Search

How was Halloween invented? Once a Celtic pagan tradition, the holiday has evolved to let kids and adults try on new identities

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <figure class="align-left "></figure> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/linus-owens-457047">Linus Owens</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p>“It’s alive!” Dr. Frankenstein cried as his creation stirred to life. But the creature had a life of its own, eventually escaping its creator’s control.</p> <p>Much like Frankenstein’s monster, traditions are also alive, which means they can change over time or get reinvented. Built from a hodgepodge of diverse parts, Halloween is one such tradition that has been continually reinvented since its ancient origins as <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/T/bo46408548.html">a Celtic pagan ceremony</a>. Yet beneath the superhero costumes and bags of candy still beats the heart of the original.</p> <p>The Celts lived in what’s now Ireland as far back as 500 B.C. They celebrated New Year’s Day on Nov. 1, which they called <a href="https://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween-santino.html">Samhain</a>. They believed that leading up to the transition to the new year, the door between the worlds of the living and the dead swung open. The souls of the recently dead, previously trapped on Earth, could now pass to the underworld. Since they thought spirits came out after dark, this supernatural activity reached its peak the night before, on Oct. 31.</p> <p>The Celts invented rituals to protect themselves during this turbulent time. They put on costumes and disguises to fool the spirits. They lit bonfires and stuck candles inside carved turnips – the first jack-o’-lanterns – to scare away any spirits looking for mischief. If all else failed, they carried a pocketful of treats to pay off wayward spirits and send them back <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/halloween-9780195168969?cc=us&lang=en&">on their way to the underworld</a>.</p> <p>Sound familiar?</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/halloweens-celebration-of-mingling-with-the-dead-has-roots-in-ancient-celtic-celebrations-of-samhain-191300">Although focused on the dead</a>, Samhain was ultimately <a href="https://utpress.org/title/halloween-other-festivals/">for the living</a>, who needed plenty of help of their own when transitioning to the new year. Winter was cold and dark. Food was scarce. Everyone came together for one last bash to break bread, share stories and stand tall against the dead, strengthening community ties at the time they were needed most.</p> <p>When Catholics arrived in Ireland around A.D. 300, they opened another door between worlds, unleashing considerable conflict. They sought to convert the Celts by changing their pagan rituals into Christian holidays. They rechristened Nov. 1 “All Saints Day,” which today remains a celebration of Catholic saints.</p> <p>But the locals held on to their old beliefs. They believed the dead still wandered the Earth. So the living still dressed in costumes. This activity still took place the night before. It just had a new name to fit the Catholic calendar: “All Hallows Eve,” which is <a href="https://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween-santino.html">where we got the name Halloween</a>.</p> <p>Irish immigrants <a href="https://www.irishpost.com/heritage/how-irish-great-famine-brought-halloween-to-america-161376">brought Halloween to America in the 1800s</a> while escaping the Great Potato Famine. At first, Irish Halloween celebrations were an oddity, viewed suspiciously by other Americans. As such, Halloween wasn’t celebrated much in America at the time.</p> <p>As the Irish integrated into American society, Halloween was reinvented again, this time as an all-American celebration. It became a holiday primarily for kids. Its religious overtones faded, with supernatural saints and sinners being replaced by generic ghosts and goblins. Carved turnips gave way to the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-jack-o-lantern">pumpkins</a> now emblematic of the holiday. Though trick-or-treating resembles ancient traditions like guising, where costumed children went door to door for gifts, <a href="https://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/jack-santino-five-myths-about-halloween/article_6fe79e19-d106-52cc-a895-4a3a72d09c93.html">it’s actually an American invention</a>, created to entice kids away from rowdy holiday pranks toward more wholesome activities.</p> <p>Halloween has become a tradition many new immigrants adopt along their journey toward American-ness and is increasingly <a href="https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-4438-0153-9">being exported around the world</a>, with locals reinventing it in new ways to adapt it to their own culture.</p> <p>What’s so special about Halloween is that it turns the world upside down. The dead walk the Earth. Rules are meant to be broken. And kids exercise a lot of power. They decide what costume to wear. They make demands on others by asking for candy. “Trick or treat” is their battle cry. They do things they’d never get away with any other time, but on Halloween, they get to act like adults, trying it on to see how it fits.</p> <p>Because Halloween allows kids more independence, it’s possible to mark significant life stages through holiday firsts. First Halloween. First Halloween without a parent. First Halloween that’s no longer cool. First Halloween as a parent.</p> <p>Growing up used to mean growing out of Halloween. But today, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/10/24/halloween-adults-costumes-elvira-mistress-of-the-dark/1593177/">young adults</a> seem even more committed to Halloween than kids.</p> <p>What changed: adults or Halloween? Both.</p> <p>Caught between childhood and adulthood, today’s young adults find Halloween a perfect match to their struggles to find themselves and make their way in the world. Their participation has reinvented Halloween again, now bigger, more elaborate and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/halloween-prices-cost-more-expensive-pumpkin-candy-costumes-1754635">more expensive</a>. Yet in <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-has-halloween-become-so-popular-among-adults-104896">becoming an adult celebration</a>, it comes full circle to return to its roots as a holiday celebrated mainly by adults.</p> <p>Halloween is a living tradition. You wear a costume every year, but you’d never wear the same one. You’ve changed since last year, and your costume reflects that. Halloween is no different. Each year, it’s the same celebration, but it’s also something totally new. In what ways are you already reinventing the Halloween of the future today?</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/linus-owens-457047"><em>Linus Owens</em></a><em>, Associate Professor of Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-was-halloween-invented-once-a-celtic-pagan-tradition-the-holiday-has-evolved-to-let-kids-and-adults-try-on-new-identities-192379">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Art

Who really was Mona Lisa? More than 500 years on, there’s good reason to think we got it wrong

