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"In 2023, I released Polar Habits and its momentum system with the core promise of helping people track their habits, without the guilt of broken streaks. And, to build habits that last beyond short-term New Year's resolutions. It delivered. Can it do the same for you in 2024? I'd love to hear it!"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/polar-habits-2
| 2024-01-01T08:18:28
|
blocked_url
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Warcraft® Rumble™
Warcraft® Rumble™
Build your Army of Minis
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Warcraft® Rumble™ is a mobile action strategy game set where collectible Minis come to life to battle in frantic melee skirmishes. Play in multiple modes, including the single player campaign, going head-to-head in epic PvP battles, and more.
Launched in
Android
Strategy Games
Fighting Games
+1 by
Warcraft® Rumble™
About this launch
Warcraft® Rumble™
Build your Army of Minis
0
reviews
12
followers
Follow for updates
Warcraft® Rumble™ by
Warcraft® Rumble™
was hunted by
Chris Messina
in
Android
,
Strategy Games
,
Fighting Games
. Featured on January 1st, 2024.
Warcraft® Rumble™
is not rated yet. This is Warcraft® Rumble™'s first launch.
Upvotes
13
Comments
1
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/warcraft-rumble
| 2024-01-01T08:18:34
|
blocked_url
|
"Thanks for checking out our launch! We'd love to hear your thoughts: have you used affirmations before?"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/avra-core
| 2024-01-01T09:49:57
|
blocked_url
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"Hello, dear users! Your experience with our product is incredibly important to us. How have you found the journey so far? Is FibonacciKu living up to your expectations? Have you encountered any obstacles while using FibonacciKu? We're here to listen to the good, the bad, and everything in between."
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/fibonacciku
| 2024-01-01T09:50:03
|
blocked_url
|
Freelancer Stash is a curated collection of tools and resources specifically tailored for freelancers. It provides a variety of essential tools, resources, and books, delivered weekly in your inbox.
"Hey, Felix from Freelancer Stash here! 🚀 Love to hear your thoughts: What features should we add? How's the usability? Thoughts on branding? Any ideas for premium features? Your feedback is appreciated! 🌟"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/freelancer-stash
| 2024-01-01T09:50:10
|
blocked_url
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🚀 Make a Quiz with Google Forms and AI (ChatGPT) with just one click
📝 Provide a topic/text to make a quiz (any language)
🎨 Settings: number of questions, number of answers, number of correct answers, difficulty level
🗣️ 10+ writing tones
🌎 40+ Languages
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/gpt-quiz-maker-for-google-forms
| 2024-01-01T09:50:17
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blocked_url
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Excessive complexity in most habit trackers can be overwhelming. This app is designed for people who like simplicity. Creating habits can be hard, but Habit Tracker, Simple Goal App makes tracking them easy and straightforward. Get 70% OFF for the PH community
"Thanks for reaching our launch. We would love to read your thoughts and comments on usabilty, pricing, features or any change that you would made.
I am here to answer any question you may have 😁"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/habit-tracker-simple-goal-app
| 2024-01-01T09:50:23
|
blocked_url
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"Specific feedback that would help me as I continue iterating: - Is anything confusing or unintuitive? - Does it require too much effort to log or plan your time? - Do any aspects of the UX feel unpolished? - What would keep you from using the app? Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/heydai
| 2024-01-01T09:50:29
|
blocked_url
|
Legalify ADS is a High-quality TRAFFIC filtering platform that helps businesses identify and flag potential fraudulent IP activities, including bots and crawlers.
"We are particularly interested in hearing your thoughts on the following aspects:
- Product Features
- User Experience
- Pricing
- Integration and Compatibility
- Overall Value
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and suggestions."
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/legalify-ads
| 2024-01-01T09:50:35
|
blocked_url
|
Your Second Brain for Success.
Achieving goals is hard, only 8% of people actually succeed, so we built socra to help you every step of the way.
Discover a new approach to goal setting and achievement.
"We appreciate you taking the time to explore socra. Your feedback means a lot to us. We would love to know how we could improve our platform to improve your experience."
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/socra
| 2024-01-01T09:50:37
|
blocked_url
|
Excessive complexity in most habit trackers can be overwhelming. This app is designed for people who like simplicity. Creating habits can be hard, but Habit Tracker, Simple Goal App makes tracking them easy and straightforward. Get 70% OFF for the PH community
"Thanks for reaching our launch. We would love to read your thoughts and comments on usabilty, pricing, features or any change that you would made.
I am here to answer any question you may have 😁"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/habit-tracker-8
| 2024-01-01T12:52:58
|
blocked_url
|
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This is the latest launch from WakaTime
See WakaTime’s 9 previous launches →
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2023 Wrapped Code Stats from WakaTime
Ranked #11 for today
2023 Wrapped Code Stats from WakaTime
Most used languages, IDEs, and stats of developers in 2023
Visit
Upvote 1
Free
Discuss
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Stats
A custom report about your 2023 code stats, compared to all WakaTime users.
Launched in
Analytics
Time Tracking
Developer Tools
by
WakaTime
Launch discussions
Reviews
About this launch
WakaTime
Dashboards for developers
29
reviews
575
followers
Follow for updates
2023 Wrapped Code Stats from WakaTime by
WakaTime
was hunted by
Alan Hamlett
in
Analytics
,
Time Tracking
,
Developer Tools
. Made by
Alan Hamlett
. Featured on January 1st, 2024.
WakaTime
is rated
5/5 ★
by 29 users. It first launched on April 5th, 2014.
Upvotes
1
Comments
2
Day rank
#11
Week rank
#11
Report
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/2023-wrapped-code-stats-from-wakatime
| 2024-01-01T14:24:31
|
blocked_url
|
SOUNDCHECK
Kelela’s Jersey Club Rave & 9 Other New Songs Out This Week
MIA pays homage to Bella Hadid and K-pop OGs TVXQ! return.
Every week, we bring you SOUNDCHECK — your destination for the best new music that hit the web over the course of the week. Because you should always be prepared when someone passes you that AUX cord. This week's roundup features 10 of our favorite emerging and established artists.
|
https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/soundcheck-01-01-2024-kelela-mia
| 2024-01-01T16:03:48
|
blocked_url
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This is the latest launch from WakaTime
See WakaTime’s 9 previous launches →
Home
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Product
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2023 Wrapped Code Stats
Ranked #11 for today
2023 Wrapped Code Stats
Most used languages, IDEs, and stats of developers in 2023
Visit
Upvote 8
Free
Discuss
Collect
Embed
Share
Stats
A custom report about your 2023 code stats, compared to all WakaTime users.
Launched in
Analytics
Time Tracking
Developer Tools
by
WakaTime
Launch discussions
Reviews
About this launch
WakaTime
Dashboards for developers
29
reviews
588
followers
Follow for updates
2023 Wrapped Code Stats by
WakaTime
was hunted by
Alan Hamlett
in
Analytics
,
Time Tracking
,
Developer Tools
. Made by
Alan Hamlett
. Featured on January 1st, 2024.
WakaTime
is rated
5/5 ★
by 29 users. It first launched on April 5th, 2014.
Upvotes
8
Comments
4
Day rank
#11
Week rank
#11
Report
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/2023-wrapped-code-stats
| 2024-01-01T17:27:45
|
blocked_url
|
"Thanks for checking out Adcolabs Scraper. We are relying on your feedback to improve our product. Tell us what you think about our product and what you hated or loved. Could you generate any business value, or are you even planning to integrate it into your product? We would love to hear from you!"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/adcolabs-scraper
| 2024-01-02T08:42:39
|
blocked_url
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This is the latest launch from Replit's Ghostwriter Chat
See Replit's Ghostwriter Chat’s previous launch →
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crewAI
crewAI
Platform for building sophisticated multi-agent interactions
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🤖 Cutting-edge framework for orchestrating role-playing, autonomous AI agents. By fostering collaborative intelligence, CrewAI empowers agents to work together seamlessly, tackling complex tasks.
Launched in
Task Management
Open Source
Artificial Intelligence
+1 by
Replit's Ghostwriter Chat
Launch discussions
Reviews
About this launch
Replit's Ghostwriter Chat
The first conversational AI built right into your IDE
0
reviews
193
followers
Follow for updates
crewAI by
Replit's Ghostwriter Chat
was hunted by
Chris Messina
in
Task Management
,
Open Source
,
Artificial Intelligence
. Made by
João Moura
. Featured on January 2nd, 2024.
Replit's Ghostwriter Chat
is not rated yet. It first launched on February 17th, 2023.
Upvotes
26
Comments
3
Day rank
-
Week rank
-
Report
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/crewai
| 2024-01-02T08:42:45
|
blocked_url
|
We help U.S. companies hire top data talent in Latin America. We handle everything from sourcing, screening, payroll, and compliance, keeping things super simple on your end.
"Thanks for checking out our launch - we'd love to know if our site makes a good first impression. Is it clear what we do? Would you try it? Do you have any recommendations for us?
We appreciate any and all feedback!"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/dataplots
| 2024-01-02T08:42:51
|
blocked_url
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Ferret
Ferret
Refer and ground anything anywhere at any granularity
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A new type of multimodal large language model (MLLM) from Apple that excels in both image understanding and language processing, particularly demonstrating significant advantages in understanding spatial references.
Launched in
Open Source
Artificial Intelligence
GitHub
+1 by
Ferret
About this launch
Ferret
Refer and ground anything anywhere at any granularity
0
reviews
26
followers
Follow for updates
Ferret by
Ferret
was hunted by
Chris Messina
in
Open Source
,
Artificial Intelligence
,
GitHub
. Featured on January 2nd, 2024.
Ferret
is not rated yet. This is Ferret's first launch.
Upvotes
27
Comments
2
Day rank
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-
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/ferret
| 2024-01-02T08:42:58
|
blocked_url
|
Unlock LottieBox's Pro Lottie library with free webapp and WP widget. perfect for designers, developers, and social media. Elevate projects with a 1-year unlimited subscription at $199 (was $499).
"Thank you for your support and for checking out Lottiebox. share your thoughts and shape the future of LottieBox. Dive in at LottieBox.com. Thanks for being part of our journey! 🚀 #LottieBox #FeedbackWelcome"
The makers of Lottiebox lottie animations with tools
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/lottiebox-lottie-animations-with-tools
| 2024-01-02T08:43:04
|
blocked_url
|
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Memoru: Flashcards
Memoru: Flashcards
Ace your studies - with Memoru flashcards!
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Master any subject effortlessly with Memoru's innovative flashcard app. Transforming learning with customizable multi-sided cards, quizzes, and community-driven support. Ace your studies with ease anywhere, anytime.
Launched in
Android
Productivity
Education
+1 by
Memoru: Flashcards
About this launch
Memoru: Flashcards
Ace your studies - with Memoru flashcards!
0
reviews
25
followers
Follow for updates
Memoru: Flashcards by
Memoru: Flashcards
was hunted by
Oliver Schmidt
in
Android
,
Productivity
,
Education
. Made by
Oliver Schmidt
and
Dominik
. Featured on January 2nd, 2024.
Memoru: Flashcards
is not rated yet. This is Memoru: Flashcards's first launch.
Upvotes
22
Comments
3
Day rank
-
Week rank
-
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|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/memoru-flashcards
| 2024-01-02T08:43:10
|
blocked_url
|
"Hi folks! We're super excited (and a bit nervous!) to hear what you think about our new AI investment tool. How's the feel and function of our AI tool? Any features stand out or need tweaking? Your insights on usability and design are super valuable. Let's make investing smarter together! 🌟"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/myinvestment-ai
| 2024-01-02T08:43:17
|
blocked_url
|
"What kind of interactions would you like to have with an AI girlfriend? Sending selfies, playing mini-games together, or engaging in role-playing chat interactions like "Beauty and the Beast" or "Dominant CEO Falls for Me"? 🥳We welcome your thoughts and opinions!"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/open-love
| 2024-01-02T08:43:23
|
blocked_url
|
Xypher is a CLI-based chat application. Share messages, commands, and files seamlessly from your terminal. Elevate your workflow with Xypher's unique capability to share files with a single command.
"What aspects of Xypher caught your eye? Is there a particular feature that stands out to you? Any feedback on the user experience, pricing, or even our branding would be incredibly valuable."
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/xypher
| 2024-01-02T08:43:29
|
blocked_url
|
"Thank you for checking out my launch. I'm curious about my app's reception and value any feedback, positive or negative. Knowing why is incredibly helpful for making improvements and striving to create the best feed reader on the market. Your insights matter, and I look forward to hearing from you!"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/your-news
| 2024-01-02T08:43:36
|
blocked_url
|
Build an AI FAQ and answer any customer question in seconds, improve conversion by routing customers to what you want them to see, and discover what they want to know.
No more cluttered websites, no customer support mazes, no frustration.
"Thanks for checking out FrequentlyAskedAI's launch! Customers are onboarding to the service now and I'm looking forward to helping your business too."
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/frequentlyaskedai
| 2024-01-02T10:14:11
|
blocked_url
|
Unlock LottieBox's Pro Lottie library with free webapp and WP widget. perfect for designers, developers, and social media. Elevate projects with a 1-year unlimited subscription at $199 (was $499).
"Thank you for your support and for checking out Lottiebox. share your thoughts and shape the future of LottieBox. Dive in at LottieBox.com. Thanks for being part of our journey! 🚀 #LottieBox #FeedbackWelcome"
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/lottiebox
| 2024-01-02T10:14:17
|
blocked_url
|
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This is the latest launch from Micro habits
See Micro habits’s previous launch →
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Micro Habits
Micro Habits
Breaking your goal into micro habit to achive greatness
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Self-improvement, Habit tracker, goal tracker, to-dos, routine tracker, mood tracker, journaling, accountability partners, personal weekly and monthly challenges.
Launched in
Productivity
by
Micro habits
Launch discussions
Reviews
About this launch
Micro habits
Super charge your self-improvement journey with Micro Habits
0
reviews
86
followers
Follow for updates
Micro Habits by
Micro habits
was hunted by
Ashish
in
Productivity
. Made by
Ashish
. Featured on January 2nd, 2024.
Micro habits
is not rated yet. It first launched on January 2nd, 2023.
Upvotes
30
Comments
9
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/micro-habits-6
| 2024-01-02T10:14:23
|
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This is the latest launch from Self Test by Ahead App
See Self Test by Ahead App’s previous launch →
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Ahead
Ranked #13 for today
Ahead
Duolingo for emotional intelligence
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Duolingo, but for emotional intelligence. Ahead is your pocket coach, built by behavioral scientists from Harvard and Oxford University to transform your life!
Launched in
Education
Health
by
Self Test by Ahead App
Launch discussions
Reviews
About this launch
Self Test by Ahead App
Receive anonymous & honest feedback on your social skills
10
reviews
18
followers
Follow for updates
Ahead by
Self Test by Ahead App
was hunted by
Clara-Marie Eloy
in
Education
,
Health
. Made by
Kai Koch
. Featured on January 2nd, 2024.
Self Test by Ahead App
is rated
5/5 ★
by 10 users. It first launched on July 7th, 2021.
Upvotes
9
Comments
1
Day rank
#13
Week rank
#24
Report
|
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/ahead-d7a13334-9084-4675-afdf-b5cf0026fd81
| 2024-01-02T16:20:02
|
blocked_url
|
Io is a world like no other, at least within the Solar System. Eruptions from 400 active volcanoes constantly turn it inside out. The Juno spacecraft has provided stunning images of this moon of Jupiter taken during its first flyby. Already, image processors, professional and amateur, are drawing out details that might be missed in the raw photographs.
We’ve known there was something odd about Io for more than 400 years. Its discovery, along with the other three Galilean satellites, rocked astronomy. Once the shock of its existence wore off, people noticed its red coloring, while the three other large moons of Jupiter are white.
The Voyager missions revealed what was special about it: volcanic eruptions are constantly resurfacing the planet. Most other moons of gas giants are covered in ice, but Io’s surface has a lot of sulfur. Carl Sagan called it a world “smelling like rotten eggs and looking like a pizza pie”.
You can reach your own judgment about what Io most resembles, but whizzing just 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) above Io’s surface, Juno has returned stunning images that will be poured over for years to come. Juno has been orbiting Jupiter for seven years, but for most of that time its focus has been on the planet itself. Only now is attention turning to the moons.
The close passage is about more than just taking high-resolution images of the surface. Io and Europa are both surrounded by donut-shaped rings of ions thanks to their location within Jupiter’s immense magnetic field. Juno flew through that. The data collected should be important scientifically, as well as being used to prepare JUICE and the Europa Clipper to make similar passages safely.
