good for our mental and physical well-being</li> </ol> Pet ownership brings responsibility and the need for skills to know how to best take care of them. These skills will extend to other animals, and other people. Children who have pets develop better social skills when interacting with their friends. Dog owners enjoy lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and less heart disease. While owning a dog is not fully protective, the benefit of all those dog walks are they keep you fitter, healthier and less stressed. If you are unlucky enough to have a heart attack, your long-term survival rate is assisted by having a dog. While interacting with a pet for 10-12 minutes will lower your blood pressure. One of the joys of owning a pet, is the pleasure they provide, and the feeling is mutual. Gazing into the eyes of your beloved pooch, boosts levels of oxytocin our bonding molecule. Our long-standing human-dog relationship was established over 30,000 years ago. Patting or stroking our pets is soothing, especially their silky ears. This is relaxing and how delightful is it when your pet reciprocates with loud purring or offers their tummy for a rub? <ol start="3"> <li>Pets are good for our immune system</li> </ol> You’ve probably heard about your gut microbiome that’s important to keep you healthy. Being a pet owner provides you a healthier microbiome and more robust immune system by promoting more of the beneficial bacteria and lowering the level of harmful, or pathogenic bacteria in our gut. Not only that, stroking your pet raises levels of immunoglobulin A in your body that forms a physical barrier in the gut to protect you against potential invading pathogens. In addition, pregnant mums with a pet in the household are less likely to have infants with childhood allergies, asthma or obesity. <ol start="4"> <li>Pets help us cope better with pain and recovery from illness</li> </ol> Owning a pet has been shown to help manage chronic pain. Pets often sense when their owner isn’t well or in pain and will stay close by, which is very soothing. Watching our pets play and their antics can serve as a useful distraction to our struggles with pain or illness. Having your pet with you (when allowed) in a hospital setting is reassuring and can lift your mood. Animals can help in the work or learning environment. Some workplaces have an office pet policy where you’re allowed to have you pet stay with you while you work. This has been shown to be great for boosting staff morale, collaboration and overall happiness, while keeping work stress lower. <ol start="5"> <li>Pets help us better manage our own self-care</li> </ol> Self-care is always important to stay fit and healthy but isn’t something we always find easy to do. This is where taking responsibility for a pet can help. Teenagers with type one diabetes when given goldfish to care for, did better in monitoring their own blood sugar levels, while having a pet have also been shown to help younger students stay focused and on task, and achieve higher academic results. Pets enrich our lives in so many ways from improved mental well-being to lower stress, elevated mood and greater social support. Whatever type of pet you choose, remember the benefits will work both ways. Dr Jenny Brockis is a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, workplace health and well-being consultant, and author of The Natural Advantage (Major Street Publishing). www.drjennybrockis.com Image credits: Shutterstock <p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14px;">

Family & Pets

Longtime friend opens up on John Farnham's potential return to singing

John Farnham is back in the spotlight following the release of his brand new memoir, John Farnham: The Voice Inside. The memoir explores the legendary singer's extraordinary almost six-decade career, with an insight into the star's notoriously private family life. As he slowly and steadily recovers from mouth cancer, the beloved singer's voice has been heard for the first time as he narrates the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/john-farnham-s-voice-heard-for-the-first-time-since-throat-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">audiobook</a> for his memoir. Now, long-time friend Gaynor Wheatley has shared an exciting update on whether the music icon would ever perform again. "As soon as I saw him in the studio doing the audiobook and as soon as he got behind the microphone, the twinkle was in the eye," she told Today. "That's when I thought, you know, we're still in with a shot and he can still sing, his voice box is still great, there's just a few more things to do with the mouth recovery, but we all know he's as strong as a boxer so if he wants to do something, he'll do it. "If I say to him, 'You won't sing, you can't sing, what a shame', then he'll go, 'Yes I can, I'll prove you wrong'." In another interview with The Project, she recalled how the legendary singer still wants to perform despite his facial disfigurement from the surgery. “He’s a singer,” she said at the time. “I know when he got back in the studio doing the audiobook, he was like, ‘I want to get back, I want to go back’." Image: Today/ Facebook