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/darius-von-guttner-sporzynski-112147">Darius von Guttner Sporzynski</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p>In the pantheon of Renaissance art, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa stands as an unrivalled icon. This half-length portrait is more than just an artistic masterpiece; it embodies the allure of an era marked by unparalleled cultural flourishing.</p> <p>Yet, beneath the surface of the Mona Lisa’s elusive smile lies a debate that touches the very essence of the Renaissance, its politics and the role of women in history.</p> <h2>A mystery woman</h2> <p>The intrigue of the Mona Lisa, also known as <a href="https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/artdok/4207/1/Zoellner_Leonardos_portrait_of_Mona_Lisa_1993.pdf">La Gioconda</a>, isn’t solely due to Leonardo’s revolutionary painting techniques. It’s also because the identity of the subject is unconfirmed to this day. More than half a millennium since it was first painted, the real identity of the Mona Lisa remains one of art’s greatest mysteries, intriguing scholars and enthusiasts alike.</p> <p>The painting has traditionally been associated with Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. But another compelling theory suggests a different sitter: Isabella of Aragon.</p> <p>Isabella of Aragon was born into the illustrious House of Aragon in Naples, in 1470. She was a princess who was deeply entwined in the political and cultural fabric of the Renaissance.</p> <p>Her 1490 marriage to Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, positioned Isabella at the heart of Italian politics. And this role was both complicated and elevated by the ambitions and machinations of Ludovico Sforza (also called Ludovico il Moro), her husband’s uncle and usurper of the Milanese dukedom.</p> <h2>Scholarly perspectives</h2> <p>The theory that Isabella is the real Mona Lisa is supported by a combination of stylistic analyses, historical connections and reinterpretations of Leonardo’s intent as an artist.</p> <p>In his <a href="https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/pages/books/51791/robert-payne/leonardo-1st-edition-1st-printing">biography of Leonardo</a>, author Robert Payne points to <a href="https://emuseum.hydecollection.org/objects/94/study-of-the-mona-lisa?ctx=760b87fd-efbf-4468-b579-42f98e9712d2&idx=0">preliminary studies</a> by the artist that bear a striking resemblances to Isabella around age 20. Payne suggests Leonardo captured Isabella <a href="https://emuseum.hydecollection.org/objects/94/study-of-the-mona-lisa?ctx=760b87fd-efbf-4468-b579-42f98e9712d2&idx=0">across different life stages</a>, including during widowhood, as depicted in the Mona Lisa.</p> <p>US artist Lillian F. Schwartz’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0097849395000317">1988 study</a> used x-rays to reveal an initial sketch of a woman hidden beneath Leonardo’s painting. This sketch was then painted over with Leonardo’s own likeness.</p> <p>Schwartz believes the woman in the sketch is Isabella, because of its similarity with a cartoon Leonardo made of the princess. She proposes the work was made by integrating specific features of the initial model with Leonardo’s own features.</p> <p>This hypothesis is further supported by art historians Jerzy Kulski and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owjJWxcnKrE">Maike Vogt-Luerssen</a>.</p> <p>According to Vogt-Luerssen’s <a href="https://www.kleio.org/de/buecher/wer-ist-mona-lisa/">detailed analysis</a> of the Mona Lisa, the symbols of the Sforza house and the depiction of mourning garb both align with Isabella’s known life circumstances. They suggest the Mona Lisa isn’t a commissioned portrait, but a nuanced representation of a woman’s journey through triumph and tragedy.</p> <p>Similarly, Kulski highlights the <a href="https://www.academia.edu/40147186/The_Mona_Lisa_Portrait_Leonardos_Personal_and_Political_Tribute_to_Isabella_Aragon_Sforza_the_Duchess_of_Milan">portrait’s heraldic designs</a>, which would be atypical for a silk merchant’s wife. He, too, suggests the painting shows Isabella mourning her late husband.</p> <p>The Mona Lisa’s enigmatic expression also captures Isabella’s self-described state post-1500 of being “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-0424.12683">alone in misfortune</a>”. Contrary to representing a wealthy, recently married woman, the portrait exudes the aura of a virtuous widow.</p> <p>Late professor of art history <a href="https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004304130/B9789004304130_014.xml?language=en">Joanna Woods-Marsden</a> suggested the Mona Lisa transcends traditional portraiture and embodies Leonardo’s ideal, rather than being a straightforward commission.</p> <p>This perspective frames the work as a deeply personal project for Leonardo, possibly signifying a special connection between him and Isabella. Leonardo’s reluctance to part with the work also indicates a deeper, personal investment in it.</p> <h2>Beyond the canvas</h2> <p>The theory that Isabella of Aragon could be the true Mona Lisa is a profound reevaluation of the painting’s context, opening up new avenues through which to appreciate the work.</p> <p>It elevates Isabella from a figure overshadowed by the men in her life, to a woman of courage and complexity who deserves recognition in her own right.</p> <p>Through her strategic marriage and political savvy, <a href="https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85147429412&origin=resultslist">Isabella played a crucial role in the alliances and conflicts</a> that defined the Italian Renaissance. By possibly choosing her as his subject, Leonardo immortalised her and also made a profound statement on the complexity and agency of women in a male-dominated society.</p> <p>The ongoing debate over Mona Lisa’s identity underscores this work’s significance as a cultural and historical artefact. It also invites us to reflect on the roles of women in the Renaissance and challenge common narratives that minimise them.</p> <p>In this light, it becomes a legacy of the women who shaped the Renaissance.<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/220666/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/darius-von-guttner-sporzynski-112147">Darius von Guttner Sporzynski</a>, Historian, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Xinhua News Agency/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-really-was-mona-lisa-more-than-500-years-on-theres-good-reason-to-think-we-got-it-wrong-220666">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Art

New twist in real identity of "elderly" shoplifter

<p>New details have emerged after an "elderly" woman was photographed after allegedly being targeted by police for <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/old-woman-targeted-and-accused-of-shoplifting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shoplifting</a>. </p> <p>The original photo, which was shared to X, showed an older woman standing outside a Coles supermarket, while two officers sifted through her groceries to check she wasn't stealing. </p> <p>The post garnered widespread outrage, with many people leaping to the woman's defence and calling for people to "boycott Woolies and Coles".</p> <p>Now, it turns out that the shopper wasn't an old woman at all, but a 32-year-old woman dressing to appear older. </p> <p>According to reports from <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/new-twist-after-photo-of-elderly-coles-shopper-being-stopped-by-police-sparks-furious-reaction-c-14356492" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>7News</em></a>, the woman was impersonating an elderly shopper during the trip to Coles and was discovered with a significant amount of groceries.</p> <p>Victoria Police confirmed they were called to the supermarket, and issued the woman with a caution for shoplifting. </p> <p>“Police responded to reports of shoplifting at a centre in Richmond about 3.30pm on 17 April,” police said.</p> <p>“Officers arrived to discover a woman had been detained on the ground by a loss prevention officer employed by the store. Police separated the parties and spoke with a 32-year-old woman from Glenroy who was cautioned for shoplifting.”</p> <p>In the initial post to social media, the bystander took aim at Coles and Victoria Police for targeting the shopper, who they believed was elderly, describing her apprehension as “forcible”.</p> <p>“I told the police that I’ll pay for her food and let her go and then I got threatened with being arrested for ‘obstructing police’,”the X user said</p> <p>In further posts, the bystander made even more serious allegations about the incident.</p> <p>“When I intervened to help the lady I then got threatened by the police of being arrested for ‘obstructing a police matter’,” they posted.</p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p>