Juno will make another close pass of Io on February 3. Io’s gravity has already reduced Juno’s orbital period from 38 to 35 days, and the next passage will bring that down to 33 days. That passage will allow planetary scientists to compare the images to seek changes to Io’s surface in a short period of time. There will be further flybys of Io every second time Juno approaches Jupiter, but none will be as close as these two.
Image processing from Juno’s controllers will take time, but already plenty of others are onto the task.
Io’s intense volcanism comes from having its innards constantly stretched and relaxed through its changing distance from Jupiter and the gravitational tug of the accompanying moons. At Europa’s more comfortable distance from the gravity well, these effects create enough heat to melt the ice beneath the outer shell and create an internal ocean. Closer in, Io generates much more heat, turning rocks molten and leading the magma to burst through the surface. In the process, Io has lost almost all its water, making it the Solar System's densest moon.
Io is so volcanic it was thought to be the only world in the Solar System, other than the gas giants, without impact craters. However, just last month, evidence emerged this probably is not true. The images taken in these close passes will be scoured by amateurs, and perhaps by professionals, looking for further examples.
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https://www.iflscience.com/closest-flyby-in-20-years-provides-spectacular-images-of-jupiters-moon-io-72249
| 2024-01-02T16:42:12
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If one of your New Year’s resolutions happens to be staying sober, scientists at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have some good news for you: not drinking alcohol, or even just cutting back on the bevs, can reduce your risk of some cancers.
There’s already evidence to suggest that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of some cancers; according to WHO estimates, more than 740,000 global cancer cases in 2020 were caused by alcohol use. But as report author Farhad Islami told STAT News, “[W]e wanted to know, what if people stop drinking?”
Islami was part of a group of 15 scientists investigating the impact of reducing or ceasing alcohol intake on cancer risk, reviewing over 90 published studies over the course of four months. From this data, the team discovered that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that cutting back on alcohol could be linked to a reduced risk of oral and oesophageal cancers. There was also limited evidence of a reduction in risk for laryngeal, colorectal, and breast cancers.
One of the key contributors to risk, the researchers found, was a toxin called acetaldehyde. Also known as ethanal, acetaldehyde is produced by the breakdown of alcohol in the liver. It plays a role in nasty hangovers and, as the studies suggested, increases someone’s risk of cancer. Drinking less alcohol reduces exposure to such a carcinogen and thus, the risks that come with it.
In reviewing the studies, the researchers also identified some gaps that, with further investigation, could help improve understanding of the link between quitting alcohol and cancer risk to an even greater degree.
“The issue with the evidence now is that many of the studies that were available just reported the risk for former drinkers without showing when they stopped drinking, how long they stopped drinking, or whether people continued drinking but reduced their consumption,” explained Islami. “We don’t have much data on that. It’d be great to have studies now that ask more questions about the duration of alcohol cessation or reduction.”
The WHO has previously stated that no amount of alcohol consumption is safe for our health, let alone going so hard that the air around you tests positive for alcohol. As such, it’s not just your cancer risk that could see benefit with participation in Dry January – quitting alcohol could also help to improve your brain function, as well as put an end to the dreaded prospect of hangxiety.
The report is published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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https://www.iflscience.com/dry-january-might-help-reduce-your-risk-of-cancer-72252
| 2024-01-02T16:42:18
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Several news outlets have reported that the Earth may be hit by a "lost" asteroid this year. According to the reports, if asteroid 2007 FT3 were to hit Earth it would do so with the equivalent energy of 2.6 billion tons of TNT, NASA has lost track it, and it has a chance of hitting the planet on October 5, 2024. So, given that that all sounds (to use a technical term) "not great", what is really going on?
Well, 2007 FT3 is a real asteroid, first observed in 2007, and is on NASA's Sentry Risk Table of objects that could potentially impact Earth. It is also a "lost" asteroid, as it was seen for just 1.2 days before disappearing from NASA's view. Though the 314-meter (1,030 feet) asteroid became too faint and has not been seen since, it was observed at 14 points in its arc over these two days, allowing astronomers to calculate its orbit and look for potential collisions between Earth and it. Doing so, NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies identified 89 potential impacts, including one on October 5, 2024.
Though that may sound a tad alarming, there really isn't anything to worry about. One potential point of impact, or where the asteroid was supposed to be closest to Earth, took place in 2019. As you might have noticed, it didn't. NASA and other observatories track the orbits of objects discovered in the Solar System, keeping a particular eye on "near Earth objects" 140 meters (460 feet) and larger in size that could cause devastation if they were to cross paths with Earth. So far, astronomers have been able to predict the orbits of known objects up to about 100 years in the future. The good news is that "no known asteroid larger than 140 meters in size has a significant chance to hit Earth for the next 100 years," according to NASA.
Responding specifically to claims around 2007 FT3, NASA reiterated its response.
“There are no known asteroid impact threats to Earth at any time in the next century. Nasa and its partners diligently watch the skies to find, track, and categorize asteroids and near-Earth objects (NEOs), including those that may come close to Earth," a NASA spokesperson told The Standard.
"An important note here is planetary scientists define asteroid approaches that come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit as close approaches. The larger an asteroid is, the easier it is for our planetary defense experts to find, meaning that their orbits around the sun are usually very well-known and understood for years or even decades.”
Should 2007 FT3 be found again in a sky survey or by astronomers trying to track its path, we can learn more about its orbit, perhaps enough to remove it from the list of potential Earth impactors, or, in the unlikely event that it should be heading our way, prepare a mission to deflect it.
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https://www.iflscience.com/nasa-responds-to-claims-lost-asteroid-2007-ft3-will-hit-earth-in-2024-72253
| 2024-01-02T16:42:24
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The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak this week and it’s set to be one of the strongest showers of 2024 with up to 120 shooting stars being visible each hour.
The Quadrantids are due to reach peak activity on the night of January 3 to 4, according to the American Meteor Society.
The Quadrantid meteor shower started on December 26, 2023, and will continue until January 16, 2024. For star-gazers in North America, the shower will be at its most active in the early hours of January 4.
The moon will be 51 percent full on this night, which may slightly interfere with the spectacle. Likewise, cloudy January weather often puts a dampening on this annual meteor shower.
However, the Quadrantids are widely considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers. As per NASA, you can expect to see approximately 120 meteors per hour during periods of peak activity. They’re also known for their bright fireball meteors that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.
To get the best view of the meteor shower, head outside in a dark place that’s far away from street lamps and other artificial lighting, including phone screens. You should be patient and go outside early to let your eyes acclimatize to the lower light conditions.
In case you can't catch them in person, there will also be a live stream of the event broadcasted by the Virtual Telescope Project, which you can view in this link here.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through the debris left behind by a comet or asteroid. Tiny pieces of debris from these objects enter Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 41 kilometers (25.5 miles) per second for the Quadrantids. This intense amount of energy causes the debris to burn up when it smacks into Earth's atmosphere, leaving behind a bright streak of light in the sky.
In the case of the Quadrantids, the parent object is 2003 EH1, a near-Earth object that’s either a rocky asteroid or a possible "rock comet”, aka a "dead comet”. This is essentially a once-icy comet that has expelled all of its ice and other volatiles. Discovered in 2003, its diameter measures just 3 kilometers (2 miles) or so.
There are plenty of other major meteor showers to look forward to in 2024. In mid-April, Earth's skies will be graced by the Lyrids, followed by the Aquariids in early May.
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https://www.iflscience.com/quadrantid-meteor-shower-set-to-produce-120-shooting-stars-an-hour-this-week-72257
| 2024-01-02T16:42:30
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You can find all kinds of cool things in caves. From pearls to softball-sized spiders, ancient human artwork, and even unicorns, there’s no telling what awaits the curious cave explorer. Nothing illustrates this fact more clearly than the surprise that greeted archaeologists in Mexico recently, when they rolled back a boulder to discover a true cave of wonders – if your definition of “wonders” includes a load of human and animal bones, that is.
The discovery was made in Tulum by scientists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) working on a project for the federal Ministry of Culture. While working to open up a new pathway between two excavated buildings, they found a boulder adorned with a sea snail stuck to the rock, remnants of the ancient decoration left by the pre-Hispanic Maya inhabitants of the region.
“When removing the rock that closed the entrance to the cavity, it was observed that it was literally splitting the bone remains of an individual, leaving the lower part of his body on the outside and the upper part inside it,” said project coordinator José Antonio Reyes Solís in a statement.
That’s right: when they rolled the boulder aside to enter the cave, they found that it was sitting on top of the remains of an unfortunate human, cutting the skeleton straight down the middle.
With an opener like that, it was clear the cave would be worth exploring. It was quickly found to be made up of at least two small chambers, each only around 3 meters (9.8 feet) by 2 meters (6.5 feet) in size, and with an average height of just 50 centimeters (19.6 inches). Up to now, eight human burial sites have been identified within the chambers, mostly of adults, which are well-preserved thanks to the favorable environmental conditions.
But it’s not only human bones that have been uncovered. The team sought the expertise of Jerónimo Avilés and Cristian Sánchez, both specialists in the identification of animal remains, and it appears the small cave contains a veritable Noah’s Ark of fauna. Preliminary analysis revealed at least nine species of mammals – including blood-sucking bats and domestic dogs – along with various birds, reptiles, fish – including tiger sharks – crustaceans, snails, and frogs.
Some of the bones show signs of cutmarks and modifications, suggesting they had been fashioned into various artifacts typical of the region, such as needles. A large number of ceramic fragments were also found at the site.
Working inside the cave has been challenging for the team, who have had to grapple not only with the cramped space but also the lack of light, high heat and humidity, and unwelcome insect inhabitants. Luckily, the researchers have at their disposal modern tech like high-resolution photography and laser scanners, and plan to construct precise 3D models of the cave so that this fascinating site can be preserved for the future.
And if you can’t make it to Mexico any time soon, you’re in luck: INAH says it plans to use these models not only for research, but to make a virtual tour of the cave accessible to the public, so even the most claustrophobic of budding explorers can venture inside this ancient mortuary.
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https://www.iflscience.com/sealed-off-cave-opened-to-reveal-human-skeletons-along-with-tiger-sharks-and-blood-sucking-bats-72255
| 2024-01-02T16:42:36
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Thanks to one of the most successful scientific hoaxes of all time, palaeontologists spent the first half of the 20th century believing in the existence of an ancient hominid known as the Piltdown Man. Displaying an odd mix of human and ape characteristics, the anomalous animal was eventually exposed as a complete fraud in 1953, and researchers have now revealed what the counterfeit creature would have looked like if it actually existed.
The Piltdown Man was the work of lawyer and amateur geologist Charles Dawson, who contacted London’s Natural History Museum in 1912 with what he claimed was evidence of a missing link in the evolutionary sequence between apes and humans. Presenting a series of skull, jaw, and tooth fragments he claimed to have unearthed in Piltdown, southeast England, Dawson convinced the museum’s geology curator Arthur Smith Woodward that his discovery was genuine.
Based on the color of the remains, Woodward concluded that they had been mineralizing for around half a million years. At a meeting of the Geological Society in December 1912, he and Dawson formally presented the Piltdown Man, which was given the Latin name Eoanthropus dawsoni ("Dawson's dawn-man") and passed off as a previously unknown species of ancient human.
Despite the acclaim this brought Dawson and Woodward, many palaeontologists immediately smelled something fishy. American scholar William King Gregory, for instance, was present at the meeting yet later reported that the Piltdown Man appeared to be “a deliberate hoax”.
Despite these suspicions, the specimen was widely accepted as genuine until 1953, when an article in Time Magazine provided proof that the Piltdown Man was in fact a mashup of modern human skull fragments, an orangutan jaw, and chimpanzee teeth.
According to the authors of a report in the bulletin of the Natural History Museum, the scientific community had been victims of "a most elaborate and carefully prepared hoax,” which was “so entirely unscrupulous and inexplicable, as to find no parallel in the history of paleontological discovery.”
Finally dismissed as a fake, the abomination was revisited by researchers in 2016, who revealed how Dawson had modified the various components to ensure they were not properly identified upon first inspection. The study authors also discovered that the bones had been deliberately stained with an iron solution in order to make them appear older than they were.
Despite the fact that the Piltdown Man never existed, a team of scientists including forensic expert and 3D illustrator Cícero Moraes have had a crack at revealing what the fictional hominid may have looked like. To do so, Moraes created a digital model of the creature’s skull using a mix of human, orangutan, and chimpanzee cranial scans.
Soft tissue markers from a human face were then distorted and adapted to fit this skull, before Moraes used his artistic license to apply the skin tone and hair.
The result is the first true facial reconstruction of a 500,000-year-old species of ape-man that never was.
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https://www.iflscience.com/see-the-first-true-reconstruction-of-piltdown-man-one-of-the-greatest-ever-scientific-hoaxes-72256
| 2024-01-02T16:42:42
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It’s been said that in an infinite universe, anything can happen. Now, our universe may or may not count as infinite, but there’s definitely some weird stuff going on out there – and, as it turns out, a black hole sitting right in the middle of a star doesn’t even rate that highly in the unbelievability stakes.
Indeed, “Stars harboring a black hole at their center can live surprisingly long,” says Earl Bellinger, now an Assistant Professor at Yale University, who led a recent study into whether the scenario was feasible. “Our sun could even have a black hole as massive as the planet Mercury at its center without us noticing.”
Wait, what?
It sounds impossible, we know – after all, black holes are pretty much defined by their ability to gobble up any and everything that gets too close. We’ve all seen 2009’s Star Trek; we know what happens when you plop a black hole inside an astronomical body, and spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well for the body.
Except, according to Bellinger and his colleagues, it wouldn’t just work – it could potentially clear up one of the most stubborn mysteries of the universe: where the heck all the dark matter has been hiding.
“The dark matter problem has now become serious,” Bellinger and his team write in their paper. “Numerous lines of evidence […] indicate that most of the matter in the Universe is invisible. Yet despite nearly a century of research, the origin of this matter remains unknown, and no compelling evidence has emerged for a solution.”
Ever since the 70s, though, there’s been one potential explanation that keeps resurfacing: primordial black holes. First proposed all the way back in 1966, these babies have never been proven to actually exist – but if they did, the hypothesis is that they formed within the first microseconds after the Big Bang, when the universe was still just a thick, dense sludge of particles.
Why should we care whether these ancient cosmic quicksands exist? Well, the suggestion is that – if there were enough of them out there, created at the right instant and hovering around the right sizes – then they might actually be what functions as the dark matter of the universe.
There is of course a problem with this idea: so far, there’s even less evidence of primordial black holes existing than of dark matter. Without some kind of previously undiscovered breakthrough, the consequences of this admittedly beguiling hypothesis would remain unknown.
Luckily, though, Bellinger and his colleagues had precisely such a realization. What if, they suggested, we just ignored all that and did it anyway?
The thought experiment
“Scientist[s] sometimes ask crazy questions in order to learn more,” said Selma de Mink, director of the stellar department at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and one of the co-authors of the paper. “We don't even know whether such primordial black holes exist, but we can still do an interesting thought experiment.”
So: if we assume that dark matter is indeed composed of these tiny primordial black holes, what would happen? Well, the first thing the team realized is that there would be a heck of a lot more of them out there than we thought: they “would be far more numerous and far more densely spaced than stars,” the paper notes, “raising the possibility of their capture by stars or star-forming clouds.”
What happened next would depend on how big the primordial black hole was: a very small one – the size of an atom, say – wouldn’t do much at all, regardless of its being literally right in the middle of a star. In that case, “it could take longer than the lifetime of the universe to eat the star,” Bellinger told Science.
But a black hole the size of an asteroid or a small moon would get big, fast – though, to be fair, we’re talking astronomical timescales here, so “fast” still means “hundreds of millions of years”. The result would be something essentially indistinguishable from a normal star, and yet fundamentally different: “It will become a black hole-powered object rather than fusion-powered object,” study co-author Matt Caplan, a theoretical physicist at Illinois State University, told Science.
Of course, this immediately throws up another question: if these “Hawking stars”, as the team have dubbed them, are so similar to the regular kind, how would we ever know the difference?
The answer, it turns out, is exactly as beautifully bizarre as the rest of the study. You just listen to them.
The music of the void
“The main difference between such a Hawking star and a normal star would be near the core, which would become convective due to the accretion onto the black hole,” explains the Max Planck Society in a statement on the study.
“However, it could be detectable using the relatively new field of asteroseismology, where astronomers are using acoustic oscillations to probe the interior of a star.”
Failing that, the researchers could scan the skies for strange red giants – ones that are cooler than they ought to be. That low temperature might be a sign of a hidden black hole at the center of the star, rather than a normal stellar core, and here’s the really exciting part: we already know of around 500 of them.