Caring

What washing machine settings can I use to make my clothes last longer?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alessandra-sutti-1513345">Alessandra Sutti</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amol-patil-1513347">Amol Patil</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maryam-naebe-1513346">Maryam Naebe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Orbiting 400 kilometres above Earth’s surface, the astronauts on the International Space Station live a pretty normal social life, if not for one thing: they happily wear their unwashed clothes <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/nasa-glenn-interns-take-space-washing-machine-designs-for-a-spin/">for days and weeks at a time</a>. They can’t do their laundry <a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Keeping_your_underwear_clean_on_the_Moon">just yet</a> because water is scarce up there. But down here on Earth, washing clothes is a large part of our lives. <a href="https://bigee.net/media/filer_public/2013/03/28/bigee_domestic_washing_machines_worldwide_potential_20130328.pdf">It’s estimated</a> that a volume of water equivalent to 21,000 Olympic swimming pools is used every day for domestic laundry worldwide. Fibres from our clothes make their way into the environment via the air (during use or in the dryer), water (washing) and soil (lint rubbish in landfill). Most of this fibre loss is invisible – we often only notice our favourite clothing is “disappearing” when it’s too late. How can you ensure your favourite outfit will outlast your wish to wear it? Simple question, complex answer. <h2>Washing machines are not gentle</h2> When you clean the filters in your washing machine and dryer, how often do you stop to think that the lint you’re holding <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-laundry-releases-microfibres-weighing-the-equivalent-of-1-500-buses-each-year-199712">was, in fact, your clothes</a>? Laundering is harsh on our clothes, and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0250346">research confirms this</a>. Several factors play a role: the type of washing machine, the washing cycle, detergents, temperature, time, and the type of fabric and yarn construction. There are two types of domestic washing machines: top-loader and front-loader. Mechanical agitation (the way the machine moves the clothes around) is one of the things that helps ease dirt off the fabric. Top-loaders have a vertical, bucket-like basket with a paddle, which sloshes clothes around in a large volume of water. Front-loaders have a horizontal bucket which rotates, exposing the clothes to a smaller volume of water – it takes advantage of gravity, not paddles. Top-loading machines <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12541-010-0047-7">tend to be more aggressive</a> towards fabrics than front-loaders due to the different mechanical action and larger volumes of water. Washing machine panels also present many choices. Shorter, low-temperature programs <a href="https://clevercare.info/more-eco-temperature-tips">are usually sufficient for everyday stains</a>. Choose longer or <a href="https://iprefer30.eu/animations/UK/wash-brochure-uk.pdf">high-temperature programs</a> only for clothing you have concerns about (healthcare uniforms, washable nappies, etc.). Generally, washing machine programs are carefully selected combinations of water volume, agitation intensity and temperature recommended by the manufacturer. They take into consideration the type of fabric and its level of cleanliness. Select the wrong program and you can say goodbye to your favourite top. For example, high temperatures or harsh agitation may cause some fibres to weaken and break, causing holes in the garment. <h2>Some fabrics lose fibres more easily than others</h2> At a microscopic level, the fabric in our clothes is made of yarns – individual fibres twisted together. The nature and length of the fibres, the way they are twisted and the way the yarns form the fabric can determine how many fibres will be lost during a wash. In general, if you want to lose fewer fibres, you should wash less frequently, but some fabrics are affected more than others. Open fabric structures (knits) with loose yarns <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98836-6">can lose more fibres</a> than tighter ones. Some sports clothing, like running shirts, are made of continuous filament yarn. These fibres are less likely to come loose in the wash. Cotton fibres are only a few centimetres long. Twisted tightly together into a yarn, they can still escape. Wool fibres are also short, but have an additional feature: scales, which make wool clothes much more delicate. Wool fibres can come loose like cotton ones, but also tangle with each other during the wash due to their scales. This last aspect is what causes wool garments to shrink when <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/004051756403400303">exposed to heat</a> and agitation. <h2>Go easy on the chemicals</h2> The type of detergent and other products you use also makes a difference. Detergents contain a soap component, enzymes to make stains easier to remove at low temperature, and fragrances. Some contain harsher compounds, such as bleaching or whitening agents. Modern detergents are very effective at <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/laundry-detergents/review-and-compare/laundry-detergents">removing stains such as food</a>, and you don’t need to use much. An incorrect choice of wash cycles, laundry detergent and bleaching additives could cause disaster. Certain products, like bleach, can <a href="https://site.extension.uga.edu/textiles/textile-basics/understand-your-fibers/">damage some fibres like wool and silk</a>. Meanwhile, research on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749120366872?via%3Dihub">fabric softeners and other treatments</a> <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0233332&type=printable">continues</a> – there’s no one-size-fits-all answer about their potential impact on our clothes. <h2>Just skip laundry day</h2> So, how to ensure your clothes last longer? The main tip is to wash them less often. When it’s time for a wash, carefully read and follow the care labels. In the future, our washing machines will <a href="https://www.teknoscienze.com/tks_article/trends-in-laundry-by-2030/">recognise fabrics and select the wash cycle</a>. For now, that’s our responsibility. And the next time you throw your shirt into the dirty laundry basket, stop. Think of the astronauts orbiting above Earth and ask yourself: if they can go without clean laundry for a few days, maybe I can too? (Although we don’t recommend just burning your dirty undies, either.)<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/224064/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C1j6KLP492E?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alessandra-sutti-1513345">Alessandra Sutti</a>, Associate Professor, Institute for Frontier Materials, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amol-patil-1513347">Amol Patil</a>, Research Engineer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maryam-naebe-1513346">Maryam Naebe</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/what-washing-machine-settings-can-i-use-to-make-my-clothes-last-longer-224064">original article</a>. </div>