Legal

How mistaken identity can lead to wrongful convictions

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hayley-cullen-423538">Hayley Cullen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p>In March 1976, American Leonard Mack was convicted of sexual assault and holding two female victims at gunpoint. In September 2023, Mack’s wrongful conviction was finally overturned by a New York judge on his 72nd birthday with the help of the <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/news/hit-in-dna-database-proves-leonard-macks-innocence-after-47-years-of-wrongful-conviction/">Innocence Project</a>, an organisation that uses DNA evidence to prove factual innocence.</p> <p>Mack’s conviction took 47 years to overturn. He served seven-and-a-half of these years in a New York prison. His case is the <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/news/8-moving-moments-from-leonard-macks-historic-exoneration-after-47-years/">longest</a> in United States history to be overturned using DNA evidence.</p> <p>In June 2023, a similar historic moment occurred in Australia. Kathleen Folbigg was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/05/kathleen-folbigg-pardoned-after-20-years-in-jail-over-deaths-of-her-four-children">pardoned and released</a> after 20 years in prison for the murder and manslaughter of her four young children.</p> <p>Considered one of the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/folbigg-release-would-make-chamberlain-case-pale-into-insignificance-20230307-p5cpya.html">worst miscarriages of justice</a> in Australian history, Folbigg’s release has sparked discussion over whether Australia needs a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/12/not-a-rare-case-kathleen-folbigg-pardon-sparks-calls-for-new-body-to-review-possible-wrongful-convictions">formalised body</a> to deal with post-conviction appeals.</p> <p>Mack and Folbigg are only two individuals on different sides of the world who have spent decades fighting to prove their innocence.</p> <p>Many others are still fighting. The prevalence of wrongful convictions is hard to determine. The <a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx">National Registry of Exonerations</a> in the United States has recorded 3,396 exonerations nation-wide since 1989.</p> <p>But data on official exonerations fail to capture the many individuals whose convictions are yet to be overturned.</p> <p>Estimates of the prevalence of wrongful convictions in the United States range from <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/08874034221106747?casa_token=DL_gPkxNcI8AAAAA:uI-en9junmLXXScDGthXAuC9JcLsxp5OF1J4QB1WdA2L2cZRcwRuwtxVmIMiKYbYaSDj_ji4EdPSLA">0.5 to 5%</a>. The exact prevalence in Australia is less clear but we do know <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.801706351305383?casa_token=cpZBfZmh944AAAAA%3Ax_zYUlnogLjuDWl81jc38vmeOovzw44M171rP7G3ibNnU35rvWS0yeIO_Ad0eBa54nE54KxaKzIb3w4">71 cases of wrongful convictions</a> have been identified in Australia between 1922 to 2015.</p> <p>Some have argued there could be <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.308199161216493">350 convictions per year</a> of individuals who are factually innocent in Australia.</p> <p>A witness mistakenly identifying an innocent suspect is common in many wrongful conviction cases.</p> <p>Eyewitness misidentification is the leading contributing factor in wrongful convictions overturned by the <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/exonerations-data/">Innocence Project</a>, present in 64% of their successful cases.</p> <p>In Australia, <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.801706351305383?casa_token=cpZBfZmh944AAAAA%3Ax_zYUlnogLjuDWl81jc38vmeOovzw44M171rP7G3ibNnU35rvWS0yeIO_Ad0eBa54nE54KxaKzIb3w4">6%</a> of recorded wrongful convictions involved an eyewitness error.</p> <p>This may be an underestimate given many applications to innocence initiatives in Australia alleging wrongful conviction, such as the <a href="https://bohii.net/">Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative</a>, report <a href="https://bohii.net/blog/positiononestablishingccrcas">eyewitness evidence</a> as a potential contributing factor.</p> <p>In Mack’s case, two victims misidentified him as the perpetrator. These identifications proved to be instrumental in his wrongful conviction. How did the two victims get it wrong?</p> <h2>How problematic procedures influence eyewitnesses</h2> <p>Eyewitness identification evidence relies on witnesses to accurately remember criminal perpetrators. Several factors affect eyewitness memory accuracy. Features of the crime can impact memory, such as whether it was light or dark, or whether the perpetrator wore a disguise.</p> <p>Memory can also be affected by characteristics of the witness at the time of the crime, such as their stress or intoxication levels.</p> <p>These factors are present at the time of the crime and cannot be changed. What is perhaps more crucial is that eyewitness memory can also be affected by the procedures law enforcement use to collect identification evidence.</p> <p>In <a href="https://innocenceproject.org/news/hit-in-dna-database-proves-leonard-macks-innocence-after-47-years-of-wrongful-conviction/">Mack’s case</a>, there were serious problems with the procedures used to get the identifications from the victims. One of the victims made three separate identifications of Mack. Witnesses should only complete one identification procedure for each suspect, because the first identification will bias future identification attempts.</p> <p>For two of the identifications the victim made, she was only shown Mack by himself surrounded by police. Showing a lone suspect without any other lineup members may <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-29406-3_2">increase mistaken identifications</a>, particularly when the context in which they are shown is highly suggestive.</p> <p>Seeing Mack in handcuffs and in the presence of police may have led the victim to identify him. Mack was the only person shown to the witness in these identification attempts, so the police officers organising the process knew he was the suspect.</p> <p>“Single-blind” administration of identification procedures – where the police officers organising the lineup know who the suspect is – increase the likelihood of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-49224-002">mistaken identifications</a>.</p> <p>For the other identification this victim made, she picked Mack out of a photo lineup containing seven images. Mack’s photo was the only photo in the lineup that contained visible clothing and the year (1975) in the background. All members of a lineup must be matched and no one lineup member <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/lhb-lhb0000359.pdf">should stand out</a>, but Mack’s photo was distinct.</p> <p>With all these problematic practices combined, we can see how Mack was misidentified and convicted.</p> <p>In 2020, a team of eyewitness experts published <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/lhb-lhb0000359.pdf">nine evidence-based recommendations </a>for conducting identification procedures.</p> <p>These recommendations serve to reduce mistaken identifications and enhance accurate ones.</p> <p>The recommendations address the problematic practices in Mack’s case, but also include things like making sure there is sufficient evidence to place a suspect in a lineup, and giving appropriate instructions to witnesses during the procedure.</p> <p>Identification procedures should also be video recorded to identify any poor practices.</p> <p>While these recommendations will go a long way to reducing wrongful convictions resulting from faulty eyewitness identifications, they will only be effective if followed by police.</p> <p>The next step is ensuring these recommendations are embedded into everyday policing practice.<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/214844/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hayley-cullen-423538"><em>Hayley Cullen</em></a><em>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-mistaken-identity-can-lead-to-wrongful-convictions-214844">original article</a>.</em></p>

Legal

Woman's identity confirmed after tragic death on Qatar Airways flight

<p>Sharon Gordon has been identified as the woman who died on board a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney over the weekend. </p> <p>The 60-year-old was a customer service station attendant at Wynyard Station, and was on a solo flight home after visiting her daughter in London.</p> <p>Halfway into the 14-hour flight, Gordon had reportedly started gasping and was found unresponsive. </p> <p>Another passenger, her husband and baby were seated a row in front of Gordon, when they heard her making a "weird noise". </p> <p>The female passenger was woken by the noise and had to look around in the dark to figure out what was going on. </p> <p>“She looked like she was sleeping, but she was making this really loud noise,” she told <em>7News</em>.</p> <p>She claimed that a stewardess checked on Gordon, before two more joined her and brought oxygen. </p> <p>“But then they just left,” the female passenger added. </p> <p>The couple claimed that they were told by staff that “everything was all right," but “you could see she wasn’t breathing." </p> <p>Around 20 minutes later, four different stewards arrived and lifted Gordon off her seat before giving her CPR and starting a defibrillator. </p> <p>“I turned around and looked at the lady and she was very pale and her lips were white,” the female passenger added. </p> <p>“At that point, my husband and I thought that she was dead.”</p> <p>She described Gordon as "limp" and asked “why didn’t they do that a half hour earlier?”</p> <p>An hour after Gordon's first gasps, they made an announcement asking if there were any doctor's or nurses on board. </p> <p>Now, Gordon's family are desperate for answers, with <em>7News </em>reporting that her family have requested help from the federal government after the airline said they did everything they could. </p> <p>“I love her and will miss her so much,” Gordon's partner Rob Bray told the publication. </p> <p>“Mother to Cameron and Ashley. She will be so sorely missed by us all.</p> <p>“Her workmates at Wynyard Station are devastated.”</p> <p>A Qatar Airways spokesperson previously told the publication: “Regrettably, the lady could not be revived.”</p> <p>“Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.”</p> <p><em>Image: 7News/ Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Reality TV star welcomes identical twin girls