Which is why Bellinger’s next step is to get funding to scour those “red stragglers”, as they’re known, and see whether any of them do indeed show signs of a black hole core. “We aim to perform a detailed asteroseismic characterization of stars being powered by [primordial black holes],” the team writes. “If they present a unique signature, then these objects could potentially be discovered through the data archives of the CoRoT, Kepler, and TESS missions.”
In best Star Trek fashion, it relies on a lot of hope and unknowns – but it might just work.
“There are good reasons to think that Hawking stars would be common in globular clusters and ultra-faint dwarf galaxies,” Caplan said.
“This means that Hawking stars could be a tool for testing both the existence of primordial black holes, and their possible role as dark matter.”
The study is published in The Astrophysical Journal.
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https://www.iflscience.com/the-solution-to-the-dark-matter-mystery-might-be-a-black-hole-sun-72248
| 2024-01-02T16:42:48
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Forget the Amazon; forget India's forests with their living bridges; even forget the remote Malaysian rainforest with one of the world's tallest trees. The world’s oldest forest is in Cairo. No, not Cairo the capital of Egypt – Cairo, the small town in upstate New York.
At the bottom of a sandstone quarry in the small town of Cairo in New York state, researchers found a network of trees that they think may have once spread around 400 kilometers (250 miles). The extensive network is thought to be 386 million years old, making it the oldest forest in the world.
"You are walking through the roots of ancient trees," Dr Christopher Berry, a paleobotanist at Cardiff University, told Science in 2019. "Standing on the quarry surface we can reconstruct the living forest around us in our imagination."
The forest was discovered in 2019, as researchers mapped over 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet) of the Devonian period forest in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in the Hudson Valley. They found that the forest was home to two types of trees: early fern-like plants called cladoxylopsids; and Archaeopteris, trees that had a woody trunk and flattened green leaves coming out from frond-like branches. Scientists also think they could have uncovered a third tree species in the area that would reproduce, like these others, using spores rather than seeds.
"It is surprising to see plants which were previously thought to have had mutually exclusive habitat preferences growing together on the ancient Catskill delta," said Dr Berry in a press release about the discovery.
The roots of the Archaeopteris trees were found in one area to be over 11 meters (36 feet) in length. These are some of the first examples of complex roots systems that grew as the plants grew, with many branching sections. Prior to this, plant roots were unbranched, and died off and were replaced as the plant grew larger, the authors explain in the paper.
"This would have looked like a fairly open forest with small to moderate sized coniferous-looking trees with individual and clumped tree-fern like plants of possibly smaller size growing between them," continued Dr Berry.
Many fish fossils were also recovered from the site, leading the team to believe that the once enormous forest could have been wiped out via flooding.
The previously believed oldest forest was the Gilboa Forest, only about 40 kilometers away (25 miles) from the new record holder, but it is thought to be around 2 or 3 million years younger than the one found in Cairo. In 2016, a huge tropical fossil forest was discovered in Norway by the same team.
The rise of larger trees with more complicated roots systems is thought to have also triggered a process called “weathering”, during which carbon dioxide is pulled from the atmosphere and eventually stored as limestone. With the drop in carbon dioxide levels, oxygen levels were able to increase, leading to larger animals and insects evolving within the ancient forests.
“In order to really understand how trees began to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we need to understand the ecology and habitats of the very earliest forests, and their rooting systems,” said Dr Berry.
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https://www.iflscience.com/the-worlds-oldest-forest-is-somewhere-you-least-expected-72254
| 2024-01-02T16:42:54
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Thanks to some beautiful imagery captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover during the recent Mars solar conjunction, you can now watch the passing of a day, from sunrise to sunset, on the surface of Mars.
The 25-frame video was captured from the Martian surface using Curiosity's black-and-white Hazard-Avoidance Cameras (Hazcam) on November 8, 2023, from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm local time, as detailed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). The videos were the last set of instructions beamed to Curiosity before the two-week Mars solar conjunction, when the Sun is directly between Mar and Earth, meaning communication is paused.
The first video, taken from the rover’s front Hazcam, looks southeast along Gediz Vallis (Mars's very own "Bermuda triangle"), a valley on Mount Sharp with an elevation of 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles).
The sun rises, bringing daylight to the Red Planet's surface. As the day commences, the shadow of Curiosity’s robotic arm and front wheel pan across the landscape, before darkness starts to return. The last frame may look as if stars or snowfall have emerged, but this is actually sensor data noise known as “hot pixels”.
The second video (below) shows the rover’s rear Hazcam looking down the slopes of Mount Sharp to the floor of Gale Crater. You might notice that the 17th frame features a black splodge on the left of the image. Remarkably, this is the result of a cosmic ray hitting the camera sensor.
Martian days, or "sols", may look pretty similar to days on Earth. However, Mars rotates once every 24 hours, 37 minutes, and 22 seconds, meaning a day is just under 40 minutes longer here than our planet. Martian years are also substantially longer, with an orbit of the Sun taking around 687 Earth days.
NASA’s Curiosity rover landed inside Gale Crater in August 2012. Within this vast 54-kilometer (96-mile) wide basin lies Mount Sharp, which Curiosity has been scaling since 2014. It was initially only set to carry out a two-year mission, but the rover is still operating and continuing to help towards some incredible scientific discoveries.
In October 2023, images from the rover, together with satellite data and 3D scans of layers of rocks from Earth, were used to map out the ancient geology of Mars. This suggested that the Red Planet was once a planet of many rivers, reinforcing the theory that it once harbored extraterrestrial life (and maybe still does).
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https://www.iflscience.com/watch-a-martian-day-from-dawn-to-dusk-in-this-beautiful-new-timelapse-72251
| 2024-01-02T16:43:00
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As we move away from powering our civilizations with the ancient remains of not dinosaurs, we will have to overcome a few teething problems.
One is that renewable sources don't necessarily generate electricity at the precise point that we need it (the wind doesn't know – or doesn't care – to blow extra hard when everybody is watching the Super Bowl, for example). On particularly windy or sunny days, too much electricity can be generated, leading to a situation where consumers are paid to consume electricity rather than overload the grid. But power that isn't used becomes lost.
A more favorable solution is, of course, to store this energy for later use. Storing this in conventional batteries, say lithium-ion batteries, poses more environmental problems due to the way lithium is mined, even before we look at problems like losing capacity as the batteries are used.
One solution, already widely used, is to convert the power generated by renewable sources into potential energy for later use. Going back to 1907, at the Engeweiher pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant in Switzerland, we have used "gravity batteries" to do this.
The idea is actually pretty simple, but nonetheless effective. During times when energy sources are producing more energy than the demand, the excess energy is used to pump water upwards into reservoirs, turning it into potential energy. Releasing the water into another lower reservoir releases this energy, which can be harnessed by passing the water through hydroelectric generators.
The idea has also been dubbed a "water battery", in that the energy is "stored" as water, just at a slightly higher altitude than it was previously. While the efficiency isn't perfect, it is far, far better than letting the excess power go to waste.
"There are losses like any storage, but the yield is very good," director of the Nant de Drance Hydropower Plant, Alain Sauthier, told Reuters when the plant became operational. "We have about 80 percent efficiency over the complete cycle."
“In less than 10 minutes we can reverse the direction of rotation of the turbines and switch from electricity production to storage," Sauthier added to Swissinfo. "Such flexibility is key in order to react promptly to the needs of the electricity grid and adapt electricity generation and consumption. Otherwise, you risk a collapse of the grid and blackout".
Similar gravity batteries can be created by moving weights up and down abandoned mines, shifting sand upwards when there is an excess of power and dropping it down again when supplies are low using a process known as regenerative braking. As challenging as moving to renewable energy may be, involving the rush towards fusion technology, at least part of the problem is as simple as moving some objects upwards and then letting them plummet to the ground again later on.
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https://www.iflscience.com/what-are-gravity-batteries-and-how-can-they-help-solve-our-energy-storage-problems-72250
| 2024-01-02T16:43:06
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More than one in four people in the US have blue eyes. In the UK, it’s three out of every seven; in the Netherlands, it’s three out of five, and in Iceland, it’s three out of every four. Depending on where you live, it’s a very popular ocular color to have.
But that’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Blue isn’t exactly a ubiquitous color in nature – even those creatures you’re thinking about right now, like certain insects and fish, aren’t really blue, they’re just exploiting physics to make you think they are. In mammals, the cerulean hue is even rarer: there’s the blue whale, we suppose, and a fair few monkey butts, but no animal has naturally blue fur, or hair. So why would blue eyes be a thing?
Well, here’s the secret: they’re not.
The myth of blue eyes
Seriously. Blue eyes don’t exist. “Blue eye color is determined by melanin, and melanin is actually brown by nature,” explained licensed optometrist Gary Heiting in an article for eye care website All About Vision.
“Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is no pigment for hazel or green – or blue,” he wrote. “Eyes only appear to be these colors because of the way light strikes the layers of the iris and reflects back toward the viewer.”
Yeah, it turns out that when someone compares their beau’s blue eyes to the hue of the open seas or sky, they may not just be bein’ all poetical. They might be invoking the romance of physics instead.
“In the animal kingdom there are many examples in which the observed color is the result of optical phenomena such as light scattering, interference or diffraction by microscopic structures present in the tissues,” explains George Britton in The Biochemistry of Natural Pigments.
“The most familiar example of this effect is the blue of the sky,” he writes.
If you’ve ever wondered why the sky is blue – and let’s be honest, we all have at some point – here’s a crash course that’ll make your nearest physicist wince: imagine Ant-Man running an obstacle course.
No, honestly, bear with us. Say he starts off attempting the race at his insect-size: he’ll get to the first barrier – say, those little tires you have to hop in and out of – and be completely stymied. He’ll just bounce off and stay back near the start line.
So, he grows a bit. Now he’s the size of a toddler, and he can make it past the tires – but once he hits the mini hurdles, he’s still too small. He’s foiled again.
Not one to back away from a challenge, he ups his size again, until he can pass the hurdles without a problem. But then, he comes to a wall. He’s only the size of Paul Rudd, he can’t get over that – he bounces off again, stopped once more from reaching the end.
Finally, he decides screw it, and grows to his Giant-Man size. Well, this is great: he’s big enough to step over everything and go straight to the finish line. Race won.
That’s basically what’s going on when light from the sun comes down to our planet. While it’s in space, where there is, for all intents and purposes, nothing around to get in its way, the light is white – which is a misleading color for it to be, really, since it’s the result of all the different colors possible composed together. Once it enters our atmosphere, however, things get messy: there’s all kinds of microscopic particles of dust and gas and suchlike in the air, and the light starts getting scattered in all directions.
And the smaller the wavelength of light, the more likely it is to get caught up bouncing around up there. Colors at the bottom of the visible light spectrum – that is, the reds and oranges – are like Giant-Man: too big to be concerned with tiny dust motes, and so hurtle on down to get absorbed by the ground. But the smallest wavelengths – the blues and violets – get stuck bouncing around in the sky, making it appear to be the cool tone we all know.
“Very small particles, smaller in diameter than the wavelength of red or yellow light, will reflect or scatter more of the short-wave than of the long-wave components of white light,” Britton summarizes. “Colors produced in this way are known as structural colors.”
Now, if you want to be persnickety about it (and we read the comment sections, so we know that you do) the phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue and the phenomenon that makes your irises appear blue are two different effects – Rayleigh scattering and Tyndall scattering, respectively. But frankly, they’re the same dang thing; the distinction between the two is not in what’s going on, but in the size and location of the particles the light is being bounced off.
“Most non-iridescent blue colors in animals are Tyndall blues,” Britton notes. “[The] blue color of human eyes is due to the scattering of white light by minute protein particles in the iris.”
Green eyes, and hazel, are a result of the same scattering effect – but in those cases, there’s slightly more melanin in the iris, so the light is absorbed or reflected in different ways. That’s also why eye color can seem to “change” based on nearby lighting: “It’s an interaction between the amount of melanin and the architecture of the iris itself,” Heiting told CNN. “It’s a very complex architecture.”
The same effect is responsible for the blue color of many birds, Britton adds, whose feathers feature incredibly tiny air-filled membrane pockets that scatter the light away. But in all these cases, clarifies Britton, “no blue pigment can be isolated from the tissues.”
In other words: your baby blues? They’re just a trick of the light.
The ancestor of blue eyes
In humanity’s collective family tree, some branches loom larger than others. The one labeled “Genghis Khan”, for example, is thick enough to cover around one in 200 men alive today; more than a fifth of Irish fellas can claim to be descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages – even though the man may well have never existed; and technically, every European has Charlemagne lurking somewhere in their lineage.
All of these dudes left an impressive impact on the world’s genetic makeup – but there’s one person in the history books who outbred them all. And who was it, you ask?
Well… we don’t know. Unlike old Genghis and Charlemagne, this individual lived so long ago that there’s no way we could know their name or even when and where they came from to any degree better than “probably the Near East like 40 or 50,000 years ago.”
But we do know one thing: they had blue eyes – and nobody else did.
“Originally, we all had brown eyes,” Hans Eiberg, a professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen, said back in 2008. “But a genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a ‘switch,’ which literally ‘turned off’ the ability to produce brown eyes.”
Now, we know what you’re thinking – how did the team know that only one ancestor was responsible for all these different blue eyes? Well, here’s the thing: what Eiberg and his colleagues had discovered wasn’t just that the aquatic hue is the result of a mutated OCA2 gene – it was far more definitive than that.
“[Blue-eyed people] have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA,” Eiberg explained.
“From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor.”
It’s the only known way to produce blue eyes – for comparison, there’s at least eight different gene mutations that are responsible for red hair – and it’s quite specific. The “switch” that Eiberg referred to couldn’t simply switch the gene from “on” to “off” – that would result in full-on albinism. Instead, it had to be “diluted”, he explained, limiting its ability to produce the brown pigment to such an extent that the eyes looked blue.
And the weirdest part of all? Apart from looking a bit interesting, the mutation that gives blue eyes seems to be pretty useless. It’s not like the evolution of paler skin and lactose tolerance, both of which allowed residents of more northerly latitudes to absorb more vitamin D – it appears to be neutral, evolutionarily speaking. A fluke.
“It simply shows that nature is constantly shuffling the human genome,” Eiberg said, “creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes and trying out different changes as it does so.”
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
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https://www.iflscience.com/why-blue-eyed-people-are-all-related-72247
| 2024-01-02T16:43:12
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Entertainment
Huh Yunjin Is Full Of Big Ideas
The Le Sserafim member is one of K-pop’s most authentic new songwriters — and is now readying her next solo release.
In another life, Huh Yunjin would've lived in New York City. She'd have a business degree and work in an office somewhere, a highrise near Times Square in sight of the Broadway lights. She'd live in a tiny apartment and pay $8 for an iced matcha latte with oat milk, spending her weekends going to shows, sifting through racks for secondhand finds, and studying the pages of a human sciences textbook. These are the what-ifs that raced through her mind as she watched a young woman wearing headphones and a plaid jacket exit a cab on Fifth Avenue near Washington Square Park.
“It looked like she was late to class,” the 22-year-old singer tells NYLON on a sunny October afternoon several days later. “I thought, 'Oh, in a different universe, maybe that would have been me.' I think about that a lot, especially now."
If not for the handsome bodyguard standing watch by the door and the small team of staff sitting beside our Instagramable table near the window, it would be easy to forget that this is Huh Yunjin, K-pop star and one-fifth of the chart-topping girl group Le Sserafim. Sipping a Vietnamese iced coffee at Lê Phin, a quaint cafe in the heart of the East Village that attracts artists, NYU students, and young professionals, she looks like any other 20-something you'd find strolling down East 10th Street. Her recently dyed ginger hair falls in glossy waves past her shoulders in stark contrast to the low-key look she's put together: white baby tee, dark oversized flannel, sweats, and Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1s. “Did you know that when jellyfish die they dissipate in the water and there's no remnants left?” she says as a tangent after I point out the small jellyfish plushie hanging from her purse. “They leave no trace behind. That's crazy.”
As a member of Le Sserafim, Yunjin is a supernova of charisma and attitude, but in person she's friendly, grounded, and full of stories. Over the past year, she’s been quietly establishing herself as an adept songwriter who wants to change how the world looks at idols. Following Le Sserafim’s debut in May 2022, she released her first solo single, “Raise Y_our Glass,” a lo-fi admission of vulnerability that stood out among a sea of mainstream releases. But that was nothing compared to her pointed January 2023 single, “I ≠ DOLL,” a song that confronted toxic idol culture and was a shock of intimacy in an industry where performance and spectacle are paramount. (“Idol doesn’t mean your doll to f*ck with,” went one of its most piercing lyrics.) For her, those songs were just her daily journal entries. “When I'm writing in that mindset, that's when I get my most natural and authentic lyrics down on paper,” she says.