Home & Garden

"So ashamed": John Farnham opens up about years of abuse

John Farnham has shared explosive claims that he suffered years of abuse at the hands of his former manager at the beginning of his career. Revealing all in his new memoir The Voice Inside, which is set to be released on October 30th, the Aussie music legend opened up about the mistreatment he endured from former manager Darryl Sambell when he was a teen pop idol in the 1960s with hits like Sadie the Cleaning Lady. In an excerpt of the book published by <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_NEW&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Farts%2Freview%2Fhe-drugged-me-for-years-john-farnham-reveals-predatory-industry-life-after-cancer-in-memoir-finding-the-voice%2Fnews-story%2Fc1dfc413b3bee553a0bda380bc3bec01&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=HIGH-Segment-2-SCORE&V21spcbehaviour=appendend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Australian</a>, Farnham wrote that Sambell “drugged me for years and I had no f**king idea,” until he found a half-dissolved pill at the bottom of a cup of coffee. Asked what it was, Sambell told Farnham: “That’s just something to keep you awake.” Farnham also writes that his manager, who was openly gay, was “aggressively sexual” towards him and he was constantly fending off his advances. He wrote, “I said it often enough that I can see now that this rejection turned his attraction into jealousy, hatred and a desire for control.” The toxic relationship went on for years, with Sambell controlling “where and when I worked, what I sang, what I wore, what I ate,” as Farnham ended up “isolated from friends and family,” even from wife Jill, who he married in 1973. Farnham finally sacked Sambell in 1976, later forming one of Australian music’s most successful partnerships with music manager Glenn Wheatley, who helped Farnham become a household name with his major hits of the 1980s and 90s. After Sambell died in 2001, Farnham wrote that he was forced to reflect on the early years of his career, and was overcome with a mixture of sorrow and shame: “I feel so ashamed of myself for not realising what Darryl was up to or speaking up more often to put him back in his place.” He admitted he had found it hard to “unpick” what had happened to him, until forced to confront it while writing his memoir. “But now that I’ve confronted it, I look back on that time with sorrow. I’m annoyed at myself for being so gullible and trusting,” he writes. Image credits: news.com.au / Facebook