<p>Reality TV star Dani Dyer has welcomed two baby girls with her partner, footballer Jarrod Bowen. </p> <p>The <em>Love Island UK</em> winner, who won the show in 2018 with her ex-partner Jack Fincham in 2018, shared the happy news on her Instagram on Thursday. </p> <p>Dani didn't reveal the identical twin girls' names, but confirmed the date of their birth, May 22nd, in the caption. </p> <p>Dani is already mum to Santiago, two, who she shares with with ex Sammy Kimmence.</p> <p>Her <em>Love Island UK</em> co-stars were quick to send their congratulations, with season one winner Cara De La Hoyde writing, "Congratulations Dan they are beautiful ❤️."</p> <p>"Congratulations to your beautiful family ❤️," Zara McDermott added, while season four winner Molly-Mae Hague added, "Congratulations beautiful 😭😭😭."</p> <p>Dani is the daughter of English actor and presenter Danny Dyer, who's well known for his role in British soap <em>EastEnders</em>.</p> <p>Dani shared the news of her pregnancy with a sweet announcement post, showing her son Santiago holding a letter board with the ultrasound pictures of her new babies. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpWIihrD1x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpWIihrD1x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ♡ Dani Dyer ♡ (@danidyerxx)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"We have been keeping a little secret... Our little TWINS!" she wrote.</p> <p>"So excited to meet our babies and watch Santi be the best big brother.. The biggest surprise of our lives but feeling SO blessed.. our family is getting a lot bigger and we can’t wait."</p> <p>Just weeks after announcing the pregnancy, Dani confirmed the gender of their babies in another Instagram post. </p> <p>"A lot of you have been asking on the gender of our babies and we are so excited to share with you all that we are having identical twin girls. Half way our little darlings."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Julia Faustyna takes DNA test to prove wild identity claims

<p>Julia Faustyna, the Polish woman who is convinced she is the missing Madeleine McCann, has reportedly taken a DNA test to prove her claim.</p> <p>However, in a stunning twist to the tale, Faustyna’s private investigation with spokesperson Dr Fia Johansson has led the young woman to consider the possibility that she may actually be another missing child - Livia Schepp, who went missing with her twin sister in Switzerland in 2011. </p> <p>“I’ve spoken to her about this and she is open to the fact she could be any missing child out there,” Dr Johansson said while speaking to <em>The Sun</em>. “Not just Madeleine. Julia wants to know the truth about who she is.” </p> <p>While Faustyna’s main argument has involved the physical similarities between herself and Madeleine McCann, one of the pivotal points in her story is how she recognised a suspect from McCann’s case - a man she has named as her own abuser. </p> <p>“One of the reasons she made the connection to Madeleine is because one of the suspects in Madeleine’s case looks very much like a man who she says abused her as a child,” Dr Johansson explained. “But the same man could be connected to Madeleine and other missing children, this is how predators and traffickers work.”</p> <p>“Julia has taken a DNA test,” she confirmed, “and we are investigating if it’s possible to check her DNA with that of [the] missing Livia. We are investigating all possibilities at this stage.” </p> <p>Livia Schepp - and her twin sister Alessia - went missing when they were six, after their father abducted them from Switzerland in 2011. Days later, he took his own life in Italy, and when police discovered the body, the twins were nowhere to be seen. </p> <p>Faustyna, who claims to have post-traumatic amnesia due to sexual abuse in her childhood, lacks clear recollection of her formative years, and has stated while she can recall holidays, she doesn’t “recall my mother being there, for example, or my stepfather, much less my dad.”</p> <p>Whether or not any of Faustyna’s theories are true, the public will have to keep speculating, as no results have yet been shared. </p> <p>However, Faustyna’s viral “@iammadeleinemccan”, where she was sharing updates and side-by-side comparisons with her followers, has since been deleted from the platform. </p> <p>The removal coincides with reports of the DNA test, and after Faustyna closed both her Facebook and Tiktok accounts, disputing her parent’s claim that she was only in this for attention when she said “if you don’t like me, please unfollow. I don’t want fans or followers.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram, Twitter</em></p>

News

Kochie blasts online scammers using his identity

<p>David "Kochie" Koch has blasted the government for an urgent response to the drastic rise in online scammers. </p> <p>Speaking with the Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones on <em>Sunrise</em>, Kochie was fired up when he shared that his identity has been used online to scam people "for years".</p> <p>Kochie predicted that Australians have lost over $4 billion to scammers in 2022 so far, with Jones saying that number is probably larger than first estimated. </p> <p>A furious Kochie responded, "What are you going to do about it? Because look, scammers have been using my photo and dodgy quotes from me to scam people for years."</p> <p>"They appear on Facebook, they appear on LinkedIn... and I can do nothing about it."</p> <p>Recalling a recent issue with a scammer, Kochie continued, "I had a bloke on the weekend contact me through Facebook, abusing me because he'd lost $30,000 on a scam that used my picture and dodgy comments from me."</p> <p>Assistant Treasurer Jones went on to say that the law currently doesn't allow for punishments of online media when it comes to scams, but the government is pushing to amend such legislation. </p> <p>He said, "We need to drag the law into the 21st century... Social media platforms need to be accountable for the material they are publishing."</p> <p>Kochie said that was "music to his ears", saying that "not only are people losing thousands of dollars, but it damages my reputation. I seem photo online saying things saying things I never said about bitcoin or whatever, and people lose money because they think it's me."</p> <p>Assistant Treasurer Jones assured Kochie that the government will be cracking down on these "economic criminals at the source", with Kochie again saying, "It's just heart-breaking for our viewers who get sucked in by these sorts of things."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise</em></p>