Lately, however, Yunjin has been feeling a little uninspired. In town with her bandmates for a few press opportunities before making her way to Anaheim, California, for Le Sserafim’s first stateside performance, she’s hoping this East Coast detour will help stir up some fresh creative energy. “It actually started on the plane," she says, referring to the swell of new ideas. She jotted down thoughts about her future, lyrics, and potential creative threads to follow back in the studio. “I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is actually kind of crazy. I'm going home.’”
Yunjin is technically an upstate kid, raised just several hours north of NYC in the small town of Niskayuna, where she began her journey in storytelling. Born in South Korea, she navigated growing up in the U.S. and her identity through stories, immersing herself in works of fiction and Taylor Swift's entire discography. (Upon landing at JFK, she cued up “Welcome to New York.”) As a kid, she wrote short stories about teenage vampires and girls on the margins, and developed a delicate but evocative way with words.
When she was recruited to be a part of Le Sserafim in 2021 by Source Music, a subsidiary under HYBE, the record label of megastars BTS, it was partially due to her songwriting: the company believed in her potential not only as an idol but as an artist who had something real to say. It was the opportunity she’d been waiting for after years of bouncing around several talent agencies and participating in star search competition shows to no success. Now, in the 19 months since Le Sserafim’s debut, Yunjin has created her own body of solo work and become a major contributor to Le Sserafim’s catalog with composing and songwriting credits on several of their songs, including their latest English single, “Perfect Night,” which topped the streaming charts in South Korea.
“The environment that I'm able to work in is very free in terms of expression,” she says of her label, to whom she attributes this creative burst. "I'm thankful for that because I'm naturally a very expressive person."
“I've been trying to be very present and sit with my feelings.”
Her songwriting process typically begins with recording her ideas on her iPhone’s Voice Memo app before sharing them with her small team of producers at HYBE. Generally, she says she receives positive feedback, though she thinks she “should get more criticism.” Lately, she’s been trying to balance her solo writing with her writing for Le Sserafim, which she says comes with its own unique challenges: “You have to be concise, but I'm very bad at that.”
One thing that’s been helping her is writing raps — “That’s my new challenge,” she says. Specifically, she's been studying SZA's cadence and masterful wordiness, the way she turns melodized syllables into a steady stream of consciousness. On a recent episode of Korean music talk show The Seasons: Long Day, Long Night With AKMU, Yunjin even performed a bit of SZA’s hit “Kill Bill” on her guitar. “Whenever I listen to her music,” she says, “I'm like, How did she think of that?”
As we step into the chaotic afternoon rush at L Train Vintage on First Avenue, Yunjin begins to tell me her next big idea for a song. It came about through candid conversations with Bang Si-Hyuk, the founder and chairman of HYBE, who suggested she consider writing about how she's feeling now. “A lot of music that I've written is about my past experiences,” she says, “So when he was like, ‘What about talking about how you feel now?’ that was a really big question for me. Since then, I've been trying to be very present and sit with my feelings.”
Riffling through racks of heavy outerwear and sturdy Carhartt jackets, she tells me about reading the book Journey of Souls by hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton, which theorizes, among other things, that a single soul can live many lives. It made her think of all the versions of herself: the teen in black skinny jeans, the trainee with the go-getter attitude, the fearless pop star with the fiery red hair, the singer-songwriter who wants to shake the industry.
“That's the song that I was writing on the plane here,” she says. “It's about loving all the past versions of myself and letting go of them, because they had to let go of themselves to be me.”
Photos courtesy of Source Music/HYBE.
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https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/huh-yunjin-le-sserafim-songwriting-sza
| 2024-01-02T19:17:08
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Most people drink amaro before they even realize what it is: an Aperol spritz on a summer afternoon, Campari in a Negroni during a winter happy hour, a finger of Fernet at the end of a meal. Amaro, which means “bitter” in Italian, is an infinitely and intentionally broad category of liqueur that typically involves herbs, and some combination of bitter and sweet — and it’s poised to become the drink of 2024, as more American-made amaro brands enter the scene, and non-alcoholic brands like Ghia expand their flavor offerings.
It may seem like everyone started ordering Aperol spritzes after watching Season 2 of The White Lotus, but 2023 was the year amaro was suddenly everywhere, as America’s embrace of European leisure culture popularized everything from charcuterie boards to tinned fish. Low-alcohol drinks have also risen in popularity, along with a greater demand for more affordable cocktails, which might be why places like Gertrude’s in Prospect Heights now offer an “aperitif hour,” during which their $13 amaro and sodas are discounted to just $10, a bargain compared to their $15–17 cocktails. New York Magazine just named the New York City-made amaro Faccia Brutto as “Brooklyn’s favorite drink.” And over the last six or seven years, Aperol and Campari, Aperol’s more bitter cousin, have been making serious headway in the U.S. market — shipments of the former rose from 9,000 cases in 2010 to 390,000 cases in 2022, while the volume of the latter more than doubled from 2015 to 2022, CNN reports.
But the first New York restaurant to popularize amaro was Dante in the mid-aughts, when the restaurant sought to bring European drinking culture to the U.S., says Victoria Canty, a former bartender and events manager at the cafe. Dante, as a result, is largely credited with popularizing the negroni for American palettes, she explains, and the current amaro moment is still thanks to the waves Dante created in the industry.
“The Negroni is the thing that shifted all the gears for everybody,” says Canty, who’s now director of sales and advocacy at Brucato Amaro, which won Liqueur of the Year at the 2023 Bartenders Spirits Awards. The second? The Aperol spritz, she says, particularly because of how palatable it is. “A lot of us want to be sessionable about the way that we're drinking because it allows us to have access to fun and delicious flavors,” she says. “If you have five martinis, you're not even going to know where you are, but if you have five spritzes, you probably feel fine.”
As Dante gained notoriety, Canty says she saw a big boost not only in how much amaro is coming to the U.S., but in the number of brands manufactured in the U.S., particularly in California, which has a similar climate to Southern Italy and France. For the makers of Brucato, that meant creating a sense of California as a place by looking at the native flora and fauna, in this case fennel, manzanita, and Yba Santa, which Canty says lends itself to a more herbaceous amaro compared to Campari, which is traditionally more bitter.
What’s really compelling is that these possibilities don’t necessarily need to include alcohol. Alongside rising popularity of low-ABV drinks, the U.S. has seen a massive uptick in the no-ABV category: U.S. sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits were up 20.6% from August 2012 to 2022, according to data from Nielsen.
At the center of the Venn diagram of the rise of the amaro and no-ABV trend is Ghia, a non-alcoholic amaro that speaks to just how much aperitif culture has seeped into American drinking culture. For many, it’s less about having an actual cocktail than the ritual around it, which is why Ghia CEO Mélanie Masarin says she wanted to create a nonalcoholic post-work spirit experience that had the delicious bitterness of an aperitivo in contrast to the sugary mocktails that were available when she founded the brand in 2019. “We're not working with alcohol,” Masarin says. “We're working with extracts and juices, and we want to create the tasting notes that we're missing from mixology in the world.” Last month, Ghia released a new flavor called Berry Aperitif, which has a dry finish and no added sugar, but will appeal to those with a sweeter palate.
But even as American amari are on the rise, there are entrepreneurs — including celebrities — concocting new recipes with classic Mediterranean ingredients. The idea for Amante 1530, a new Italian amaro, was born when Sting and Trudie Styler, along with a group of friends including Amante 1530 CEO Ana Rosenstein, were enjoying Aperol spritzes at Sting and Trudie’s Tuscan estate. They came up with the idea to create a modern Italian amaro they could enjoy together, which became Amante 1530, a distinctly modern amaro that’s light upon entry with an underlying sweetness and subtle, vegetal bitterness that’s not quite as sweet as Aperol or as bitter as Campari.
Rosenstein says that though it feels like the spritz has become ubiquitous — with spritzes as likely to be on the tables of ski resorts as they are by the beach — she believes we are nowhere near the peak of the amaro trend. When she talks to people, she gets three responses: “Spritz is the only thing I will drink,” “It's too sweet for me,” or “I see people drinking it, but I have no idea what that is.” It’s the third answer she’s interested in, because it indicates there’s still room for discovery.
“People are always going to be looking for a way to modify what they've already been doing, and amaro offers this seemingly endless amount of possibilities to do that,” says Canty, who adds that she’s excited about the rise of American-made amari. “Whether it's through spritzes or Negronis or sours, or even just realizing that they are digestives, and you can drink them on their own. It's a really unique experience. It seems hard to grasp, but it's also really fun to explore.”
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https://www.nylon.com/life/amaro-the-drink-of-2024
| 2024-01-02T19:17:14
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My Year
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🚀 Introducing My Year! A daily journal app for quick, fun entries. Track your mood, sleep, and more. Standout feature: vivid year overview. Unleash the power of daily reflection! 🌟
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/my-year-2
| 2024-01-02T20:54:32
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We might only be two days into 2024, but thanks to New Year’s festivities, there’s probably some people out there who are experiencing the worst hangover they’ll have this year. They may well be clinging to the possibility that a heavy, sweaty gym session will be the cure, lest they turn up at work with a dark pair of sunglasses and a sickly complexion. Sadly though, attempting to sweat the alcohol out of their system is unlikely to help.
Whilst it is indeed possible for your body to sweat out alcohol, the more detailed reality of that fact is that it’s only a small amount – less than 10 percent of alcohol in the body is excreted via sweat, breath, and urine. The rest is broken down in the liver, a process that can only be waited out, as it happens at a constant rate that can’t be increased.
Although a spot of exercise might help to reduce hangxiety in the meantime, part of the reason hangovers can make us feel so rubbish in the first place is dehydration. One glass of wine too many can zap us of our moisture in two main ways, one of which is a change in our toilet habits.
“Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it stimulates our need to pass water,” Luke Worthington, sports scientist and personal trainer, explained to Vogue. “So even though we’re drinking more fluid on a night out, we are actually losing more than we take in.”
Alcohol can also make us lose fluids by, coincidentally enough, making us sweat more. When the liver breaks down the ethanol in an alcoholic product, it produces a compound called acetaldehyde, which has some less-than-pleasant side effects, including nausea, dizziness, and increased sweating.
In this case, getting even more sweaty, and thus dehydrated, is not exactly the best idea if you want to feel better. There will still be some people who swear by exercise to cure their hangovers (although there’s no magic remedy), but this has less to do with sweat and more with the “happy chemicals” we get from exercising.
"The real reason some people claim to feel better after a hungover workout is because of the endorphins, not the actual sweating," said sports medicine specialist Naresh Rao, speaking to Shape.
If you’re hungover and in need of that endorphin hit, it’s probably best to take it easy and make sure to drink plenty (preferably non-alcoholic drinks) beforehand. "If you do choose to work out, limit it to light cardio and ensure adequate hydration to keep up with the loss of water that occurs," advised Rao.
And if you’d rather just wallow in bed (no judgment here), you can wallow in the knowledge that maybe one day soon, there might even be a way to have all the nice parts of alcohol without the grim side effects.
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
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https://www.iflscience.com/its-not-possible-to-sweat-out-a-hangover-and-trying-might-even-make-you-feel-worse-72260
| 2024-01-02T21:27:08
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On the hills of the English countryside in Dorset, you can find the giant chalk figure of a butt-naked man wielding a bat and a mighty erection. The origins of this figure – the Cerne Abbas Giant – have been debated for centuries, but a new study believes it might finally have the answer.
There have been numerous theories about the identity of the giant. These suggestions have included a Saxon deity, a pagan fertility symbol, or the ancient Greco-Roman hero Hercules. Some even postured that the figure was meant to make a mockery of Oliver Cromwell, the 17th-century statesman who was jokingly dubbed "England's Hercules" by his enemies. According to this theory, the prominent phallus was to mock Cromwell’s Puritanism.
In a new paper, two historians gather heaps of evidence to argue that the Cerne Abbas Giant does indeed depict Hercules, created as a bold landmark to mark a spot where West Saxon armies could gather to fight off marauding Vikings.
However, the story was later rewritten by meddling monks, perhaps hoping to secure the fortunes of the local patron saint.
The researchers note that Hercules is almost always depicted in artworks with a club, as well as other motifs seen on the Cerne Abbas Giant, such as nudity and prominent ribs.
“At first glance, an early medieval date seems odd for a figure which looks like the classical god Hercules,” Dr Helen Gittos and Dr Thomas Morcom write.
“The club is the clue. Hercules was one of the most frequently depicted figures in the classical world, and his distinctively knotted club acted as an identificatory label, like the keys of Saint Peter or the wheel of Saint Catherine. He was usually depicted in motion, as at Cerne, and the ribs, lower line of the stomach, and nakedness are all typical,” the study authors explain.
“Alongside his club, he was most often associated with his lionskin mantle, and it is likely that one of these originally hung from the giant’s left arm,” they add.
Despite the pagan imagery, the artwork is relatively recent and dates to around the early Middle Ages, sometime between 700 CE and 1100 CE. This was a period when Britain was a largely Christian country, although interest in the figure of Hercules persisted among some groups.
“Interest in Hercules did not end in antiquity. He continued to be a well-known cultural figure throughout the Middle Ages,” the researchers explain, noting that the mythological figure was frequently used as a symbol of strength, masculinity, and courage.
The location of the chalk giant might have served as a meeting point for West Saxon armies, the researchers note. The figure is located on the site of an estate owned by the West Saxon royal family, not far from an abundant supply of fresh water and farmland to supply converging armies.
It’s also no coincidence that the giant was created around the time when Britain was under threat from invading Vikings, highlighting the need for a mustering point for local armies to meet. What better way to coordinate the meeting of distant armies than a memo simply saying “Meet us by the big naked giant”?
Not everyone was a fan of Hercules, however. It appears that local monks made efforts to rewrite this story and reimagine the figure as the local saint of Cerne, named Eadwold. As part of their research, the historians outline a 12th-century document from the British Library in which Saint Eadwold is described as standing at the top of a “sloping cliff”, holding a staff in his hand. This, they argue, is an attempt to rebrand the giant as Eadwold.
Not only did this reinterpretation erase the image of a non-Christian hero, but it may also have helped the local monastery to claim the valuable relics of Saint Eadwold.
The new research is published in Speculum, the journal of the Medieval Academy of America.
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https://www.iflscience.com/the-mysterious-origins-of-the-cerne-abbas-giant-may-finally-be-revealed-72262
| 2024-01-02T21:27:14
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Nowadays it’s more common to rely on technology to find our way, but for thousands of years, humans have been using environmental wayfinders to navigate across enormous distances. Sailors in the Marshall Islands have been known to use wave patterns as a way of navigating the Pacific Ocean; meanwhile, the Gwich’in Indigenous communities in Alaska have trekked the Yukon guided by stars. In Malaysia, the Batek people overcame the obstacle of dense rainforest by learning to orientate themselves using birdsong.
A new study has shone a light on the art – and science – of wayfinding in complex landscapes, a skill that would’ve been a matter of life and death for ancient peoples traversing potentially hazardous terrains. It reviewed navigation techniques from 30 nations across the globe to create the first world map of its kind, showing how the unique problems faced by humans gave rise to a diversity of wayfinding approaches.
“The feats of navigation in our paper describe some methods of wayfinding that are so skilled they seem implausible to many of us who rely on GPS to find our way almost everywhere,” said study first author Dr Fernandez Velasco in release emailed to IFLScience.
“From the labyrinthine streets of London to the southeast coast of Greenland, we have found consistent evidence for how the diversity of landscapes in which humans dwell is mirrored in the diversity of navigational cultures. Current research on navigation within the cognitive sciences doesn’t reflect this diversity. Future research can not only help us to understand human behaviour more deeply, but it can also help us understand, preserve, revive, and adapt incredibly rich cultures of navigation that play an important role in connecting people to their local environments.”
One of the coolest but least understood traditional navigational methods is the Te Lapa Lights, a strange oceanic glow that may have guided ancient Polynesian sailors. Humans’ navigational skills eventually led us toward the art and science of creating maps, known as cartography. But have you ever wondered how ancient people made maps before the invention of air travel and satellites?
It all came down to having time, lots of time, and was the outcome of successive generations of travelers, explorers, geographers, cartographers, mathematicians, historians, and other scholars piecing together disparate slivers of information. As such, these early products were based on some realistic measurements, but also a lot of speculation, which is how we landed ourselves with the flat earth theory.
The advent of satellites has enabled us to learn all about the plumpness of our planet, as well as finding our way across just about anywhere (seriously, Google Street View now goes to some strange places). However, even among societies that have long neglected their relationship with nature, humans still lean on traditional methods of getting around.
The word “cairn” comes from the Scottish Gaelic word meaning “heap of stones” and you may have spotted a few of them while hiking. That’s because they’re built to show hikers the way on particularly confusing routes, you can find them dotted throughout famous trails like the Camino de Santiago.