Caring

Humanising AI could lead us to dehumanise ourselves

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/raffaele-f-ciriello-1079723">Raffaele F Ciriello</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/angelina-ying-chen-2230113">Angelina Ying Chen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Irish writer John Connolly <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/3147986-the-nature-of-humanity-its-essence-is-to-feel-another-s">once said</a>: "The nature of humanity, its essence, is to feel another’s pain as one’s own, and to act to take that pain away." For most of our history, we believed empathy was a uniquely human trait – a special ability that set us apart from machines and other animals. But this belief is now being challenged. As AI becomes a bigger part of our lives, entering even our most intimate spheres, we’re faced with a philosophical conundrum: could attributing human qualities to AI diminish our own human essence? Our <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375086411_Feels_Like_Empathy_How_Emotional_AI_Challenges_Human_Essence">research</a> suggests it can. <h2>Digitising companionship</h2> In recent years, AI “companion” apps such as Replika have attracted millions of users. Replika allows users to create custom digital partners to engage in intimate conversations. Members who pay for <a href="https://help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032500052-What-is-Replika-Pro#:%7E:text=Replika%20Pro%20gives%20you%20access,relationship%20status%20to%20Romantic%20Partner.">Replika Pro</a> can even turn their AI into a “romantic partner”. Physical AI companions aren’t far behind. Companies such as JoyLoveDolls are selling <a href="https://www.joylovedolls.com/collections/sex-robots">interactive sex robots</a> with customisable features including breast size, ethnicity, movement and AI responses such as moaning and flirting. While this is currently a niche market, history suggests today’s digital trends will become tomorrow’s global norms. With about <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/31243/respondents-who-feel-fairly-or-very-lonely/">one in four</a> adults experiencing loneliness, the demand for AI companions will grow. <h2>The dangers of humanising AI</h2> Humans have long attributed human traits to non-human entities – a tendency known as anthropomorphism. It’s no surprise we’re doing this with AI tools such as ChatGPT, which appear to “think” and “feel”. But why is humanising AI a problem? For one thing, it allows AI companies to exploit our tendency to form attachments with human-like entities. Replika is <a href="https://replika.com">marketed</a> as “the AI companion who cares”. However, to avoid legal issues, the company elsewhere points out Replika isn’t sentient and merely learns through millions of user interactions. Some AI companies overtly <a href="https://www.space.gov.au/news-and-media/akin-assistive-ai-improve-life-space-and-earth">claim</a> their AI assistants have empathy and can even anticipate human needs. Such claims are misleading and can take advantage of people seeking companionship. Users may become <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-tried-the-replika-ai-companion-and-can-see-why-users-are-falling-hard-the-app-raises-serious-ethical-questions-200257">deeply emotionally invested</a> if they believe their AI companion truly understands them. This raises serious ethical concerns. A user <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374505266_Ethical_Tensions_in_Human-AI_Companionship_A_Dialectical_Inquiry_into_Replika">will hesitate</a> to delete (that is, to “abandon” or “kill”) their AI companion once they’ve ascribed some kind of sentience to it. But what happens when said companion unexpectedly disappears, such as if the user can no longer afford it, or if the company that runs it shuts down? While the companion may not be real, the feelings attached to it are. <h2>Empathy – more than a programmable output</h2> By reducing empathy to a programmable output, do we risk diminishing its true essence? To answer this, let’s first think about what empathy really is. Empathy involves responding to other people with understanding and concern. It’s when you share your friend’s sorrow as they tell you about their heartache, or when you feel joy radiating from someone you care about. It’s a profound experience – rich and beyond simple forms of measurement. A fundamental difference between humans and AI is that humans genuinely feel emotions, while AI can only simulate them. This touches on the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375086411_Feels_Like_Empathy_How_Emotional_AI_Challenges_Human_Essence">hard problem of consciousness</a>, which questions how subjective human experiences arise from physical processes in the brain. While AI can simulate understanding, any “empathy” it purports to have is a result of programming that mimics empathetic language patterns. Unfortunately, AI providers have a financial incentive to trick users into growing attached to their seemingly empathetic products. <h2>The dehumanAIsation hypothesis</h2> Our “dehumanAIsation hypothesis” highlights the ethical concerns that come with trying to reduce humans to some basic functions that can be replicated by a machine. The more we humanise AI, the more we risk dehumanising ourselves. For instance, depending on AI for emotional labour could make us less tolerant of the imperfections of real relationships. This could weaken our social bonds and even lead to emotional deskilling. Future generations may become less empathetic – losing their grasp on essential human qualities as emotional skills continue to be commodified and automated. Also, as AI companions become more common, people may use them to replace real human relationships. This would likely increase loneliness and alienation – the very issues these systems claim to help with. AI companies’ collection and analysis of emotional data also poses significant risks, as these data could be used to manipulate users and maximise profit. This would further erode our privacy and autonomy, taking <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-surveillance-capitalism-and-how-does-it-shape-our-economy-119158">surveillance capitalism</a> to the next level. <h2>Holding providers accountable</h2> Regulators need to do more to hold AI providers accountable. AI companies should be honest about what their AI can and can’t do, especially when they risk exploiting users’ emotional vulnerabilities. Exaggerated claims of “genuine empathy” should be made illegal. Companies making such claims should be fined – and repeat offenders shut down. Data privacy policies should also be clear, fair and without hidden terms that allow companies to exploit user-generated content. We must preserve the unique qualities that define the human experience. While AI can enhance certain aspects of life, it can’t – and shouldn’t – replace genuine human connection.<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/240803/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/raffaele-f-ciriello-1079723">Raffaele F Ciriello</a>, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/angelina-ying-chen-2230113">Angelina Ying Chen</a>, PhD student , <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/humanising-ai-could-lead-us-to-dehumanise-ourselves-240803">original article</a>. </div>

Technology

1 in 5 Australians admit they don’t wash their hands every time they use the toilet