Money & Banking

Hugh Sheridan’s ex-husband’s identity revealed

<p dir="ltr">The identity of the high profile entertainer who was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/zero-regrets-hugh-sheridan-reveals-secret-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">married to Aussie actor Hugh Sheridan</a> has been revealed. </p> <p dir="ltr">The former <em>Packed to the Rafters</em> actor, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, appeared on Jessica Rowe's <em>Big Talk Show</em> podcast and said they were married for nine years to an unidentified actor. </p> <p dir="ltr">But fans did a little digging and have concluded that Hugh, 37, was married to 35-year-old <em>Dynasty</em> star and Venezualan actor Rafael de la Fuente. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is understood that at the time of the relationship, Rafael was openly gay and Hugh was yet to share that he too was gay.</p> <p dir="ltr">On the podcast, Hugh said he did not want to reveal their former partner’s name but said the pair tied the knot on July 11, 2011 and were married for nine years. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf14Mh9OQeV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf14Mh9OQeV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Rafael De La Fuente (@rafaeldlf)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“I can't say their name because they were in the same industry, so. Couldn't really be specific about that, but I was married,” Hugh said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We were solidly together for about seven years and then the last couple of years we were travelling a lot and it got too hard and, but we're still very good friends.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Hugh confessed that close family and friends knew about the marriage but they decided to keep it private from the public. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was finding out if you don't speak out about your private life, people can assume that you're ashamed or that you've got some sort of an agenda or that you are denying other people their self expression by not talking about it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

How a new art project in Bathurst is embracing the many identities of the town

<p>For many, Bathurst’s Mount Panorama is exclusively a car racing venue. For Indigenous Australians it is a place called Wahluu, where First Nations women once offered their sons for tribal initiation.</p> <p>It is a cherished Wiradyuri territory that hosts dreaming and creation stories. Earlier this year, further development on the site <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2021/05/03/wahluu-womens-site-be-protected-says-federal-environment-minister">was blocked</a>, with the federal government acknowledging the cultural significance of the location for the Wiradyuri people.</p> <p>In some respects, the conflicting identity of Bathurst’s mountain can be reconciled through the forms of masculinity it represents: the male-centric sport of car racing – so central to the town’s present-day image – and the rite of passage of young Aboriginal men into adulthood.</p> <p>Now, a new art project, <a href="https://kateofthesmiths.com.au/fast-cars-dirty-beats/">Fast Cars & Dirty Beats</a> is navigating these cultural differences by fostering a sense of community.</p> <p>Created by artistic director Kate Smith, Fast Cars & Dirty Beats embraces Mount Panorama’s/Wahluu’s dual identity that, for some, is representative of a cultural divide between black and white Australia. Smith’s vision is not culturally constrained, but rather expressive of a location that is complex and multicultural.</p> <p>Liaising with Bathurst Wiradyuri Elders, Smith and her artistic collaborators have developed a series of community-focused projects revolving around the cultural significance of Wahluu/Mount Panorama.</p> <p>One of these initiatives, Mountain Tales, was launched on the first of July as part of Bathurst’s Winter Festival. Mountain Tales is the culmination of a year-long community engagement connecting local schoolchildren, teachers and parents with skilled craftspeople and musicians, fashioning decorative lanterns and the cultivation of a drumming community.</p> <p><strong>A lantern procession</strong></p> <p>Although it was raining for the July launch, more than 300 locals formed a dramatic lantern procession on the cold winter’s night.</p> <p>I was swept up in the pageantry unravelling across the CBD, eventually settling at Bathurst’s historical <a href="https://tremainsmill.com/">Tremain’s Mill</a>. Here the community proudly displayed their beacons of light, paying homage to the Chinese presence in Bathurst since the 1800s.</p> <p>Supporting the procession, Rob Shannon’s drummers created a collective heartbeat, fostering a sense of joy and belonging.</p> <p>After this ceremony of light and sound, members of the community told stories about the significance of Mount Panorama/Wahluu. Yarns were shared concerning the mountain being a place where locals experienced a first kiss or participated in some youthful skylarking.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473106/original/file-20220707-22-kkwl50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A paper lantern in the shape of a car." /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Cars are central to Australia’s image of Bathurst – but they’re not the whole story.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kate Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Wiradyuri Elder Wirribee Aunty Leanna Carr-Smith explained to the group how the area plays host to both women’s and men’s business. But such stories are only for the ears of Indigenous women and men.</p> <p>There is a secrecy about Wahluu. Some stories are off limits to white Australians.</p> <p><strong>Wiradyuri Ngayirr Ngurambang – Sacred Country</strong></p> <p>The most breathtaking project launched at the Mountain Tales event is Aunty Leanna/Wirribee and Nicole Welch’s collaboration with Smith, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/4hanss4771t8aim/SacredCountryV6_withAudio.mp4?dl=0">Wiradyuri Ngayirr Ngurambang – Sacred Country</a>, a film emblazoned across Tremain’s Mill.</p> <p>The old mill precinct is a reminder of colonisation and its violence. For this occasion it operated as a backdrop through which Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians connected. Beaming the film’s panoramic landscapes across this built environment juxtaposed the two cultures.</p> <p>Considering the urgency of global warming, the film brings together drone footage of Wahluu/Mount Panorama and aerial photography of other Indigenous landscapes in the region. It is an ethereal perspective. The soundscape is as rich and textured as the landscape, conveying an extraordinary, yet fragile, beauty.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473108/original/file-20220707-12-yw20iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Film still." /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Projected onto the wall of Tremain’s Mill, Wiradyuri Ngayirr Ngurambang – Sacred Country is a meeting of Indigenous landscapes with colonial Australian history.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kate Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Wiradyuri Ngayirr Ngurambang – Sacred Country also explores shared understandings between First Nations and non-First Nations women. Their interracial connection is enacted through a seamless editing style that bridges the Tarana landscape to the Wahluu/Macquarie River, and then eventually to Wahluu/Mount Panorama.</p> <p>The film’s boundless landscapes evoke an all-embracing hospitality that traverses cultural differences. Sometimes the imagery creates vaginal shapes that feminises the country. The land and its creatures come across as alive and vibrant.</p> <p>Sky and earth are mirrored, inspiring our contemplation of eternity and the Indigenous custodianship of Country.</p> <p>Departing later that night, I pondered eternity. One lifetime is nothing compared to 65,000 years of Indigenous connection to Country. This awareness was both profound and comforting. But the night of collective celebration and storytelling also encouraged me, and no doubt others, to delight in life’s briefest moments.</p> <p><em>Wiradyuri Ngayirr Ngurambang – Sacred Country is playing at Tremain’s Mill, Bathurst, until July 17.</em> <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/185860/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/suzie-gibson-111690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suzie Gibson</a>, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-sturt-university-849" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles Sturt University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-new-art-project-in-bathurst-is-embracing-the-many-identities-of-the-town-185860" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Kate Smith</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Richard Pusey's surprising new claim