It’s for that reason that the US National Park Service has asked people not to build cairns just for fun, as they can lead people down the wrong path. And, after all, the practice of building cairns goes against a key principle of being out in the natural world: Leave no trace.
In one of Earth’s most extreme environments, humans have even used the dead as waymarkers. Dying on the top of Everest makes it likely you’ll stay there forever, which is why the Rainbow Valley has become the preferred resting place for those who don’t survive the climb to the roof of the world.
The study is published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
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https://www.iflscience.com/wave-patterns-stars-and-birdsong-humans-have-used-environmental-wayfinders-for-thousands-of-years-72263
| 2024-01-02T21:27:20
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If we want to find the necessary conditions for life on the surface of another planet, let alone life itself, we should stop hoping for carbon in its atmosphere, a new paper argues. Instead, it is an absence, or at least shortage, of atmospheric carbon that could be the sign we’re getting close.
All life on Earth depends on five elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Of these, carbon is considered particularly crucial.
Consequently, it makes sense to be on the lookout for its presence in the atmospheres of planets we think might support life beyond the Earth. However, an interdisciplinary team thinks we may have been getting it backward. Atmospheres with very little carbon might be the signals we are looking for that a planet has good prospects for life.
Water, comprising hydrogen and oxygen, is considered the other crucial ingredient to look out for, but only if it is in liquid form. Professor Julien de Wit of MIT is part of a team that suspects liquid water and atmospheric carbon don’t go well together.
“[A]ll the features that have been talked about so far [as indicators of life] have been beyond the reach of the newest observatories,” de Wit said in a statement. “Now we have a way to find out if there’s liquid water on another planet. And it’s something we can get to in the next few years.”
Planets in a particular star system will be formed with similar amounts of carbon, the authors argue. “If we see one planet with much less carbon now, it must have gone somewhere,” co-author Professor Amaury Triaud of the University of Birmingham said. Heavier elements might be trapped in a planet’s core, but carbon is too light for that. “The only process that could remove that much carbon from the atmosphere is a strong water cycle involving oceans of liquid water,” Triaud continued.
The idea runs against our intuition – carbon in an atmosphere could indicate its abundance on the surface, which is what life needs. However, a quick look at the planets on either side of us shows there might be something to it. Venus has a thick, 96.5 percent carbon dioxide atmosphere, but is certainly not hospitable to life. Between the runaway greenhouse effect the gas creates, and the acidity it produces, carbon dioxide is most of the problem.
On the other side, Mars’ biggest obstacle to life may be how thin its atmosphere is, but what it has is mostly carbon dioxide, so it’s not like there’s no carbon signal there to find.
Meanwhile, until humans entered the picture, the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in Earth’s atmosphere were quite low. Some of the missing carbon was lurking in the bodies of living things. The authors note: “Biology—as we know it—does not just produce chemicals, it also consumes them.” There is also plenty dissolved in the oceans and deposited on the sea floor, where it eventually turns to rock. This, the authors mention, approximately matches the amount in Venus’s atmosphere.
“We believe if we detect carbon depletion, it has a good chance of being a strong sign of liquid water and/or life,” de Wit said. On the other hand, too much carbon dioxide would be what the team calls an anti-biosignature.
Knowing this is little use if we can’t detect a planet’s atmospheric carbon levels, but that’s something the JWST and forthcoming telescopes are increasingly able to do, particularly for planets that transit their star from our location. “Carbon dioxide is a very strong observer in the infrared, and can be easily detected in the atmospheres of exoplanets,” de Wit explained. The authors suggest combining data from ten transits should be sufficient for planets around the nearer stars.
If a solo planet has little atmospheric carbon, it might be attributed to a quirk of the cloud from which the system formed. However, where the atmosphere of more than one planet can be compared, as scientists hope to do with TRAPPIST-1, discrepancies could be very suggestive.
However, while such a shortage of CO2 might indicate potential for life, it would not be proof it had evolved. For that, other biosignatures are required, and the team suggests ozone should be the priority. Ozone would indicate the constant replenishment of the atmosphere with molecular oxygen, which is hard to explain without widespread photosynthesizing life. On the other hand, O2 molecules, while far more abundant in Earth’s atmosphere, emit radiation in a much noisier part of the spectrum.
The study is published in Nature Astronomy.
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https://www.iflscience.com/we-may-have-been-looking-for-the-wrong-thing-in-the-search-for-life-72258
| 2024-01-02T21:27:26
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Over 111 years after it sank, the Titanic continues to fascinate and surprise the public. For instance, did you know that it was found by a team that was pretending to look for the wreck of the Titanic? Or that – despite what the Internet believes – it partly imploded as it sank? Or that a couple got married on the deck of the Titanic in 2001?
One such strange fact has made its way around Reddit this week, that – despite exploration of the submerged wreck since its rediscovery in September 1985 – no human remains have ever been found on board.
“I’ve seen zero human remains,” James Cameron, director of Titanic, who has visited and explored the wreck 33 times and claims to have spent more time on the ship than the ship's captain, told the New York Times in 2012. “We’ve seen clothing. We’ve seen pairs of shoes, which would strongly suggest there was a body there at one point. But we’ve never seen any human remains."
It's the sort of fact that sends conspiracy theorists into a frenzy, but there are perfectly good reasons why we haven't found the bodies of over 1,500 people who died as the ship went down.
One reason is the lifejackets worn by many passengers and crew. While they did not fulfil their main brief of keeping their wearers afloat long enough for rescue, once their occupants passed away they remained buoyant. A storm following the sinking likely quickly swept the bodies away from the wreckage site quickly, while the ocean currents of course took them further away in the intervening century.
Bodies trapped in the wreckage itself likely also disappeared, thanks to the work of deep sea scavengers – fish and other organisms. But bones have been found on other far older shipwrecks, so why not the Titanic? That part may be to do with the depth.
"The issue you have to deal with is, at depth below about 3,000 feet [914 meters], you pass below what's called the calcium carbonate compensation depth," deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard explained to NPR. "And the water in the deep sea is under saturated in calcium carbonate, which is mostly, you know, what bones are made of. For example, on the Titanic and on the Bismarck, those ships are below the calcium carbonate compensation depth, so once the critters eat their flesh and expose the bones, the bones dissolve."
There are those who believe that in sealed off parts of the ship such as the engine room, where fresh oxygen-rich water that scavengers rely on may not have been able to get in, there may still be some preserved bodies. But 111 years after the ship sunk, the idea that we might find recognizable remains seems increasingly unlikely.
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https://www.iflscience.com/why-nobody-has-ever-found-human-remains-inside-the-titanic-72259
| 2024-01-02T21:27:32
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Footage of the world’s second rarest primate, the cao-vit gibbon (Nomascus nasutus) has been recorded in a forest in Vietnam.
Two adults and one younger gibbon can be observed playing together in the leafy canopy before the infant tumbles through the trees. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism where the males are black and the females have a brown or yellow coat.
Cao-vit gibbons, also known as eastern black-crested gibbons, are thought to only number around 135 individuals in the wild and are classed as critically endangered by the IUCN. They were presumed extinct until 2002 when the remaining population was rediscovered by scientists in a tiny patch of forest on the border with China.
The name “cao-vit” comes from the call of the gibbon – they defend their territory by singing and are one of four rare species of gibbon found in Vietnam according to Fauna & Flora International. The gibbons have become so reduced in numbers because of the threats of habitat loss and degradation because of livestock grazing and the destruction of the forest for firewood.
The world’s rarest primate is also a gibbon species: Hainan gibbons number just 28 individuals in a rainforest in Bawangling National Nature Reserve, in western Hainan. “The Hainan gibbon [Nomascus hainanus],” said Samuel Turvey, a senior research fellow at the Zoological Society of London in a statement in National Geographic “is the world’s rarest ape, the world’s rarest primate and, almost certainly, the world’s rarest mammal.”
Fauna & Flora have worked hard to slowly increase the population of cao-vits, protecting the remaining individuals from these threats and working with officials in both countries. In 2012, governments in both Vietnam and China signed an agreement to help conserve the habitat for this threatened primate.
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https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-second-rarest-primate-caught-on-film-playing-in-the-trees-72261
| 2024-01-02T21:27:38
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Smoothies are not only a delicious fruit soup, but can also be a quick and easy way to get in some vitamins and minerals. It turns out, however, that the key to their nutrition-boosting abilities could be in the combination of fruits used – and depending on what benefit you’re looking for, bananas might be best left in the fruit bowl.
One such beneficial group of compounds is flavanols, which are naturally found in many popular smoothie components – strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, for example – and are thought to have benefits for heart and cognitive health.
Researchers set out to test how different levels of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), an enzyme found in many fruits, including bananas, could impact both the level of flavanols in smoothies and absorbed by the body. “We sought to understand, on a very practical level, how a common food and food preparation like a banana-based smoothie could affect the availability of flavanols to be absorbed after intake,” explained lead author Javier Ottaviani in a statement.
The study, which involved eight healthy adult male participants who were required to fast for 12 hours beforehand, was carried out over three days, separated by a minimum of six days. On each study day, volunteers were given a different smoothie: a banana-based smoothie with naturally high PPO activity, a mixed-berry smoothie with naturally low PPO activity, or a flavanol capsule as a control. Blood tests were then carried out to determine the level of flavanols in the body.
Compared to taking the flavanol capsule, those who drank the banana-based smoothie were found to have 84 percent lower levels of flavanols in their body. “We were really surprised to see how quickly adding a single banana decreased the level of flavanols in the smoothie and the levels of flavanol absorbed in the body,” said Ottaviani. “This highlights how food preparation and combinations can affect the absorption of dietary compounds in foods.”
It's a particularly relevant finding after the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics issued a recommendation in late 2022 suggesting that consuming 400 to 600 milligrams of flavanols per day could help to reduce the risk of many health conditions. For those trying to meet that recommendation, Ottaviani suggested keeping bananas out of berry-based smoothies and vice versa.
The researchers hope the study will encourage further research into how different methods of storage, preparation, and consumption could affect flavanol levels. “This is certainly an area that deserves more attention in the field of polyphenols and bioactive compounds in general,” Ottaviani concluded.
And if smoothies aren’t your thing, you might be pleased to know that flavanols can also be found in chocolate – you’d better go and thank your grandma for keeping you healthy with all those selection boxes over Christmas.
The study is published in Food & Function.
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https://www.iflscience.com/you-might-want-to-ditch-this-ingredient-to-boost-the-nutrients-in-your-smoothie-72264
| 2024-01-02T21:27:44
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Rebecca Romijn recently shared captivating beach vacation photos on Instagram. The stunning images featured her alongside her husband of 16 years, Jerry O'Connell, 49, and their twin teenage daughters, Charlie Tamara Tulip and Dolly Rebecca Rose, who just turned 15.
Celebrating this special occasion, the 51-year-old actress known for her roles in "X-Men" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," expressed a sentimental note in her caption, "Happy 15th Dolly and Charlie. Please slow down, it’s going too fast…"
The family, all dressed in swimsuits, radiated happiness, garnering admiration from Rebecca's nearly 300K followers.
Among the well-wishers were celebrities like Joely Fisher, who commented, "Happy Birthday lovely ladies!!!!" and Brittany Furlan, who complimented Rebecca's stunning appearance.
Despite their celebrity status, Rebecca and Jerry have often kept their family life private, focusing more on their professional endeavors. However, Jerry shared some light-hearted insights about parenting teenagers with DailyMail.com, humorously stating, "Have teenage children and then they become a problem."
The couple's approach to marriage revolves around humor and avoiding conflict. Rebecca emphasized the importance of laughter, saying, "I guess we just keep on laughing. Keep it light. You have to lighten up about everything."
Jerry, on the other hand, tries to steer clear of arguments. "If there's an argument brewing, I try not to engage. I try to distance myself," he explained.
Rebecca and Jerry's love story began back in 2004, following her split from first husband John Stamos.
They met at a Maxim Hot 100 pool party in Las Vegas, and despite Rebecca being there with a date, they connected instantly.
Jerry humorously recalled on The Rachael Ray Show how he caught Rebecca's attention and cheekily claimed he was with her.
Since then, the couple has shared many sweet moments and celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary with heartfelt tributes and cherished photos.
In early 2023, Jerry even performed a playful lap dance for Rebecca on his 49th birthday, showcasing their fun-loving relationship on The Talk.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/510435/rebecca-romijn-51-shares-rare-pic-of-towering-15-year-old-twin-daughters/
| 2024-01-03T01:13:32
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Travis Barker has added yet another distinctive tattoo to his extensive collection. The 48-year-old musician recently got a cherub or angel holding a cross inked on the back of his shaved head, near his right ear.
This latest addition was done by the skilled tattoo artist Chuey Quintanar, who proudly shared snapshots of the tattoo session.
The iconic drummer of Blink-182, who is known for his heavily tattooed body, showcased this new artwork on his Instagram story.
The photo, capturing Chuey taking a snap of the new ink, highlights the cherub against a backdrop of faded ink on Travis's head, resembling clouds.
Chuey expressed his gratitude and excitement for the year ahead in his Instagram post, "Ending the year by tattooing my bro @travisbarker !! Happy New Year everybody ! And now dinner with the fam..." He also mentioned his famous birria dinner, prepared by his wife Violeta.
Fans are amazed by Travis's continuous additions to his tattoo collection, with some wondering how he finds space for more ink. “Bra how does he even have any room left for ink??” they wrote.
Travis, in a 2016 GQ interview, revealed that almost '70 percent of his body' is covered in tattoos.
He also shared that some tattoos were 'lost' due to skin grafts following his 2008 plane crash, which prompted him to get more tattoos in honor of friends who died in the crash.
Travis's tattoos are deeply personal, representing significant memories and people in his life, including those no longer present. "I mean there are people who've come and gone, an ex-wife, but it's all memories. It is what it is... Mine all tell a story and make up who I am," he told GQ.
Among his notable tattoos are those dedicated to his wife Kourtney Kardashian, including her lips on his arm and a script reading 'You're so cool,' from their favorite film, True Romance.
Kourtney's name is also inked on his chest, and she personally tattooed 'I love you' and a letter K with a heart on him. In 2023, Travis even got Kourtney's eyes tattooed on his upper thigh.
Travis and Kourtney, who married in 2023, welcomed their first child together, a son named Rocky Thirteen, on November 1, 2023. Kourtney has three children from her previous relationship with Scott Disick, while Travis is a father to son Landon, daughter Alabama, and stepdaughter Atiana from his marriage to ex-wife Shanna Moakler.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/celebrity-style/510436/kourtney-kardashians-husband-travis-barkers-new-tattoo-sparks-debate/
| 2024-01-03T02:45:38
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Donna Mills, at 81, continues to captivate audiences not just with her acting prowess but also with her remarkable ability to maintain a stunning figure.
The "Knot's Landing" actress recently shared her lifestyle and diet secrets with First For Women while promoting her new show "Ladies Of The '80s" alongside Linda Gray, Loni Anderson, Nicollette Sheridan, and Morgan Fairchild.
The blonde beauty emphasized her disciplined diet, notably her aversion to carbs. "I love bread, dessert, ice cream, all those things, but carbs make me put on pounds, so I try to avoid them," Donna explained.
She's discovered joy in Keto recipes, especially enjoying low and no-sugar desserts that align with her dietary preferences.
For dinner, Donna often opts for healthier alternatives, like spaghetti squash instead of pasta, which she enhances with garlic, butter, and Parmesan cheese for a satisfying meal.
She also shared how she combats afternoon sleepiness by stepping out for a brisk walk, an activity that reenergizes her without resorting to caffeine.
Hydration is another crucial aspect of Donna's routine. Previously negligent about her water intake, she now ensures she drinks about two large bottles a day, occasionally adding lemon for flavor or an electrolyte additive during exercise.
In an interview with AARP - The Magazine, Donna delved deeper into her approach to staying young.
"At age 60, 70, later, you have so much more to contribute—don't just sit down and say, 'I'm done,'" she stated.
Her diet has evolved over the years; while she avoided pasta, sugar, and bread during her soap-opera years, she now enjoys a balanced diet, emphasizing vegetables and light exercise, including tennis and workouts with light weights. Despite dealing with arthritis, she remains active and committed to her health.
Reflecting on her personal life, Donna opened up about taking a break from Hollywood to raise her daughter Chloe, whom she adopted at 54. "It was not a tough decision to adopt," she said, emphasizing the importance of being present during Chloe's school years.
Romance also played a significant role in her life, as she found love with actor and producer Larry Gilman at age 60, moving away from her past penchant for 'bad boys.'
Donna remains close with her "Knot's Landing" co-stars Joan Van Ark and Michele Lee, sharing that they still meet for fan gatherings.