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christine-carson-109004">Christine Carson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> Do you wash your hands every time you use the toilet? How about before you handle food? Be honest. Australia’s Food Safety Information Council has released its <a href="https://www.foodsafety.asn.au/topic/latest-report-card-on-aussie-handwashing-blokes-still-need-to-do-better-global-handwashing-day-15-october-2024/">latest report card</a> on the country’s hand washing habits. It found 19% of Australians don’t wash their hands every time they use the toilet. Close to half (42%) admit they don’t always wash hands before handling food. So who’s doing well when it comes to hand hygiene, who’s not – and why does it matter? <h2>What did the report find?</h2> The new report surveyed hand washing practices of 1,229 people. Results were consistent with what we’ve learned from <a href="https://www.foodsafety.asn.au/topic/latest-research-shows-improvement-in-aussie-handwashing-but-blokes-still-need-to-do-better-global-handwashing-day-15-october-2023/">similar surveys</a>. Once again, women do better than men at washing their hands after using the toilet, although only slightly (80% of men say they do every time, versus 83% of women). Just 55% of men wash their hands before touching food, compared to 62% of women. Age also seemed to make a difference. Under 34 years old, 69% of people washed their hands every time they used the toilet. Over age 65, that jumped to 86%. Although some of these differences aren’t completely unexpected – such as <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/02/women-hand-washing-more-than-men-why-coronavirus.html">the gap</a> between men’s and women’s hand washing habits – the reasons remain unclear. <h2>Why don’t people wash their hands?</h2> Public health messaging often focuses on how to wash hands well. But there’s less research that follows up on how widely people actually adopt these practices. And to understand why – if they are skipping the soap and water – those messages might not be getting through effectively. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33998334/">One study</a> that looked at this question in India asked school children about barriers to hand washing. The vast majority (91%) had low “illness threat perception”. In other words, they simply didn’t perceive a risk of getting sick form not washing their hands after going to the toilet. Interestingly, the inability to see germs with their own eyes was one of the biggest barriers, cited by 46% of the children. But 72% said they would wash their hands if their friends did. It’s tempting to speculate these reasons may also apply to other age groups, but we simply haven’t done enough research to know. People’s reasons for hand washing, or not, likely vary across their lifetime and with their circumstances. <h2>What are the risks?</h2> Urine and faeces contain millions of germs, especially faeces, which has more than <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-poo-is-mostly-alive-heres-whats-in-it-102848">100 billion</a> germs per gram. When you use the toilet and touch surfaces in the bathroom, you will pick up germs. People who skip the hand washing step on the way out take those germs with them when they leave, depositing them on each surface they touch afterwards. You may not get sick yourself, but you’re increasing the spread of bacteria. This can increase the risk of infection and illness for other people, including those with compromised immune systems such as older people and those undergoing common forms of treatment for cancer. Hand washing before cooking and eating is also important. The risk here goes both ways. If you have disease-causing germs on your hands (maybe because you didn’t wash them after the toilet) you may transfer them to the food where they can multiply and even produce toxins. People who eat the food may then get sick, often involving vomiting and diarrhoea. In the other direction, some foods naturally carry germs before cooking – such as <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7697675/">salmonella and campylobacter bacteria in raw poultry</a>. If you don’t wash your hands after handling these foods you may transfer them to other surfaces and risk spreading infection. <h2>How should I wash my hands?</h2> Follow these three simple tips for hand washing correctly: <ol> <li> wet your hands and rub them together well to build up a good lather with soap for at least 20 seconds and don’t forget to wash between your fingers and under your nails. You might have to use a nail brush </li> <li> rinse well under running water to remove the bugs from your hands </li> <li> dry your hands thoroughly on a clean towel for at least 20 seconds. Touching surfaces with moist hands encourages bugs to spread from the surface to your hands. </li> </ol> <h2>What about hand sanitiser?</h2> If no running water is available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. These rapidly inactivate a wide range of germs, rendering them non-infectious. Hand sanitisers are effective against a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513254/#_article-17334_s3_">wide range of bacteria and viruses</a> that can cause many common gastrointesintal and respiratory infections. However if your hands are soiled with organic matter – such as blood, faeces, meat, sand or soil – they won’t be effective. In that case you should clean your hands with soap and water. <h2>The bottom line</h2> Hand washing is a bit like wearing a seat belt — you do that every time you get in a car, not just on the days you “plan” to be involved in an accident. The bottom line is hand washing is a simple, quick intervention that benefits you and those around you — but only if you do it.<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/241481/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christine-carson-109004">Christine Carson</a>, Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/1-in-5-australians-admit-they-dont-wash-their-hands-every-time-they-use-the-toilet-241481">original article</a>. </div>

Body

"One more shot": Nick Kyrgios makes major career announcement

After two years of dealing with an injury, Nick Kyrgios has made a major announcement about his career future. The 29-year-old Aussie tennis champion has confirmed he will be returning to the court for Australian Open in 2025, after not playing any professional tennis for 492 days. His last match dates all the way back to June 13th in 2023, which he lost against China’s Yibing Wu before he took a step back from the court to deal with serious knee and wrist injuries. While many fans have speculated whether he would ever return to the sport, Kyrgios made the announcement himself while speaking at South by South West (SXSW) in Sydney on Thursday. “The injury I had was brutal,” he said as a keynote speaker on stage. “The surgeon said I probably wouldn’t be able to play again. But I said whatever, just try and get me another 2-3 years of my career." “Everything has gone semi-well and I will be playing the Australia Open this summer.” While on his hiatus from playing, Kyrios has dabbled in the world of commentating, but he admitted it has been tough to sit on the sidelines for so long. “It’s been a brutal last couple of years ... but just being out there to play in front of a home crowd ... I just want to be out there, lighting up the crowd and playing in front of my own country,” Kyrios added. “Whether it is good or bad, it will certainly be a lot of fun, for sure. I am looking forward to it. “My only motivation to come back and play is to try and win a grand slam, and I’ll give it one more shot.” Image credits: Getty Images