<p>During their recent court appearance, Porsche driver Richard Pusey has made a surprising claim about their gender identity. </p> <p>The 44-year-old told the Sunshine Magistrates Court that their pronouns are now they/them, and that they identify as non-binary. </p> <p>Pusey is back in court after allegedly posting an image of a dead police officer to the website of a Melbourne Porsche dealership, and has been charged with two counts of using a telecommunications device to menace and two counts of commit indictable offence on bail.</p> <p>According to police, the charges stem from two seperate incidents on November 25th and February 7th. </p> <p>One of the charges allege that the former mortgage broker posted a Google review to the Porsche dealership’s website that included an image of an officer killed in the horrific crash.</p> <p>Pusey has been remanded in custody ever since he was arrested earlier this month. </p> <p>When calling in by phone to the Sunshine Magistrates Court on Tuesday, he revealed the update to his gender identity to magistrate Cynthia Lynch.</p> <p>“Is Mr Pusey on the line?” she asked the court.</p> <p>“My pronouns are they/them,” Pusey replied.</p> <p>The accused then asked why they kept getting brought before the courts, citing comments made by the Victoria Police secretary Wayne Gatt.</p> <p>“Wayne Gatt made a statement saying justice for people like Richard Pusey isn’t done in courts,” Pusey said.</p> <p>“So where is it done?"</p> <p>“I’m a bit miffed about why I keep being brought into a courthouse.”</p> <p>Ms Lynch said, “You’re here for a mention. I can’t assist you with third party comments.”</p> <p>And when asked whether Pusey wanted to contest the media applications in the matter, they said, “Nah, that’s fine, just make sure I get front page."</p> <p>Pusey was sentenced to 10 months jail last year after pleading guilty to the rare charge of outraging public decency for filming the aftermath of the crash.</p> <p>The notorious Porsche driver was originally jailed for filming four dying police officers after a crash on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in 2020.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 9 News</em></p> <div id="indie-campaign-gjlHkw5w3ytYFCUrwpez-0" data-campaign-name="NCA NATIONAL Politics Newsletter OneClick SignUp" data-campaign-indie="newsletter-signup" data-jira="TSN-40" data-from="1628604000000" data-to="1885298400000"></div>

Legal

Identity of human remains confirmed

<p>The human remains that were discovered in Victoria’s High Country last November are confirmed to be those of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.</p><p>Victoria Police confirmed forensic testing on the human remains found near Dargo had been completed.</p><p>"The Coroner has advised Victoria Police that the remains are that of Russell Hill and Carol Clay," a police statement read.</p><p>"As the matter is before the court, we will not be providing any further comment."</p><p>Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, disappeared while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 20, 2020. Police uncovered human remains while searching for the pair in bushland north of Dargo, nearly 400kms east of Melbourne.</p><p>Locals helped bring a large excavator and a bobcat to the remote search site.</p><p>The area where the human remains were found is an old gold-mining area known as the Grant Historic Area.</p><p>Pilot Greg Lynn has been charged with two counts of murder over the pair's death and will face court in May this year.</p><p><em>Image: Victoria Police</em></p>

News

Flight attendant caught using dead man’s identity for 20 years

<p dir="ltr">A Brazilian flight attendant has been accused of stealing a dead boy’s identity and using it for more than 20 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ricardo Cesar Guedes, 49, who works as a flight attendant for United Airlines, has been accused of stealing the identity of William Ericson Ladd, an Atlanta boy who died in a car crash in Washington in 1979. He allegedly used it to apply for a passport in 1998, and has renewed the document six times since then. In addition, he has also been accused of using Ladd’s identity while getting married and taking out a mortgage in Houston. There is no record of him applying for US citizenship or naturalisation using the false identity.</p> <p dir="ltr">Investigators uncovered Mr Guedes’ real identity by comparing fingerprints he submitted for his Brazilian national identity document in the 1990s, and he was arrested at Houston Airport in September after entering a secure area for crew members.</p> <p dir="ltr">William Ladd’s mother Debra Lynn Hays confirmed to investigators last July that her son died in 1979, and she did not recognise the social security number issued to Mr Guedes in her son’s name some 17 years after his death.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Guedes has been charged with aggravated identity theft, making false statements on a passport application, and other counts. He allegedly worked on 40 flights for United Airlines in 2020 while using Ladd’s name, and remains detained pending trial.</p> <p dir="ltr">A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed his prior employment, but added that he was no longer employed by the company.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Guedes had no prior criminal record, and upon being presented with evidence of his fraud, reportedly told the arresting agents, “I had a dream, and the dream is over. Now I have to face reality.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Eric Ladd/Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Guess the age: Disbelief over identical mum and daughter

<p>One woman is defying her age in a viral video on social media app, TikTok.</p> <p>Veronika Zolotova, 18, couldn’t help showing off to her followers her incredibly youthful mother, Tatochka Vselennaya.</p> <p>The pair, from Minsk, Belarus, shocked viewers with their near identical looks – with many not being able to tell who is older.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQGmI88leol/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQGmI88leol/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Татьяна (@tatochkavselennaya)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In one clip of the duo, it is barely noticeable that there is 22 years between the pair.</p> <p>With 13.2 million followers on social media, Veronika who usually shares clips of herself, could not help but show off her youthful and glowing mum.</p> <p>However, despite the disbelief, the social media star brought her mother in front of the camera to show the 40-year-old woman is not her twin by testing out the “Under age of 25” test – where a high-pitched noise plays that only anyone under the age of 25 can be able to hear.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bkCyGgqD7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bkCyGgqD7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Татьяна (@tatochkavselennaya)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>As it happens, only Veronika claimed she could hear the sound, while her mother stood confused.</p> <p>However, Veronika’s fans continue to be in disbelief over the age of her mother.</p> <p>“Her mum literally just said copy and paste,” one person wrote.</p> <p>“Now I understand why you look so young, gurlssss you look like sisters,” another wrote.</p> <p>Tatochka is a YouTuber who shares with fans her love of knitting and sewing.</p>

Beauty & Style

Archie and Meghan are identical!

<p><span>The royal family has strong DNA in the gene pool, but Meghan and Archie are in a league of their own.</span><br /><br /><span>New footage has revealed just how alike the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son is to his mother.</span><br /><br /><span>Compared to an older photo of his mother pulled from the archives, it seems like shares her spirit and looks as well.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Archie been looking a lot like Meghan 😭💞 <a href="https://t.co/U8DeZUg94F">pic.twitter.com/U8DeZUg94F</a></p> — Julieth🌻 (@troubleshade) <a href="https://twitter.com/troubleshade/status/1396164452370747396?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>A picture shared on Twitter, which was a snapshot taken from Prince Harry's new Apple TV+ series with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can't See, shows little Archie playing happily on a swing set in the garden of the family's Montecito, California home.</span><br /><br /><span>The caption reads, "Archie been looking a lot like Meghan," and she's definitely not wrong!</span><br /><br /><span>Meghan Markle is currently in the last stages of her pregnancy, as Archie Harrison prepares to meet his little sister.</span><br /><br /><span>The couple first announced they were expecting for a third time on Valentine's Day this year.</span></p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLSL_aqARfv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLSL_aqARfv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Misan Harriman (@misanharriman)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>The Duke and Duchess confirmed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that they were expecting a little girl, just a few months after Meghan revealed she had suffered a miscarriage.</span><br /><br /><span>In Prince Harry's new TV show, the royal spoke honestly about the death of his mother, Princess Diana.</span><br /><br /><span>He admitted that had tried using alcohol and drugs to cope with the emotional pain and trauma he subsequently experienced.</span><br /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841431/archie.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2d9846aa4f6b43818f21d26daca74183" /><br /><span>Between the ages of 28 to 32, Harry said: "I was just all over the place mentally. Every time I put a suit on and tie on, having to do the role and go 'right, game face' in the mirror...</span><br /><br /><span>“Before I even left the house I was pouring with sweat. I was in fight or flight mode."</span><br /><br /><span>On the topic of alcohol and drugs, the prince went on to say, "I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling."</span><br /><br /><span>Thankfully, with the help of therapy, Harry has revealed he came out of the traumatic experience a better, recovered man.</span></p>