She recounted how her role as the scheming vixen Abby Fairgate led to misunderstandings in her real life, with women initially standoffish due to her character's persona.
Looking to the future, Donna is excited about her acting prospects, including playing a 'vicious, sadistic grandmother' in an upcoming movie. In her interview with People, she highlighted her dedication to fitness, owning a ballet bar, and recently receiving a Peloton for her birthday.
Her diet mainly consists of proteins and vegetables, and she takes great pleasure in consuming fresh produce from her garden.
For skincare, Donna's advice is straightforward: "Stay out of the frickin' sun! It makes such a difference." She opts for natural aging over cosmetic enhancements, preferring to embrace her lines rather than risk an unnatural appearance.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/510437/knots-landing-vet-donna-mills-81-shares-secrets-to-her-amazing-physique/
| 2024-01-03T04:17:42
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Jessica Simpson, at 43, and her mother Tina Ann Drew, 63, showcased a strikingly youthful appearance in a recent photo, demonstrating a strong family resemblance that left many commenting on their sister-like looks.
The duo, who collaborate on the successful Jessica Simpson Collection, radiated vibrancy and shared a close bond evident in their shared business venture.
Tina, formerly known as Tina Simpson, was married to Jessica's father, Joe Simpson, from 1978 until 2013.
This isn't the first time Jessica has highlighted her family's youthful genes. In November, she shared a photo with her 11-year-old daughter, Maxwell Drew, where the two appeared more like siblings than mother and daughter.
The makeup-free pair were captured in a casual setting, with Maxwell sporting a grey SC hoodie from Nike. Jessica accompanied the photo with an uplifting message: "Choose to be kind today because you never know how much someone might need it."'
Jessica, known for her role in "The Dukes of Hazzard," also opened up about her daughters, Maxwell and four-year-old Birdie Mae, frequently borrowing items from her closet, often without her permission.
Speaking to People about her latest collection, she humorously remarked that she has to regularly check her daughters' closets for her missing clothes, even discovering they know her secret hiding spots.
Joking about the shared fashion interests among the Simpson women, Jessica said, "At this point, I'm considering having one closet for all three of us ladies."
She noted a stark difference in closet organization, admitting Maxwell and Birdie are far more organized than she is, sorting their clothes by season. In contrast, Jessica prefers having all her belongings in one place, leading to her self-description as a "maximalist" and "closet hoarder."
Jessica's eclectic fashion sense allows her to creatively mix and match her wardrobe, disregarding seasonal trends.
She enjoys combining unexpected pieces, like a slip dress with fishnets, boots, and an oversized sweater or shorts with thigh-high boots, a tee, and a blazer.
Her approach to fashion is to keep all her clothes visible, even visiting storage units to retrieve specific items by memory.
Amidst her extensive wardrobe, Jessica cherishes one particular item: denim cutoff shorts, affectionately known as "Daisy Dukes."
Emphasizing her attachment to this iconic fashion piece, she humorously remarked, "Even if my knees start to sag over my kneecaps, I will still be wearin' Daisy Dukes with pride."
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/510438/jessica-simpson-43-and-mother-tina-63-look-like-sisters-new-photo/
| 2024-01-03T04:17:48
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Welcome to the JAZZIZ Podcast. This is our new series of podcast conversations, hosted by JAZZIZ Online Editor Matt Micucci and featuring some of the best artists of today’s jazz and creative music scene. Many of these artists are part of JAZZIZ Vinyl Club, our series of limited-edition color vinyl albums curated by the JAZZIZ Editors, featuring some of the most exciting jazz artists from yesterday and today that we cover in the print version of JAZZIZ, our website and these podcasts.
In today’s episode, we chat with Montreal-based composer, saxophonist, improviser and conductor Philippe Côté, a musical explorer at the intersection of jazz and classical music. His latest project, Confluence, is a duo collaboration with pianist François Bourassa. The work draws symbolic parallels to the powerful convergence of rivers, as reflected in the title suite’s five parts. Join us in this latest episode of the JAZZIZ Podcast as Côté discusses the genesis of this collaboration and shares insights into his musical journey and inspirations.
Listen to our JAZZIZ Podcast conversation with Philippe Côté via the player below. His collaboration with François Bourassa, Confluence, is available now. Order it here. And if you love jazz and vinyl, check out our carefully curated series of vinyl compilations, JAZZIZ Vinyl Club!
Featured photo by Chris Dietschy.
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https://www.jazziz.com/philippe-cote-the-jazziz-podcast/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=philippe-cote-the-jazziz-podcast
| 2024-01-03T05:16:56
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Jada Pinkett Smith, 53, recently captured the attention of her fans with a mirror selfie, sparking a flurry of comments about her distinctive look.
Known for her shorter hairstyles and open discussion about her alopecia diagnosis, Jada showcased her bald head in the photo, humorously captioning it, "I think jean leg warmers is where it's at for me in 2024."
In the selfie, Jada sported a unique winter outfit, featuring a brown and white puffer jacket with a deer fur pattern, paired with white sweatpants, blue leg warmers, gold aviator sunglasses, and white sneakers.
Her bald head stood out in the photo, reflecting her ongoing journey with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. While many fans praised her bold fashion statement, others humorously mistook her for hip-hop artist Fat Joe.
Comments on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), ranged from playful jokes about her resemblance to Fat Joe to admiration for her daring style.
Jada has been open about her struggles with alopecia since revealing her condition in 2018 on an episode of "Red Table Talk." She shared, "I've been getting a lot of questions about why I've been wearing this turban. Well, I've been having issues with hair loss. And it was terrifying when it first started."
Despite the challenges, Jada has embraced her condition with humor and confidence. She has previously shared posts on Instagram, including a woman with a similar shaved hairstyle pretending to curl her hair, and a meme comparing her hair changes over the years, always accompanied by laughter.
However, Jada's lighthearted approach to her condition has drawn mixed reactions. Some Reddit users criticized her for being overly sensitive to jokes about her alopecia, especially in light of the infamous incident involving her husband, Will Smith, and comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Chris Rock's joke about Jada starring in "G.I. Jane 2" led to Will Smith slapping him on stage, a moment that became a major topic of discussion and debate.
Despite the controversy, Jada continues to publicly embrace her battle with alopecia. In a 2022 Instagram post, she wrote, "Now at this point, I can only laugh... Y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia. So I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions…
“Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/celebrity-style/510439/jada-pinkett-smith-looks-unrecognizable-in-incredible-new-selfie/
| 2024-01-03T05:49:47
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Gabriela Peacock is a nutritional therapist and has worked with a host of stars including HRH Princess Beatrice, Joan Collins and Billie Piper, with Princess Beatrice saying of her approach: "Gabriela’s advice is full of solutions that work brilliantly for all aspects of your life."
We spoke to the nutrition expert for her tips on how to reset your diet to feel more energetic and youthful in 2024. In her reset video, Gabriela shares with HELLO! three simple ways you can reset your diet to kickstart your wellbeing and look younger… Watch her advice below and read on to find out more about Gabriela.
Who is Gabriela Peacock?
Previously a model, Gabriela spent nine years studying nutrition before setting up her first clinic in London in 2012. A few years later, she launched a range of supplements based on her extensive experience understanding the role supplements play in supporting restful sleep, increased energy, healthy immune function, weight loss and general physical and mental wellbeing.
Wanting to help more people than she could in her clinic, she went on to create GP Nutrition and is the bestselling author of two books including her latest, 2 Weeks To A Younger You.
Gabriela's advice for resetting your diet
1. Balance your blood sugar
Gabriela advises including good quality protein in every meal, alongside carbohydrates to ensure your blood sugar is balanced.
DISCOVER: What to eat to feel happier this winter according to a nutritionist
2. Try intermittent fasting
Gabriela suggests including intermittent fasting in your lifestyle, in a way that works for you. "It's important to find the one that really works for you," she implores. "That's the only way it will be effective and sustainable."
Her favourite mode of fasting is 16:8, which sees you eat in an eight-hour window.
3. Take supplements
Look for supplements with high potency and bioavailability, Gabriela says.
READ MORE RESET: Why I'm ditching resolutions for ‘reset moments’ this January
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/510404/princess-beatrice-nutritionist-secret-feeling-youthful/
| 2024-01-03T07:21:49
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Prince Christian's life is about to change when he becomes heir to the Danish throne on 14 January, following his father Crown Prince Frederik's accession.
Queen Margrethe announced her abdication in her New Year's address – the first time such an event has occurred in Denmark in nearly 900 years.
Her grandson, Prince Christian, is in the final year of his secondary education at Ordrup Gymnasium in Gentofte and celebrated his 18th birthday last October with a lavish gala dinner.
Like his parents, Christian also faces big changes of his own.
Firstly, as Frederik and Mary become King and Queen, Christian will assume the title of Crown Prince of Denmark.
There's also the possibility that the young prince will receive a large royal allowance, given the change of throne.
It was previously announced by the Danish royal palace that Prince Christian would not receive financial support from Folketing (Parliament) "until he turns 21 or upon a possible change of throne, if it takes place before that".
It's not known if Christian will increase his public duties to coincide with his new position, but the Danish palace said on his 18th birthday that the prince's "main priority in the coming year will be the completion of his upper secondary education".
Queen Margrethe currently receives around 100 million Danish kroner (£11 million GDP) annually to help support her living and staffing costs.
After completing his secondary education, Christian may decide to go to university like his parents and is likely to undergo military training like his father, Frederik.
On the day of his 18th birthday, Queen Margrethe gifted Prince Christian the Order of Elephant – Denmark's highest honour.
Christian wore the Order of Elephant, previously worn by his late grandfather Prince Henrik, at his 18th birthday dinner in October.
It's likely that Crown Prince Frederik will carry on his mother's tradition and award the Order of Elephant to his three youngest children – Princess Isabella, 16, and 12-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine – on accession day.
When Frederik and Mary become King and Queen, each of their children will move up a place in the line of succession. Prince Christian will be first in line, followed by Princess Isabella as second, and Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine as third and fourth respectively.
Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary and their four children currently reside at Frederik VIII's Palace within Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
It's not known whether the family will move into Christian IX's Palace at Amalienborg – where Queen Margrethe currently calls home.
The Danish queen also uses Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus and Gråsten Palace in the Jutland region of southern Denmark as her summer residences.
LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast Christmas Special
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/510423/prince-christian-at-18-new-royal-title-salary/
| 2024-01-03T07:21:55
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Online book club for entrepreneurs, we read the same book and do an online review and Q&A with the author. If your new years resolution is to read more this is the way to get some accountability. Get a free copy of "Million Dollar Weekend" by Noah Kagan.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/paper-billionaires
| 2024-01-03T07:34:56
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Beauty
The Name Is Actually The Least Exciting Thing About Tom Ford Vanilla Sex
Get ready to fall in love — not lust — with Tom Ford's latest fragrance.
Tom Ford is known for giving its fragrances names that are as provocative as the scents themselves, such as “Lost Cherry”, “Bitter Peach”, and “Rose Prick.” Now, with Vanilla Sex, the brand is offering a hot take on a nearly universally beloved gourmand note.
In the last 12 months, it seems that almost every brand, from niche to mass, has released a vanilla-forward scent. Still, you have to wonder what’s in store with a name like Vanilla Sex, which suggests the duality of sweetness and comfort along with excitement and scandal. And then, of course, you have the idea and act of “vanilla sex” itself, which, culturally, is looked at as so uninteresting that it bores you to sleep halfway through. So what does Vanilla Sex (the fragrance) smell like? Here’s my honest review.
First Impression
The name of this scent sets expectations high, and honestly? It does not disappoint. It is immediately and undeniably pleasing and inviting. Part familiar, part conceptual, it pulls from different sides of the vanilla spectrum for a scent that’s warm, approachable, and yet wholly unique.
It’s a plush, enveloping experience that immediately scratches the vanilla itch with a note that resembles real vanilla extract, not unlike the rightfully viral Kayali Vanilla. It’s balanced by a heady, spicy warmth that resembles Boy Smells’s lush Vanilla Era, and even features a noticeably fresher note that reminds you of the palo santo in Matiere Premiere's Vanilla Powder. It’s a lot all at once, but Tom Ford is all about hedonism.
The Notes
Vanilla Sex is a linear scent, meaning that, instead of shedding its different layers throughout wear and showing different sides of itself, it smells largely the same from the moment you spray it on to when you shower it off.
It opens with bitter almond, which gives it a warm, nutty quality that’s part boozy and part bakery. At the heart, you’ll find plush florals and a whole lot of vanilla. The base is held down by even more vanilla in the form of Vanilla Tincture India, a note created specifically for this scent, and Ultravanil, a vanilla molecule that’s proprietary to Tom Ford. There is also the vanilla-like tonka bean and soft sandalwood to let it all breathe. It brings in everything you love about vanilla fragrances and challenges you to expand your idea of what the note is and can be.
The Wear
Like all Tom Ford scents, this is big, bold, and impossible to ignore. What I like about this is, while it commands attention, it’s not heavy. It feels very intentional. People will smell it on you, to be sure, but it’s not going to enter a room before you. To me, this is exactly how I wish all fragrances would wear. No matter what time of day you spray it on, you’ll most likely still be smelling it the next morning, but you won’t be running from it either. It’s not going to choke you out. Remember, this is Vanilla Sex.
Final Verdict
Which brings us back to the name. Does it pay off on its promise? Though certainly bold, the scent leans more vanilla than sex — it’s approachable, sweet, and easy to love. But maybe therein lies the proof of what makes it vanilla sex. While we know Tom Ford to thrive off scandal and imbue his brand with pearl-clutching salaciousness, maybe this fragrance is less evocative of BDSM and leather, and more about discovering the sensual, surprising elements of the basic and mundane. After all, sometimes there’s nothing better than some really good missionary.
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https://www.nylon.com/beauty/tom-ford-vanilla-sex-fragrance-review-2024
| 2024-01-03T08:27:29
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LG's 2024 OLED TV range has been revealed, and you could be forgiven for feeling a fairly strong sense of déjà vu. It's not that there aren't upgrades this year, because there are, including new and beefed-up processors (which themselves unleash new picture-processing features), 4K/144Hz gaming, a usefully tweaked operating system and a very appealing new entry-level B-series model. But the TVs all look the same as their 2023 equivalents and, processors aside, seemingly feature roughly the same hardware.
LG doesn't generally like to reveal full performance figures for its new models but, according to David Seperson, Director of Product Planning and Marketing, further performance upgrades are there.
He wouldn't be drawn on whether there are any upgrades to the panel hardware for the new G4, stating that that's a matter for LG Display (the panel-producing arm of LG, which is distinct from the TV-producing LG Electronics), but he did say that the G4's performance is "measurably better" than that of the G3 and that we "shouldn't assume that it's exactly the same".
He could in theory be referring to the new 'Peak Highlighter' feature of the Alpha 11 processor, which boosts the brightness of small highlights, but the fact that this answer came off the back of a question about panel hardware suggests otherwise.
As ever, it's the actual performance that matters, and whether "measurably better" translates to clearly, perceptually better remains to be seen, but I'm hopeful that the G4 is more of an upgrade than is immediately apparent.
On paper, the C4 is even more similar to its predecessor than the G4 is to the G3, but Seperson again suggests that somewhat hidden upgrades are there. According to him, "All of the C4s will get brighter this year than they were last year".
There's further good news for smaller OLED TV buyers:
"In past years, we've always said that the 42 and the 48 couldn't get as bright. Well, that's sort of true – the larger sizes do get a little bit brighter – but we're very happy with the brightness of the 42 and 48".
That is, of course, fairly cryptic stuff, but I'm taking it to mean that the 42- and 48-inch versions of the C4 will be almost as bright as their larger siblings, and that will be very exciting news indeed for those who prefer a smaller TV – especially those very keen OLED gamers.
Of course, we're very much still in the preview stage of the 2024 TV cycle, but we're expecting to get hands-on time with several new models, including the M4, G4 and C4, at CES next week. And we will of course be putting all of these new models through our comprehensive and comparative testing process just as soon as full production samples are available.
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| 2024-01-03T08:28:52
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Here's the one we've all been waiting for: LG has announced its latest collection of OLED TVs just ahead of CES, with all of the usual suspects making their return for 2024. Just as expected, the new lineup includes the B4, C4, G4 and M4 OLED TVs, with all-new picture and sound enhancements, as well as upgraded gaming and AI feature sets. Somewhat unexpected is the fact that the C4 and G4 are further apart than any C-series and G-series models have been before.
Before we get to that, though, we'll start at the top with the 'Signature' M4 and 'Gallery' G4 OLED TVs. Much like last year, the M4 and G4 OLED TVs share a lot in common when it comes to panel technology and internal specifications. Both models will feature a 4K OLED panel with Micro Lens Array technology (which LG Electronics now refers to as 'Light Control Architecture') at all sizes except 97 inches.