News

Eight simple changes to our neighbourhoods can help us age well

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jerome-n-rachele-251972">Jerome N Rachele</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-f-sallis-407885">James F Sallis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-california-san-diego-1314">University of California, San Diego</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/venurs-loh-118864">Venurs Loh</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> Where we live can play a big part in ageing well, largely because of the links between physical activity and wellbeing. <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/2181/AHURI_Final_Report_No214_Downsizing-amongst-older-Australians.pdf">Research shows</a> that two-thirds of Australians prefer to age in place. That is, we want to live independently in our homes for as long as we can. Our neighbourhoods and their design can then improve or hinder our ability to get out of the house and be physically active. The rapid ageing of Australia’s population only adds to the importance of neighbourhood design. In 2016, 15% of Australians were aged 65 or older. That proportion is <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-statistics/population-groups/older-people/overview">projected to double</a> by 2056. These trends present several <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-statistics/population-groups/older-people/reports">social and economic challenges</a>, particularly for the health sector. Designing neighbourhoods in ways that promote physical activity can help overcome these challenges. <h2>Eight simple steps</h2> The following is a short list of <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-017-0471-5">evidence-based steps</a> local and state governments can take to assist older people to be physically active. These involve minor but effective changes to neighbourhood design. Improve footpaths: Research indicates that older people have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-older-people-get-osteoporosis-and-have-falls-68145">higher risk of falls</a>. Ensuring footpaths are level and crack-free, and free from obstructions, will encourage walking among older people – especially those with a disability. Connected pedestrian networks: Introducing footpaths at the end of no-through-roads and across long street blocks reduces walking distances to destinations. This makes walking a more viable option. Slowing traffic in high-pedestrian areas: Slowing traffic <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/images/uploads/publications/Safe-Speed-Evidence-Report.pdf">improves safety</a> by reducing the risk of a collision. It also reduces the risk of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28557669">death and serious injury</a> in the event of a collision. Age-friendly street crossings: Installing longer pedestrian crossing light sequences gives older pedestrians <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/41/5/690/47318/Most-older-pedestrians-are-unable-to-cross-the">more time to cross</a>, and installing refuge islands means those who walk more slowly can cross the street in two stages. Disabled access at public transport: Although a form of motorised transport, public transport users undertake more incidental physical activity compared with car users. This is because they walk between transit stops and their origins and destinations. Improving disabled access helps make public transport a viable option for more older people. Places to rest: <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1054">Providing rest spots</a> such as benches enables older people to break up their walk and rest when needed. Planting trees: Planting trees <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614004109?via%3Dihub">creates more pleasant scenery</a> to enjoy on a walk. It also provides shade on hot days. Improving safety: Ensuring that streets are well-lit and reducing graffiti and signs of decay are likely to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24552845">improve perceptions of safety</a> among older people. <h2>Why physical activity matters</h2> Physical function – the ability to undertake everyday activities such as walking, bathing and climbing stairs – often declines as people age. The reason for this is that ageing is often accompanied by a reduction in muscle strength, flexibility and cardiorespiratory reserves. Regular physical activity can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14552936">prevent or slow the decline</a> in physical function, even among those with existing health conditions. Middle-to-older aged adults can reduce their risk of physical function decline <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-7-38">by 30%</a> with regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes per week). This includes recreational physical activity, like walking the dog, or incidental physical activity, such as walking to the shops or to visit friends. By making minor changes as outlined above, the health and longevity of our elderly population can be extended. Such changes will help our elderly age well in place. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jerome-n-rachele-251972">Jerome N Rachele</a>, Research Fellow in Social Epidemiology, Institute for Health and Ageing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-f-sallis-407885">James F Sallis</a>, Professorial Fellow, Institute for Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, and Emeritus Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-california-san-diego-1314">University of California, San Diego</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/venurs-loh-118864">Venurs Loh</a>, PhD Candidate, Institute for Health and Ageing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/eight-simple-changes-to-our-neighbourhoods-can-help-us-age-well-83962">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Tips