Family & Pets

Maggie Beer blasts crooks using her identity to scam trusting Aussies

<p><span>Celebrity chef Maggie Beer has blasted online scammers using her identity to swindle Aussies out of their hard earned cash.</span><br /><br /><span>The well-known author is the latest celebrity to fall victim to online fraudsters.</span><br /><br /><span>This time, the scammers peddled vials of "cannabis oil" in her name.</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Beer, 75, said she felt violated.</span><br /><br /><span>"People trust me and therefore they see the name and … it takes something away from me every time,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>One of the phony cannabis oil endorsements seen by A Current Affair purport to quote Ms Beer as saying, "I can finally accompany my family to the park".</span><br /><br /><span>Another scam claimed that Ms Beer "(I) no longer need a wheelchair,".</span><br /><br /><span>The chef says this claim disturbed her.</span><br /><br /><span>"I think at my age I have more energy than a lot of people a lot younger, and for me to be in a wheelchair would be beyond my ken."</span><br /><br /><span>Fans even visited Ms Beer’s store and restaurant in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, asking to buy the oil.</span><br /><br /><span>Melbourne pensioner Jeremy Nyhouse, 79, also fell victim to a similar scam that used Olivia Newton-John's name.</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Nyhouse said he lost $500 to the scammers, although he thought he was paying just $75.</span><br /><br /><span>"I'd love to think I'm a fairly businesslike, careful person," Mr Nyhouse said.</span><br /><br /><span>"Our finances are limited and $500 is a lot of money."</span><br /><br /><span>The Therapeutic Goods Administration said medical cannabis products can only ever be prescribed by a doctor.</span><br /><br /><span>"Products purchased over the internet may be counterfeit and contain undisclosed ingredients or potentially harmful ingredients or contaminants, and may not meet the same standards of quality, safety and efficacy as those approved by the TGA for supply in Australia," a TGA spokesperson said.</span></p>

Legal

The Block’s Scotty Cam weighs in on “identical bedrooms”

<p>After days of controversy on-air and online, <em>The Block</em> host Scott Cam has weighed in on contestants Luke and Jasmin’s “copycatted” bedroom.</p> <p>The TV host has determined the kids bedroom is “virtually identical” to the room they have been accused of ripping off.</p> <p>Cam couldn’t resist stirring the pot on Wednesday night’s episode, by making sure Luke and Jasmin’s competitors knew something was wrong, a day after judge Shaynna Blaze had visited the pair to confront the pair on-air.</p> <p>The WA couple received a perfect score of 30 for their kid’s bedroom and bathroom on Sunday’s episode.<br /><br />However eagle-eyed viewers found the winning room was incredibly similar to a kid’s bedroom at a popular Byron Bay Airbnb created by design company <em>The Designory.</em></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838121/dailies-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/59a4ddcd1a374b32bea6088e5e0387c0" /><br />Blaze confronted the two in Tuesday’s episode, informing them that there was a difference between “inspiration” and “completely taking someone else’s idea”.<br /><br />“Hey, did Shaynna come and visit you guys yesterday?” Cam asked the South Australian couple Daniel and Jade during his visit one episode later.<br /><br />“Because you know, it’s not always good news when Shaynna comes visiting. That’s all I’m saying. Alright, let’s go,” he said.<br /><br />A couple of houses down with Jimmy and Tam, Cam couldn’t play coy any longer.<br /><br />“Did you hear about Shaynna popping in next door? What’s your thoughts?” he asked the pair, who were aware of the reason for Shaynna’s visit.<br /><br />Jimmy and Tam showed their reluctance on speaking ill of Luke and Jasmin.<br /><br />“Umm … in all honesty, we’re not that worried about it. We know that other people might have a few issues about it. Jas did show me the image, and it does have a … very similar influence,” said Tam.<br /><br />Tam said she and Jimmy had “made sure” to keep their designs original.</p> <p><br /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838122/dailies-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5793ad5db94b471796679c047fbc7780" /><br />“I don’t really look at too much inspiration. I don’t have Instagram, I don’t have Facebook – I don’t want other people’s designs in our house,” she said.<br /><br />Luke and Jasmin told news.com.au that they were “blindsided” by Shaynna Blaze's visit, labelling her “insincere” and a “smart-arse.”<br /><br />The couple have since deleted their Facebook page and restricted comments on their joint Instagram account after being met with a heap of criticism from viewers.<br /><br />2019’s couple Mitch and Mark reached out to Luke and Jasmin with a message of “support and positive wishes”.<br /><br />“Hope you guys are doing OK & know from our experience it all goes away,” the pair wrote in a comment on Luke and Jasmin’s latest Instagram post.<br /><br />“It’s definitely come as a surprise just how nasty the online world can be. We’ve never had people dislike us. So this is all new,” Luke and Jas said.<br /><br />“We’ve deleted Facebook so we don’t see anything on there. Staying positive about our beautiful home and focusing on the rooms left and the auction.”</p>

Home Hints & Tips

Tragic stabbing victim's identity revealed

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>A mother is “clinging to life” after she was stabbed repeatedly by her son who was then shot by police.<span> </span><br /><br />Gabriel Messo, 31, attacked his 54-year-old mother Lilla at the John Coutts Reserve in Gladstone Park about 3.30 pm on Thursday.<br /><br />The man was shot dead by junior officers at the scene and the woman is now in critical condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.<span> </span><br /><br />The mother and son were named on Friday, however police only confirmed that they were known to each other, and not that they were mother and son.<span> </span><br /><br />It was confirmed on Friday that the state coroner Judge John Cain went to the site of the fatal shooting and is investigating the incident.<span> </span><br /><br />Police patrol arrived at the parkland on Katrina Drive following numerous reports of a man assaulting a woman.<span> </span><br /><br />The officers tried to stop the man but subsequently shot him when he refused to cease the attack.<span> </span><br /><br />Police were initially unable to identify the woman because of the extent of her injuries.<br /><br />The man did not have a criminal record but is known to police, who had recent contact with him.<br /><br />Police appealed to witnesses of what's believed to have been a stabbing attack.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-action-bar-component-wrapper"> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"><span class="like-bar-component"></span> <div class="right-box-container"> <div class="post-editor-container"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Legal