LG claims that these OLEDs are 70 per cent brighter than traditional, non-Evo OLEDs such as the B4. These new TVs will also feature something LG is calling 'Peak Highlighter', which is specifically designed to boost the brightness of small, intense highlights and apparently allows the G4 and M4 to reach 150 per cent higher brightness than the B4 in a small 3 per cent window. As ever, LG isn't prepared to provide figures that compare the new models against last year's equivalents, although LG's David Seperson did tell us that the performance of the G4 is "measurably better" than that of the G3.
The G4 will come in the usual 55-, 65-, 77-, 83-inch and 97-inch sizes, while the M4 comes in a new 65-inch size alongside the same 77-, 83- and 97-inch options as last year's M3. Like its predecessor, the M4 uses a wireless Zero Connect box to house the internal components of the TV and port selection, which will include three HDMI 2.1 sockets. From there, all picture and sound data is sent wirelessly to the separate OLED display unit. Notably, this includes wireless Dolby Vision and, all-new for 2024, 4K/144Hz gaming signals when connected to a capable gaming PC. Consoles will remain at 4K/120Hz thanks to their own limitations.
The G4, on the other hand, is a more traditional television, much like its 2023 predecessor. It will feature four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports in the main chassis, each capable of 4K/144Hz, and one of which will be designated for eARC audio. Much like the G3 and G2 before it, the G4 is designed to be wall-mounted, with no stand included in the box. Instead, you'll receive the Zero Gap Wall Mount, which allows the G4 to sit flush against a wall.
One major feature that the M4 and G4 share is the new Alpha 11 AI Processor. This is LG's most advanced TV chipset to date, and it's exclusive to the two flagships. In previous years, the C-series OLEDs have shared a processor with the G-series but that isn't the case this year. LG claims that the Alpha 11 AI Processor offers a 70 per cent increase in graphics power and 30 per cent boost to general processing. It also brings with it a selection of new processing features.
LG's AI Picture Pro is getting two new features in the form of AI Director Processing, which can detect a director's intended colour tone and adapt the picture to best express this, and Object Enhancing by Visual Perception, which involves analysing and enhancing each pixel. On the sound front, LG is promising that AI Sound Pro will offer 'richer and fuller audio' via the integrated, virtual 11.1.2 surround sound system.
Moving down to the LG C4, the step-down model is once again looking like a compelling TV for gamers. It too supports the 144Hz refresh rate, with four full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 connections and LG's excellent game mode. Much like the C3, it will be available in 42-, 48-, 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch size variants, and LG says that each version will be brighter than its 2023 equivalent. The biggest upgrade here will apparently be to the 42- and 48-inch models, which will still be less bright than their larger siblings but, according to David Serperson, only by "a little bit". Again, though, LG is currently declining to provide specific brightness figures.
One big departure from previous years is that the C4 will use a different processor to the flagship models. So, instead of getting the all-new Alpha 11, it features an upgraded version of the existing Alpha 9. While this will allow for many of the same AI picture and sound features, it will miss out on some others, including the AI Director Processing.
There was a time when the G-series and C-series differed only in terms of design and sound, but in 2022 LG created a picture gap by making the G2 slightly brighter than the C2. In 2023 it increased that gap by adding brightness-boosting MLA tech to the G3 but not the C3. With this new processor disparity, LG is cementing the relative statuses of the G4 and C4, and this will be a real disappointment to those who want LG's best performance but don't want the wall-mount design of the G series.
Back to business, and at the bottom of the new range, for the UK at least, is the new B4 – and a surprisingly intriguing proposition it is.
Firstly, LG has made a significant gaming upgrade by giving the B4 four top-spec HDMI 2.1 sockets. The B3 (as well as all of the flagship sets of brands such as Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Hisense and TCL) only has two of these 4K/120Hz capable sockets.
The B4 also gets a new processor in the form of the Alpha 8 AI Processor which, as the name suggests, sits just below the C4's Alpha 9 processor. It's expected to be slightly less powerful and, as with the C4's processor, we're expecting to see a feature or two missing compared to the flagship, but no specifics have been detailed thus far.
Notably, LG is offering the B-series in a new 48-inch size, alongside the existing 55-, 65- and 77-inch models. This will be excellent news for those wanting a smaller LG OLED without having to step up to the more expensive C-series.
LG's new four-strong lineup of OLED TVs has certainly piqued our interest, especially after a slew of solid 2023 TV releases. The main concern now is pricing, as no official details regarding this have so far been released. LG did raise the prices of its OLED TVs in 2023, so we can only hope that there won't be further price increases in 2024, but only time will tell.
MORE:
Check out LG's new 2024 QNED TV range
As well as its new soundbar range for 2024
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https://www.whathifi.com/news/lg-announces-its-2024-oled-tvs-and-the-gap-between-the-g4-and-c4-is-wider-than-ever
| 2024-01-03T08:28:58
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Personalized stories and meditations to improve your sleep
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Cartfuls isn't just changing the game; we're creating a new one. The first-ever chat-based e-commerce platform, we're turning conversations into conversions, chats into checkouts. Experience the future of online buying where every message moves markets.
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Based on learnings from 10+ years about enabling experimentation at scale, Confidence makes it easy for teams to set up, run, coordinate, and analyze user tests — from simple A/B testing to the most complex use cases.
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Introducing 365 days worth of Social Media Content Ideas tailored to every profession. So, no more content block or lack of inspiration. Follow this calendar and start creating your content without feeling burnt out.
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This is the latest launch from LeadrPro
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Find events and conferences, connect with attendees beforehand, prioritize and coordinate in-person meetings to maximize productivity.
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AI experiment that generates visual moodboards from simple inputs. Just provide a business (product, service, team, etc.) and 3 to 7 descriptive keywords, and the tool will create a composition with fonts, color palette, context, a picture, and a tagline.
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Pet Booth is a service for creating your own amazing AI pet portraits, photos, and artwork. It's fast, easy, and fun!
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With years of experience with global brands, we are a startup that provides unlimited world-class design solutions for startups for a monthly fee. More affordable than hiring an in-house top talent and no hassle with the onboarding process. Cancel anytime.
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This is the latest launch from Preline UI
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Telegram's 10th update of 2023 adds improved calls with a colorful new design that use less of your phone's battery, a new vaporize effect when you delete messages, the largest bot update in Telegram's history – and more.
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With Textok Beta free tool anyone can define custom writing guides once, and never prompt tone or style ever again. With precise parameters (90+ and growing) Textok guides ensure consistency in texts — written either by a human writer or AI.
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WordSnap - AI Flashcards Maker
WordSnap - AI Flashcards Maker
Visual vocabulary builder
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WordSnap streamlines language learning. Just snap/import a photo, and AI detects words, adding translations with examples and definitions. No more time-consuming flashcard creation, making your language journey efficient and effective
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/wordsnap-ai-flashcards-maker
| 2024-01-03T09:08:15
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The Tourist season two landed on BBC iPlayer - and like plenty of people - we have binged all six episodes in quick succession. So how did it all go down? From Elliott Stanley’s true identity finally being revealed to his mother’s link to the McDonnell family, there is the second season’s ending explained…
As we know, Elliott and Helen journeyed to Ireland after being invited there by a man named 'Tommy', who promised to fill Elliott in on his past. It turned out that this was all a ruse, and Lena, a woman who was left with a brutal injury at the hands of Elliott before his accident was responsible for arranging his abduction in Ireland. Wanting revenge on him for his actions, she enlisted the help of the McDonnell family, who have long been in a war with Elliott’s mother’s family, the Cassidy’s.
Elliott learns that he is called Eugene Stanley, and was a member of the crime family before fleeing after falling in love with Donal’s wife and fathering a son, Fergal, to keep them safe. After reuniting with his son, Fergal, Elliott promises to help him escape his bloodthirsty grandfather Frank, bringing him to his mother Niamh’s pub. However, the McDonnells arrive and it seems that a fight to death between the two gangs is imminent.
However, the bust-up in the Cassidy pub does not go to plan as Helen arrives at the last second with evidence that Frank’s father - who died in a plane crash - was actually in love with Elliott’s mother. Decades earlier, Niamh dove into the aeroplane wreck with local diving expert Elliott Stanley - who was the father of our Elliott or Eugene Cassidy - and she traps him there, leaving him to die while taking a suitcase belonging to Frank’s father, and cementing the bad blood between the families.
In the suitcase, Niamh discovered love letters from her mother to Frank’s father, with the letters confirming that they are half-siblings. The revelation puts a bit of a dampener on the wars, and Elliott and Helen reconcile.
Six months later, the couple have since moved to Amsterdam where Helen is now beginning a career as a private investigator. Elliott reveals that someone sent a file about him and his past and that he hasn’t looked it. The pair agree that his past doesn’t matter to either of them, as they know who he is now, and he throws it in the fire.
Later, Helen tests the theory that Elliott remembers how to ballet dance - as his mother previously told her that he was a concert-level trained dancer. The moves come back to Elliott as he dances to Swan Lake.
During his performance, the show reverts to showing the files burning in the fireplace, revealing that Elliott was a secret agent in deep undercover - explaining why he was Kostas’ accountant - and that he was a good guy all along, yay! But will the show explore Elliott’s secret agent past in a potential season three?
Jamie previously joked that season three "will be set in Canada, the scripts are already written," with writer Jack Williams explaining: "We didn’t go to Ireland straight away, we wrote a whole draft set in Canada, similar elements. It was very similar. [New character] Detective Ruairi Slater would have still been in it as a Mountie, which would have been great. The same story, but with a Mountie." However, there have been no official plans to renew the show - yet!
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/510441/the-tourist-season-2-ending-explained-what-was-the-file-all-about/
| 2024-01-03T10:26:01
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ITV's new drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, has had viewers glued to the screen over the last few days, detailing the astonishing true story of the Post Office scandal.
The four-part series, which debuted on New Year's Day, focuses on Alan Bates (Toby Jones), a subpostmaster from Wales who, along with hundreds of other people, was wrongly accused of fraud by the Post Office. The drama tells the real-life stories of the sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses who were falsely accused of theft and false accounting thanks to a faulty IT system.
Taking to social media, viewers expressed their shock over the scandal, which remains Britain's most widespread miscarriage of justice.
One person penned: "Just watched #MrBatesVsThePostOffice on ITV… a must view. Such an atrocious miscarriage of justice. Makes the blood boil with so many innocent lives ruined but also an inspiring message about the human spirit ... hopefully justice will be done," while another added: "Watching #MrBatesVsThePostOffice and it's upsetting, shocking and devastating. Very well presented for screen, however. Those poor people."
A third person wrote: "#MrBatesVsThePostOffice is so sad. How on earth did they get away with this for so long? Shocking treatment of decent people."
Many also applauded ITV for its dramatisation of the story, hailing the series as "hugely important" and "powerful" viewing.
Others also called for the cast, which includes Toby Jones, Monica Dolan and Julie Hesmondhalgh, to win awards for their performances. "Mr Bates vs The Post Office - WOW! ITV delivered an exceptional drama. I cried...CRIED! Superb acting. Toby Jones, spectacular as usual, but Monica Doolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Will Mellor are first class. BAFTAs all round!" wrote one person.
A second added: "#MrBatesVsThePostOffice The cast in this true story are incredible. They are playing the parts perfectly."
It's not just the viewers who have expressed their approval of the drama, however. The real Alan Bates has also praised the actors for their portrayals. "I think the actors have done a wonderful job in it," Alan said while appearing on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday. "They've really portrayed a lot of the suffering that people have gone through so well."
The latest episode, which aired on Tuesday night, comes after the Post Office Chief Executive, Nick Read, shared a message via social media.
"We sincerely apologise to victims for the devastating impact of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal on the lives of so many," he said in a statement. "We are all doing all we can to provide redress and urge anyone affected who has not yet come forward to do so."
In December, ahead of the programme's release, The Post Office shared an update on the current status of the scandal. "A statutory Inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, is examining every aspect of the scandal," said the statement. "Post Office shares fully the aims of the Inquiry to establish what went wrong and why, so that such events can never happen again."
It added that Nick Read "welcomes the drama and encourages those who have been affected to seek redress if they have not already done so".
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/510443/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office-viewers-react-blood-boiling-drama-post-office-responds/
| 2024-01-03T10:26:07
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When we've overdone it on a night out, we vow to take part in a liver detox, if we're feeling overworked and exhausted, we book in for a spa detox as a "treat", and if we've over indulged on the weekend, a food detox is often necessary. What we rarely find on our list of priorities, is a gut detox.
Maintaining a healthy gut is paramount to our health and wellbeing, as a well-functioning gut helps to prevent a range of digestive problems and conditions including diabetes, insomnia, fatigue and even anxiety. Naturopathic Nutritionist Julie Haigh shares her exclusive step by step guide to help you cleanse your gut the healthy way this summer.
Step One - Stay Fresh
Avoid processed foods containing high amounts of additives, sugar and saturated fats during your gut detox as they will deplete the good bacteria in your gut. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your gut which can lead to a candida overgrowth. This overgrowth is often the cause symptoms of IBS and other digestive discomforts. To combat this, it is essential to tweak your diet to reduce your sugar intake. Check out Candida Diet Foods (candidadietfoods.co.uk), a brand new online platform which provides recipes and nutritional advice on the best ways to reduce a candida overgrowth, as well as an online shop to purchase gut friendly ingredients directly.
Step Two - Get your full seven hours sleep
Stress and lack of sleep can result in terrible consequences for your gut, and this, coupled with the average modern lifestyle which typically consists of poor diet, long working hours and excessive mobile phone use can result in the worst possible environment for the growth of the diverse gut bacteria our bodies need. Although at times, our sleeping patterns and stress levels are out of our control, try to pack your diet with plenty of fibre, proteins, fruits and vegetables which can help you feel, and sleep better. Still struggling to fall asleep? Try a drink of slippery elm powder in warm water or a mug of peppermint tea before bedtime to settle your stomach and ensure a sound night's sleep.
Step Three - Keep things green
Now that you've had time to get used to a fresh-food diet, it's time to step it up and maximise your gut detox by following a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet, rich in green leafy vegetables will help the good bacteria grow in your gut. Green leafy vegetables act as a prebiotic, the food source for the good bacteria in your gut, helping them grow and flourish. The easiest way to ensure you stay on track is preparing your week's meals in advance, giving you ample time to carefully select every ingredient you add to your meals and ensure you consume fresh food full of nutritional benefits.
Step Four - Get creative and colourful
Green isn't the only colour that should be present on your plate. By increasing the amount, and variety, of coloured fruits and vegetables in your diet you're also increasing the amount of polyphenols and prebiotics, which good bacteria feeds on. Incorporate these fruits and vegetables with other probiotics, found in fermented foods such as live yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso and kefir, to ensure a healthy dose of gut flora with every meal.
Step Five – Stay hydrated
Start every day off with a large glass of pure filtered water before you have anything else to eat or drink. This should be followed by a cup of herbal tea or warm lemon water with a dash of apple cider vinegar which can help restore the fluids lost overnight. Keep drinking water throughout the day to ensure your gut remains hydrated, but remember not to drink water with meals, or less than half an hour before as they will dilute digestive juices.
Step Six - Embrace the great outdoors
Get outside, soak up the beautiful summer rays and do some gardening to expose yourself to different types of microbes in the air and soil, whilst also getting your recommended daily dose of Vitamin D. Trillions of strains of bacteria live in soil, so it's a great excuse to get outdoors and start a new hobby. Why not build your own greenhouse or plant your own fruit and veg to coincide with the new, healthier you? If you're a beginner to gardening, try growing strawberries, rhubarb, currants or apples, which are the easiest fruits to start off with. Where space is limited try growing your fruit trees in containers, you can even grow strawberries in hanging baskets.
Step Seven - Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
RELATED: Dry January 2023: 5 expert tips on how to go sober and stick to it
This is another important fact to remember when undergoing a detox. Antibiotics can wipe out all of the bacteria in the body and it can take weeks, sometimes even years, for the microbial community in the gut to recover. Always seek the advice of your GP before taking antibiotics and any over-the-counter medicines.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/2017062840195/detox-your-gut-7-easy-steps/
| 2024-01-03T10:26:13
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Crown Prince Frederik will become King of Denmark on 14 January, following his mother Queen Margrethe's surprise abdication.
The Danish royal palace confirmed on Tuesday that the Crown Prince, 55, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, 51, will be known as His Majesty King Frederik X and Her Majesty Queen Mary.
But unlike the British monarchy, there will be no formal coronation ceremony.
Instead, Frederik's accession will be announced from Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on the day.
Marlene Koenig, royal historian, tells HELLO! more about the history of Danish coronations and the changes in the last 175 years with the introduction of the Danish constitution.