Cruise passengers share why you never leave your cabin balcony door open

A couple on a cruise ship have learned the hard way why you should never leave the balcony door in your cruise cabin open and unattended for too long. While on a cruise around the US and docked in the port of Orlando in Florida, the couple took to TikTok to share their "horror" experience of when their cabin filled up with birds. In the video, they opened the door to their room and were swarmed by a flock of birds as they captioned the video, "When you go on a cruise and you come back to a bunch of (bird emoji) everywhere." "Felt like we were living in a horror movie scene. I can breathe now because I can (laugh)about it," the passenger added. <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: currentcolor !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: currentcolor !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7423175328480136491&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40greedy810%2Fvideo%2F7423175328480136491&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-pu-sign-useast8.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2FoM5JajVJBIUqbExUAiiApxIM8Af9zqBEi0wBCg%3Flk3s%3Db59d6b55%26x-expires%3D1729123200%26x-signature%3DC%252F8Xte%252FDJymZpHuGaa4Y8zX%252F6AA%253D%26shp%3Db59d6b55%26shcp%3D-&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> The video was taken on the Carnival Freedom cruise ship in the USA, with the couple later posting another video of a room steward catching two birds in a cardboard box. Viewers in the comments were a mix of amused and horrified, as one person wrote, "You're not supposed to leave your balcony door open when you're gone." "You have a whole Alfred Hitchcock movie in your room," another commented, comparing the scene with the film, The Birds. Others speculated that the unusual behaviour of the birds could be impacted by the nearby Hurricane Milton. Image credits: TikTok

Cruising

Why hurricanes like Milton in the US and cyclones in Australia are becoming more intense and harder to predict

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dowdy-119002">Andrew Dowdy</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/liz-ritchie-tyo-1509061">Liz Ritchie-Tyo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/savin-chand-1351050">Savin Chand</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/federation-university-australia-780">Federation University Australia</a> Tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes and typhoons in other parts of the world, have caused huge damage in many places recently. The United States has just been hit by <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?start">Hurricane Milton</a>, within two weeks of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hurricane-helene-became-a-deadly-disaster-across-six-states-240522">Hurricane Helene</a>. Climate change <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-key-driver-of-catastrophic-impacts-of-hurricane-helene-that-devastated-both-coastal-and-inland-communities/">likely made their impacts worse</a>. In Australia, the tropical cyclone season (November to April) is approaching. The Bureau of Meteorology this week released its <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/cyclones/australia/">long-range forecast</a> for this season. It predicts an average number of tropical cyclones, 11, are likely to form in the region. Four are expected to cross the Australian coast. However, the risk of severe cyclones is higher than average. So what does an average number actually mean in our rapidly changing climate? And why is there a higher risk of intense cyclones? The bureau’s forecast is consistent with scientific evidence suggesting climate change is likely to result in fewer but more severe tropical cyclones. They are now more likely to bring stronger winds and <a href="https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/1251/2024/hess-28-1251-2024.pdf">more intense rain and flooding</a>. <h2>Climate change is making prediction harder</h2> Our knowledge of tropical cyclones and climate change is based on multiple lines of evidence <a href="https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0189.1">globally</a> and for the Australian region. This work includes our studies based on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01388-4">observations</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-018-4497-4">modelling</a>. The bureau’s seasonal outlook in recent years has assumed an average of 11 tropical cyclones occurring in our region (covering an area of the southern tropics between longitudes 90°E and 160°E). It’s based on the average value for all years back to 1969. However, for the past couple of decades the annual average is below nine tropical cyclones. In earlier decades, it was over 12. This long-term downward trend adds to the challenge of seasonal predictions. The most recent above-average season (assuming an average of 11) was almost 20 years ago, in the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/history/climatology/">2005–06 summer with 12 tropical cyclones</a>. Since then, any prediction of above-average tropical cyclone seasons has not eventuated. <h2>El Niño and La Niña influences may be changing too</h2> Historical observations suggest more tropical cyclones tend to occur near Australia during La Niña events. This is a result of warm, moist water and air near Australia, compared with El Niño events. The shifting between El Niño and La Niña states in the Pacific region is known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Such events can be predicted with a useful degree of accuracy several months ahead in some cases. For example, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has <a href="https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf">forecast</a>: <blockquote> La Niña is favored to emerge in September–November (71% chance) and is expected to persist through January–March 2025. </blockquote> Based on that, one might expect a higher-than-average number of tropical cyclones for the Australian region. However, the <a href="https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/asl2.502">ENSO influence on tropical cyclones has weakened</a> in our region. It’s another factor that’s making long-range predictions harder. The <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/outlook/">bureau’s ENSO outlook</a> is somewhat closer to neutral ENSO conditions, based on its modelling, compared to NOAA’s leaning more toward La Niña. The bureau says: <blockquote> Should La Niña form in the coming months, it is forecast to be relatively weak and short-lived. </blockquote> The bureau’s prediction of an average number of tropical cyclones this season is broadly consistent with its prediction of close-to-average ENSO conditions. <h2>So what does this all mean for this cyclone season?</h2> If we end up getting an average Australian season for the current climate, this might actually mean fewer tropical cyclones than the historical average. The number might be closer to eight or nine rather than 11 or 12. (Higher or lower values than this range are still possible.) However, those that do occur could have an increased chance of being <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/understanding/categories/">category 4 or 5 tropical cyclones</a>. These have stronger winds, with gusts typically exceeding 225km per hour, and are more likely to cause severe floods and coastal damage. If we end up getting more than the recent average of eight to nine tropical cyclones, which could happen if NOAA predictions of La Niña conditions eventuate, that increases the risk of impacts. However, there is one partially good news story from climate change relating to this, if the influence of La Niña is less than it used to be on increasing tropical cyclone activity. Another factor is that the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ocean/sst/#/anom/global/weekly/20241006">world’s oceans are much warmer than usual</a>. Warm ocean water is one of several factors that provide the energy needed for a tropical cyclone to form. Many ocean heat <a href="https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/?dm_id=world2">records have been set</a> recently. This means we have been in “uncharted waters” from a temperature perspective. It adds further uncertainty if relying on what occurred in the past when making predictions for the current climate. <h2>Up-to-date evidence is vital as climate changes</h2> The science makes it clear we need to plan for tropical cyclone impacts in a different way from what might have worked in the past. This includes being prepared for potentially fewer tropical cyclones overall, but with those that do occur being more likely to cause more damage. This means there are higher risks of damaging winds, flooding and coastal erosion. Seasonal prediction guidance can be part of improved planning. There’s also a need for enhanced design standards and other climate change adaptation activities. All can be updated regularly to stay consistent with the best available scientific knowledge. Increased preparedness is more important than ever to help reduce the potential for disasters caused by tropical cyclones in the current and future climate. <hr /> The authors acknowledge the contribution of CSIRO researcher <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hamish-ramsay-19549">Hamish Ramsay</a> during the writing of this article.<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/241000/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dowdy-119002">Andrew Dowdy</a>, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/liz-ritchie-tyo-1509061">Liz Ritchie-Tyo</a>, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/savin-chand-1351050">Savin Chand</a>, Associate Professor, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/federation-university-australia-780">Federation University Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/why-hurricanes-like-milton-in-the-us-and-cyclones-in-australia-are-becoming-more-intense-and-harder-to-predict-241000">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Trouble