Why some twins aren't identical

<p>When a mother gives birth to twins, the offspring are not always identical or even the same gender. Known as fraternal twins, they represent a longstanding evolutionary puzzle.</p> <p>Identical twins arise from a single fertilised egg that accidentally splits in two, but fraternal twins arise when two eggs are released and fertilised. Why this would happen was the puzzle.</p> <p>In research <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1173-y" title="An age-dependent ovulatory strategy explains the evolution of dizygotic twinning in humans">published in <em>Nature Ecology & Evolution</em></a> we used computer simulations and modelling to try to explain why natural selection favours releasing two eggs, despite the low survival of twins and the risks of twin births for mothers.</p> <p><strong>Why twins?</strong></p> <p>Since Michael Bulmer’s landmark 1970 <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Biology_of_Twinning_in_Man.html?id=awo-AAAAYAAJ">book on the biology of twinning in humans</a>, biologists have questioned whether double ovulation was favoured by natural selection or, like identical twins, was the result of an accident.</p> <p>At first glance, this seems unlikely. The embryo splitting that produces identical twins is not heritable and the incidence of identical twinning does not vary with other aspects of human biology. It seems accidental in every sense of the word.</p> <p>In contrast, the incidence of fraternal twinning changes with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932000007896" title="Ethnic differences in twinning rates in Nigeria">maternal age</a> and is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14237-7" title="Twinning">heritable</a>.</p> <p>Those do not sound like the characteristics of something accidental.</p> <p><strong>The twin disadvantage</strong></p> <p>In human populations without access to medical care there seems little benefit to having twins. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00287.x" title="The fitness of twin mothers: evidence from rural Gambia">Twins</a> are more likely to die in childhood than single births. Mothers of twins also have an increased risk of dying in childbirth.</p> <p>In common with other great apes, women seem to be built to give birth to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1990.tb05211.x" title="ON THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN BROOD SIZE">one child at a time</a>. So if twinning is costly, why has evolution not removed it?</p> <p>Paradoxically, in high-fertility populations, the mothers of twins often have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00287.x" title="The fitness of twin mothers: evidence from rural Gambia">more offspring</a> by the end of their lives than other mothers. This suggests having twins might have an evolutionary benefit, at least for mothers.</p> <p>But, if this is the case, why are twins so rare?</p> <p><strong>Modelling mothers</strong></p> <p>To resolve these questions, together with colleagues Bob Black and Rick Smock, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1173-y" title="An age-dependent ovulatory strategy explains the evolution of dizygotic twinning in humans">constructed simulations and mathematical models</a> fed with data on maternal, child and fetal survival from real populations.</p> <p>This allowed us to do something otherwise impossible: control in the simulations and modelling whether women ovulated one or two eggs during their cycles. We also modelled different <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.002" title="The status of the conditional evolutionarily stable strategy">strategies</a>, where we switched women from ovulating one egg to ovulating two at different ages.</p> <p>We could then compare the number of surviving children for women with different patterns of ovulation.</p> <p>Women who switched from single to double ovulation in their mid-20s had the most children survive in our models – more than those who always released a single egg, or always released two eggs.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333966/original/file-20200511-49558-4l8o82.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333966/original/file-20200511-49558-4l8o82.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>This suggests natural selection favours an unconscious switch from single to double ovulation with increasing age.</p> <p><strong>A strategy for prolonging fertility</strong></p> <p>The reason a switch is beneficial is fetal survival – the chance that a fertilised egg will result in a liveborn child – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa3337" title="Common variants spanning PLK4 are associated with mitotic-origin aneuploidy in human embryos">decreases rapidly as women age</a></p> <p>So switching to releasing two eggs increases the chance at least one will result in a successful birth.</p> <p>But what about twinning? Is it a side effect of selection favouring fertility in older women? To answer this question, we ran the simulations again, except now when women double ovulated the simulation removed one offspring before birth.</p> <p>In these simulations, women who double ovulated throughout their lives, but never gave birth to twins, had more children survive than those who did have twins and switched from single to double ovulating.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333982/original/file-20200511-49558-d6tomg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333982/original/file-20200511-49558-d6tomg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>This suggests the ideal strategy would be to always double ovulate but never produce twins, so fraternal twins are an accidental side effect of a beneficial strategy of double ovulating.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138209/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joseph-l-tomkins-311105">Joseph L Tomkins</a>, Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-western-australia-1067">University of Western Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-sear-1067265">Rebecca Sear</a>, Head of the Department of Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/london-school-of-hygiene-and-tropical-medicine-859">London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wade-hazel-1067264">Wade Hazel</a>, Professor of Biology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/depauw-university-1274">DePauw University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-all-twins-are-identical-and-thats-been-an-evolutionary-puzzle-until-now-138209">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

Identity of coronavirus "superspreader" revealed

<p>The British man who is believed to be a “superspreader” of coronavirus has been identified as businessman Steve Walsh.</p> <p>The 53-year-old was diagnosed with the disease on 6 February after he contracted the virus in Singapore while attending a business conference before heading off to the French Alps for a ski holiday, then returning to the UK.</p> <p>It is believed that he infected 11 other Britons with the virus.</p> <p>Currently Mr Walsh is in quarantine at St Thomas hospital, where he released a statement: “I would like to thank the NHS for their help and care – whilst I have fully recovered, my thoughts are with others who have contracted coronavirus.</p> <p>“As soon as I knew I had been exposed to a confirmed case of coronavirus I contacted my GP, NHS 111 and Public Health England.</p> <p>“I was advised to attend an isolated room at hospital, despite showing no symptoms, and subsequently self-isolated at home as instructed.</p> <p>“When the diagnosis was confirmed I was sent to an isolation unit in hospital, where I remain, and, as a precaution, my family was also asked to isolate themselves.</p> <p>“I also thank friends, family and colleagues for their support during recent weeks and I ask the media to respect our privacy.”</p> <p>His company, Servomex has also released a statement, saying: “We are very pleased that Steve Walsh has made a full recovery. We continue to provide support to him and his family.</p> <p>“We are working with Public Health authorities to ensure the welfare of our staff and communities and wish anyone with the virus a quick and full recovery.”</p>

Travel Trouble

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

How was Halloween invented? Once a Celtic pagan tradition, the holiday has evolved to let kids and adults try on new identities

Who really was Mona Lisa? More than 500 years on, there’s good reason to think we got it wrong

New twist in real identity of "elderly" shoplifter

How mistaken identity can lead to wrongful convictions

Woman's identity confirmed after tragic death on Qatar Airways flight

Reality TV star welcomes identical twin girls

Julia Faustyna takes DNA test to prove wild identity claims

Kochie blasts online scammers using his identity

Hugh Sheridan’s ex-husband’s identity revealed

How a new art project in Bathurst is embracing the many identities of the town

Richard Pusey's surprising new claim

Identity of human remains confirmed

Flight attendant caught using dead man’s identity for 20 years

Guess the age: Disbelief over identical mum and daughter

Archie and Meghan are identical!

Maggie Beer blasts crooks using her identity to scam trusting Aussies

The Block’s Scotty Cam weighs in on “identical bedrooms”

Tragic stabbing victim's identity revealed

Why some twins aren't identical

Identity of coronavirus "superspreader" revealed

Our Partners