"The UK monarchy is unique when it comes to crowning the Sovereign. In its history, Parliament has passed several acts that require the sovereign have a coronation ceremony after the accession," Marlene explains. "The first Danish coronation was in 1170 and the last in 1840 for King Christian VIII and his second wife, Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg, who succeeded in 1839 and died in 1848. The throne passed to his thrice-married son, Frederik VII, who had no surviving children."
Marlene continues: "Denmark was an elective monarchy until 1660. These elective monarchs had full coronation ceremonies, but the change to the hereditary monarchy in 1660 brought a new ceremony. The king and queen were anointed but no crowning. They came into the church wearing their crowns. By 1849, when Frederik VII succeeded, Denmark was a constitutional monarchy, and the anointing ceremony was abolished."
What will happen on King Frederik X's accession day?
Marlene tells HELLO!: "Since 1849, the new sovereign has been proclaimed as King or Queen by the Prime Minister. Margrethe was proclaimed queen on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace on 15 January 1972, the day after her father, Frederik IX died.
"This will be the first time that the proclamation (far less formal than the Accession Council where Charles was proclaimed) will happen because a Sovereign is abdicating, and not because of a death, so Frederik will not be wearing mourning clothes."
Is abdication common in Danish history?
While Edward VIII's abdication in 1936 sparked a constitutional crisis in Britain, Marlene says that abdication is not common in the Danish monarchy's history, with the last in its history when Eric III Lam stepped down in 1146.
She adds: "In numerous interviews and statements, Queen Margrethe had been adamant that she would not abdicate. In her speech, Margrethe alluded to her back surgery and that gave her thought about abdicating. Perhaps there are other health ailments not yet known.
"It was not on my royal bingo card for 2023, but it was the Queen's careful decision, not done lightly, and certainly not in haste.
"She said in her speech, 'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation.'"
While the likes of Belgium and Spain have seen their respective monarchs Albert II and Juan Carlos I abdicate in recent years in favour of their younger heirs, Marlene says: "Abdication is not as common in Europe as you think. The Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg have established abdication of the sovereign in favour of the next in line."
LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast Christmas Special
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/510440/why-prince-frederik-princess-mary-wont-have-coronation/
| 2024-01-03T10:26:19
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New Year's resolutions often fly out the window a few weeks into January – and who can blame us? Vowing to close our Apple Watch exercise rings each day, quit scrolling in bed and giving up wine on weekdays are all hard promises to stick to – but what about beauty resolutions?
Myself and my fellow Beauty Collective members all made solemn beauty resolutions for 2024, from promising to apply eye cream each day to adding facial massage into our skincare routine – but are our beauty resolutions really worth it?
To find out whether our New Year promises are worth sticking to, I spoke to industry professionals for their verdict. Read on to discover the team's 2024 beauty resolutions – and the expert opinion if we need to bother…
Donna Francis, HELLO! Beauty Expert: Facial Massage
"My beauty resolution is to introduce massage as part of my skincare routine. It doesn't have to be complicated.
"All you need to do is introduce a few simple moves as you apply your moisturiser, your serum or your oil and this will really help increase blood flow, which really gives skin a gorgeous glow."
The verdict:
"Facial massage is a beneficial addition to your beauty routine for various reasons," says aesthetics expert Dr. Chandni Rajani. "Firstly, it enhances blood circulation to the skin, leading to improved oxygenation and nutrient delivery. This heightened blood flow contributes to a healthier complexion overall.
"Additionally, facial massage aids in muscle relaxation, reducing tension that may lead to wrinkles caused by repetitive muscle contractions. The technique can also facilitate lymphatic drainage, helping to reduce puffiness and eliminate toxins from the skin."
Inge Theron, founder of FaceGym, who champion facial massage in their treatments and at home tools, elaborates on the importance of face massage. "If you’ve ever gone to a boot camp or worked out your body you know the great benefits you get from regular workouts. Your muscles strengthen and the skin becomes tighter and healthier. It’s exactly the same for your face too.
"Face muscles are the same as the muscles in your body, you need to adopt a facial fitness routine just like you do in the gym for your body to see fantastic results. If you train your facial muscles via massage, they will retain memory, become stronger and help prevent sagging."
Kate Lockett, HELLO! Health and Beauty Editor: Start using retinol
"My beauty resolution for 2024 is to start introducing retinol into my nighttime routine.
Starting slow and steady at 0.1% twice a week - I can't forget the daily SPF either!"
READ: How to use retinol: A beginner's guide for every age
The verdict:
"The inclusion of retinol in your skincare routine can significantly improve the skin's condition," confirms Dr. Chandni Rajani. "Retinol, a derivative of vitamin A, stimulates collagen production, promoting skin elasticity and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Moreover, it accelerates cell turnover, aiding in the shedding of old, damaged skin cells and promoting the growth of new, healthier cells.
"Retinol is also effective in addressing hyperpigmentation by inhibiting melanin production, making it great for achieving a more even skin tone. Additionally, retinol serves as an effective treatment for acne by preventing the formation of comedones and regulating oil production."
Lydia Mormen, HELLO! Junior Beauty Writer: Wear my hair down!
"My beauty resolution for 2024 is to stop slicking my hair back. I want to really focus on making my hair as healthy as possible and getting it longer and I've noticed it has been getting shorter and shorter throughout the year.
"So I want to stop wearing tight hairstyles because I feel like it's putting a lot of tension on the front delicate bits so I'm going to let my locks flow!"
The verdict:
"Keeping your hair in a tight style can damage it as the constant tension causes breakage and damage to the hair shaft, damaging the hair follicles and leading to hairs falling out," confirms celebrity hair sylist Limoz Logli.
Errol Douglas, pro hair expert at Living Proof agrees, adding: "Tying hair tightly can create tension which can pull and break the bonds of your natural hair strand.
"An extended break can help restore hair’s health. Use restorative products or a bond builder like Triple Bond Complex, which helps repair all three types of hair bonds to help offset damage."
NEED TO KNOW: How much should you be spending on haircare? Experts explain
Melanie Macleod, HELLO! Wellness Editor: Use eye cream
"My beauty resolution for 2024 is to start using eye cream. I probably should have started about 10 or 15 years ago. But hopefully it's a case of better late than never."
The verdict:
"Eye cream is not necessary for everyone, but I recommend using an eye cream for anyone who deals with puffiness, dark circles, or wrinkles," says dermatologist Dr. Mamina Turegano. "There are targeted ingredients (such as caffeine or vitamin K) that can address concerns that are just seen around the eyes, including puffiness or dark circles."
Eugene He, founder of Invity – who happen to make the most incredible sheet masks, if you're looking to treat your skin, explains that our eyes have extra delicate skin, so products designed specifically for that area can be helpful.
"Eye creams contain ingredients specifically used to condition the delicate skin around the eyes and address issues such as eye bags and fine wrinkles that are not found on other parts of the face.
"While normal face moisturisers can hydrate the eye area, they are not designed to deal with those specific concerns. When an eye cream is used consistently, it can improve the overall appearance of the skin, including increased luminosity, reduced dark circles and a reduction in visible fine lines. It can also reduce flaking, sensitivity and redness when the weather is cold and dry."
DISCOVER: I'm a beauty editor - and this is the skincare I use last thing at night
Beatriz Colon, HELLO! Writer: Stick to a self-tan routine
"My 2024 beauty resolution is to land on a consistent fake tan routine at home to battle my winter paleness."
YOU'LL LOVE: 4 fake tans to make you look like you've been on holiday even if you haven't
The verdict:
Beatriz's plan to be bronzed all winter long is a great one for her happiness, explains neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart, who told me that when we change something about ourselves (such as adding a fresh layer of tan) and like it, our brain releases a cocktail of happy chemicals.
"When you look in the mirror and you see something that is a version of yourself that you really like, the chemicals produced are dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin – creating a warm fuzzy feeling."
A tan can also help us feel more confident, adds Hilary Daly, CEO of Loving Tan. "Self tan can instantly boost your mood and confidence," she says. "A healthy bronzed glow (without the sun damage) can improve the appearance of your skin and have a positive impact on your mood," she adds.
Jules Von Hep of Isle of Paradise agrees, telling us: "Tanning is a beauty staple. It lifts our complexion, makes our eyes look brighter and our teeth whiter but it also makes our clothes look better – it really is a confidence booster."
Plus, being consistent, as Beatriz plans, is key. "A consistent routine will help prolong your tan," Hilary adds.
Subscribe to HELLO!'s Beauty Collective newsletter for exclusive content straight to your inbox
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/510442/beauty-resolutions-beauty-experts/
| 2024-01-03T11:18:41
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Crown Princess Mary's hair stylist is "passing the baton on to the next generation" as he revealed he is stepping down from the role when the Danish royal becomes queen on 14 January.
Søren Hedegaard, 68, made the announcement in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday, sharing a black and white photograph as he made the finishing touches to Mary's hairstyle for King Charles' coronation in London last May.
Søren has been Crown Princess Mary's hairstylist and makeup artist for the last 23 years, working with her in the years leading up to her marriage to Crown Prince Frederik in 2004.
He wrote: "With the end of 2023 and with a change of throne in view, I have also chosen a change in my life. On 14/1 2024 and after 23 years as HRH Crown Princess Mary’s Hairdresser, I am passing the baton on to the next generation. It has been 23 amazing and unforgettable years with memories and friendships that I will always carry in my heart.
"My life has always been colorful and changeable and will hopefully continue to be so in the years to come. My craft is my heart’s blood. Therefore, my job as Creative Director at STUHR is also the place where I will put all my energy and love for my profession in the future."
Søren is the man behind Mary's glossy blowdried locks and beautiful, intricate updos, as well as being creative director for professional hair care and styling company STUHR. He is married to Danish actor Preben Kristensen, who was knighted by Queen Margrethe in 2003.
It is not known who will take over from Søren as Mary's new hairdresser when she becomes queen, but the stylist told Danish magazine, Billed Bladet: "I would like to mention that during the 23 years, there have been others in charge and fixed the Crown Princess's hair when I have been unable to."
Crown Princess Mary also counts stylist and designer Anja Camilla Alajdi among her glam squad.
As well as traditional couturiers Jesper Høvring and Soeren Le Schmidt, Australian-born Mary's style has been compared to that of the Princess of Wales. Both Mary and Kate have sported A-line midi dresses from the likes of Emilia Wickstead, LK Bennett and Beulah.
The royal women, who have met on a number of occasions, also have similar interests when it comes to their charitable work.
Crown Princess Mary established her own foundation to improve the lives of vulnerable women and children in 2007, while Princess Kate launched her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in June 2021, which focuses on the impact of the early years on later life.
LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast Christmas Special
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/510446/crown-princess-mary-hair-stylist-soren-hedegaard-steps-down/
| 2024-01-03T11:18:47
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With six bars, six restaurants, three pools and an array of fitness and water sports activities – all included within the ultra-all-inclusive package – Mar-Bella in Corfu is the ideal stress-free holiday destination for you and your family - especially young kids.
Nestled on Corfu’s beautiful south-east coast and perfectly located less than 30 minutes from Corfu Old Town, it’s so easy travel-wise. It’s also one of the most efficient airports I’ve ever been to. We were in and out in a flash!
My first impressions of the rooms at Mar-Bella
The hotel has reopened with 67 newly redesigned and extended bungalow rooms and suites, including eight new room types, some of them with private pools or private gardens to accommodate large families. Rooms here all come with a balcony or terrace, air-conditioning plus a flatscreen TV and Wi-Fi. You can choose a room overlooking the gardens – alternatively, there’s the option to upgrade to a sea view, which I'd highly recommend. Superior family rooms offer a bit more space, while superior junior suites have a whirlpool bath and loungers set up on a large sea-view balcony.
The reviews are mixed online about the bedrooms, but the one I stayed in was great. The decor is non-offensive - looks wise - but they're equipped with everything you need with a decent amount of space.
What I thought about the food at Mar-Bella
The hotel boasts six bars and six restaurants – all of which are included in the all-inclusive offering.
I am often nervous about the restaurants within all-inclusive resorts, and I’m not a fan of buffets, but I was pleasantly surprised with the food choices during my trip.
The prettiest restaurant had to be The Deck Bar & Grill, overlooking the sea. It has a super selection of mediterranean dishes all prepared in an open kitchen.
As we were in Greece it would have been rude not to try Platea. Bizarrely, this was perhaps the quietest of all the restaurants, but I really enjoyed my greek meal on the night I visited.
I also dined at Kum Kuat, the Pan Asian a la carte restaurant on-site. This is definitely worth a trip and is perhaps the most serene with pretty outdoor lights twinkling away.
My favourite restaurant - food wise - was Comodo, the hotel’s Italian offering. The service is amazing, and the restaurant also opens for breakfast which is where we went to the most. You do have to book though!
Last, but not least, Celeste. A fine dining French Provençale dining experience. This was the most beautiful out of all the restaurants, but sadly, my least favourite when it came to the food.
Overall, the food was good, and the service was excellent at all the restaurants we visited.
Is Mar-Bella a good hotel for kids?
The kids will be in heaven thanks to the recently opened Aqua Park - Anemelia Aqua Park - which offers guests their very own water world on site and is the first aqua park in a five-star hotel with slides in Corfu.
There are a huge selection of activities suitable for the youngest members of the family, all the way to the oldest.
There are pottery and ceramics and the educational robotics class. Watersport activities such as kayaking, windsurfing and paddle boarding are available for guests as part of the ultra all-inclusive package to explore the stunning coastline and make the most of the summer months and crystal clear water.
My overall verdict
I recently discovered that 70% of bookings made last year were all-inclusive holidays - they’re definitely back in vogue. I can see why, it’s relaxing to go on holiday and not have to stress about a food bill or get burned by unexpected costs.
There was a lot to love about this hotel; quick and easy to get to, stunning views, great service, decent dining options, and it’s so perfect for families.
I don’t have kids, but I went there desperate to have a break, and to read a book in the sunshine and to just relax. And I did! I loved the weather (we went in September and it was still lovely and hot) and spent most days overlooking the sea. The view was magical and I felt instantly relaxed as soon as I looked out to the ocean.
I am a foodie usually, but I’ll be real - I always have quite low expectations when I visit all inclusive hotels. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just being realistic. Did I have my “death row meal” while on this trip? No I did not. But did I enjoy most of the food I ate? Yes. Did I go to bed hungry? No, not once. Did I go to bed tipsy? Occasionally.
My favourite part of the hotel was the bar and the atmosphere after 9pm. There was a buzz that I’ve not seen before at an all-inclusive hotel. We watched as kids and adults took part in karaoke and quiz nights and mingled with other holiday goers. If you’re a sociable family, you’ll be in your element. The staff were excellent with kids, too.
I do think the hotel is best suited for families, and if I were to return to Corfu, I’d likely opt for the hotel’s sister site Nido, which is adults-only and looks absolutely stunning.
The all-important details you need to know
What’s included in the Premium Ultra-All-Inclusive Package at MarBella?
- Four a la carte dinners per week with a selection among the hotel’s a la carte restaurants.
- Branded beverages including cocktails from 10am up to 1am according to bars operating hours.
- Unlimited ice-cream, snacks & refreshments.
- Complimentary welcome mini bar – replenished once every week.
- Complimentary use of the gym, sauna and hammam.
- Welcome in room with fruit and wine.
- Complimentary childcare for children aged 4-12 years old and teens activities.
- 30-minutes free use of Canoe or Pedalos per person, per day.
- Experience the local Traditional Kaiki day or sunset cruises. Available once per stay upon reservation.
- Free beach towels, sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach, access to Αnemelia Aqua Park and pools.
- A complimentary Traditional Kaiki cruise to Corfu town is organised once a week and is sure to please the whole family.
Rate: Starting from 296 euros on all-Inclusive basis. A week-long summer holiday for a family of three works out to be around £3000 at the time of going to press.
How to book: I'd recommend booking via Tui, British Airways, LoveHolidays or Booking.com.
When is it open? April - October.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/travel/510433/mar-bella-hotel-corfu-review/
| 2024-01-03T11:18:53
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Camden Kids for Christ
Northside Chapel First Church of God at 6820 N. Main St. in Camden offers Camden Kids for Christ for students in kindergarten through 6th grade on the third Saturday of each month from 5-7 p.m. All are welcome.
Gospel Light Baptist location change
Gospel Light Baptist Church is currently meeting at William Bruce Elementary School, located at 506B Aukerman Street in Eaton, while its new church building is being built. The public is invited to worship with the Gospel Light church family this Sunday at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. For more information go to www.gospellighteaton.org.
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https://www.registerherald.com/2023/12/29/church-briefs-309/
| 2024-01-03T11:40:02
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