"In shock ever since": Aussie TV legend opens up on divorce

Noni Hazelhurst has opened up about her high-profile divorce from actor John Jarratt in 1999, admitting she has "been in shock ever since" the relationship split. The former Play School host, 71, wrote candidly about her former husband in her new memoir Dropping The Mask, sharing the real reason they called off their marriage. Hazelhurst and Jarratt were married for 12 years, from 1987 until 1999, and share two sons together, Charlie, 36, and William, 30. The couple even co-hosted Better Homes and Gardens together, but sadly, the show wound up playing a role in their divorce. “John and I had some wonderful times together – and then we didn’t," Hazlehurst told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/noni-hazlehurst-ex-husband/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woman’s Day</a> in a new interview. “That’s true of many relationships. They start off full of hope and optimism and, along the way, buried issues come to the surface.” Noni went on to say their relationship started to end when John grew closer to a member of the Better Homes crew, saying “At that moment, I knew the marriage was over.” “We simply wanted different things. I wanted a family. John wanted another woman… The ending of my previous relationships had been hard enough, but this was far worse. In some ways, I think I’ve been in shock ever since.” Despite the divorce, Hazlehurst insisted she had no hard feelings toward her ex, saying, “The end result of our marriage was two beautiful children. Whatever happened can’t negate the joy they’ve brought me.” Image credits: Instagram / news.com.au

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Grandparents found hugging after being killed by fallen tree

Marcia Savage, 74, and Jerry Savage, 78, had already turned in for the night as Hurricane Helene roared outside. Their 22-year-old grandson, John Savage, had checked in on them to make sure they were fine after he heard a snap. “We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them. They were both fine, the dog was fine." he recalled. But not long after disaster struck and John and his father heard a "boom" as one of the largest trees on their property in Beech Island, South Carolina came crashing down on top of his grandparents' bedroom, killing them. “All you could see was ceiling and tree,” he said. “I was just going through sheer panic at that point.” John said his grandparents were found hugging one another in the bed, in what he described as a final heroic act from Jerry who tried to protect his wife. “When they pulled them out of there, my grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try to protect my grandmother,” he said. Jerry did all sorts of handy work but worked mostly as an electrician and carpenter. Jerry went “in and out of retirement because he got bored”. “He’d get that spirit back in him to go back out and work," his grandson said. Marcia was a retired bank teller who was very involved in their church. Their daughter Tammy Estep said Marcia loved cooking for her family, especially for Thanksgiving, and was known for her banana pudding. The couple were high school sweethearts and were married for more than 50 years, with Tammy recalling that "their love was immediate, and it was everlasting”. “They loved each other to their dying day,” John said. The couple are among more than 150 people confirmed dead in one of the deadliest storms in US history. A GoFundMe organised for their funeral expenses says that they were survived by their son and daughter, along with their four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Images: Facebook

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"In shock ever since": Aussie TV legend opens up on divorce

Grandparents found hugging after being killed by fallen tree

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