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Cleo Smith’s abductor learns fate

<p>Terence Kelly has learned his fate after his lawyers attempted to have his sentence reduced. </p> <p>Kelly abducted Cleo Smith from her parents' tent at a remote West Australian campsite north of Carnarvon in late 2021, sparking a massive manhunt before she was found at his home by police 18 days later.</p> <p>The 37-year-old appealed to have his 13 year and six months sentence shortened, with the decision handed down in court on Monday that the sentence would stand. </p> <p>After being jailed in April 2023 following his admission that he kidnapped Cleo, his lawyers argued his mental impairments, including severe personality dysfunction, contributed to his decision to snatch the young girl. </p> <p>His lawyers also maintained the sentencing judge erred in finding Kelly's use of methamphetamine had a "significant and causal role in the offending".</p> <p>They also say the judge didn't give enough consideration to Kelly's childhood disadvantage and trauma.</p> <p>In sentencing, WA District Court Chief Judge Julie Wager said Kelly's actions were at the "highest level of seriousness" and that Cleo and her family would be "permanently impacted".</p> <p>In the court's ruling on Monday, the court accepted the sentence was "severe" but found it reflected the seriousness of the crime.</p> <p>"On any view, the appellant's abduction of such a young and highly vulnerable child from her parents, at night, and then holding her captive in his house for 18 days was extraordinarily serious," Justices Robert Mazza and Stephen Hall found.</p> <p>"As tragic as the appellant's background is, the sad fact remains that his risk of reoffending required that the sentence imposed upon him have regard to the sentencing objective of public protection."</p> <p>Kelly had faced a maximum of 20 years in jail but he got a 25 per cent discount of five years for his early guilty plea.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

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Loch Ness monster back in headlines after "most exciting" photo in decades

<p>A recent potential Loch Ness monster sighting has generated immense excitement among monster enthusiasts, who claim these photographs are the most captivating seen in decades.</p> <p>The incident unfolded when Chie Kelly, 51, inadvertently captured images of an unidentified, sizeable creature gliding across the surface of Loch Ness five years ago in August.</p> <p>At the time, she hesitated to release the images, fearing public ridicule. However, her decision changed after the largest 'Nessie' search in over half a century took place last month – called The Quest Weekend.</p> <p>Kelly, accompanied by her family, was enjoying a meal at an inn nestled on the shores of the Scottish loch when she began snapping photos.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://lochness.com/findings-revealed-from-the-quest-weekend/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lochness.com website</a>, Chie Kelly "had lunch in the Dores Inn and then started walking around. I was just taking pictures with my Canon camera of Scott and our daughter Alisa, who was then five, when about 200 metres from the shore, moving right to left at a steady speed was this creature.</p> <p>"It was spinning and rolling at times. We never saw a head or neck. After a couple of minutes, it just disappeared and we never saw it again.</p> <p>"At first I wondered if it was an otter or a pair of otters or a seal, but we never saw a head and it never came up again for air.</p> <p>"It was making this strange movement on the surface. We did not hear any sound. There were these strange shapes below the surface. I could not make out any colours – the water was dark. I could not accurately assess its length, but the two parts that were visible were less than two metres long together.</p> <p>"I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely a creature – an animal. At the time I did not want to face public ridicule by making the photographs public. But I met Steve Feltham at the weekend and showed him the images, and he said immediately that they were ‘very interesting’.”</p> <p>Feltham has dedicated more than 30 years to the search for Nessie since abandoning his job and selling his house in 1991. After looking at the images, he said, “These are the most exciting surface pictures I have seen. They are exactly the type of pictures I have been wanting to take for three decades.</p> <p>"It is rare to see something so clear on the surface. They are vindication for all the people who believe there is something unexplained in Loch Ness. They are remarkable. I have studied them and still do not know what it is. I persuaded them that these pictures were so important they should make them public. They warrant further investigation. It is not driftwood – it is a moving creature and totally unexplained.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrRewR8txip/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrRewR8txip/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chie Tchié Kelly-Kano (@kelly.chie)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Reports of the Loch Ness monster have spanned ancient history, with stories dating back to an Irish missionary allegedly rescuing a swimmer from a creature in the loch during the 7th century.</p> <p>The completion of a road adjacent to the loch in 1933 led to a surge in monster sightings. Despite numerous searches over the years, a DNA survey conducted in 2018 failed to provide any evidence of a plesiosaur or other large animals residing in the lake.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram / Chie Kelly</em></p> <p> </p>

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House of Hope: Fresh start for Kelly's kids

<p>Gold Coast mum Kelly Wilkinson, who tragically passed away two years ago, has left behind three young children between the ages of two and nine.</p> <p>Her life was cut short in April 2021, allegedly at the hands of her estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston. The horrific incident resulted in Kelly's body being found badly burned in her Arundel home's backyard, while Mr Johnston was discovered nearby with severe burns to his hands and airway.</p> <p>Since then, Kelly's children have been under the care of her sister, Danielle Carroll, and her husband Rhys. The Carroll family, along with their five children and Kelly's three kids, have been living together in a cramped four-bedroom house, where living spaces were converted into sleeping quarters. The challenges of accommodating such a large family in limited space have been immense, and at times, they find themselves with five people sharing a single bed.</p> <p>However, their situation took a positive turn when businesswoman Tamika Smith, a relative of Mr Carroll, heard about the tragedy and decided to lend her support.</p> <p>The founder of My Bella Casa and Top 100 Women launched a campaign called "I Stand With Kelly" shortly after Ms Wilkinson's passing. The campaign aimed to build a new home for the 10-person family.</p> <p>With the help of an anonymous contributor, Ms Smith secured a plot of land, and the renowned homebuilder, Metricon, generously donated an entire house for the cause.</p> <p>After two years of hard work and dedication, the family's fully furnished new home was finally revealed to them.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvGO3pfBjbH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvGO3pfBjbH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tamika Smith (@tamika_stephanie)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Mr Carroll expressed his excitement about the new house, especially for Kelly's three children, as it will provide them with a fresh start and a place they can call their own. While the loss of their mother is deeply felt, the children are constantly surrounded by love and care from their extended family.</p> <p>Kelly's kids have not forgotten their mother, and though they miss her dearly, they understand that she is no longer with them.</p> <p>“They know she’s gone," Mrs Carroll told A Current Affair. "They constantly say that they miss her. The two year old does ask for mum but they know she’s not coming back.” </p> <p>The Carroll family, along with their own children, have written heartfelt letters to thank the builders for their incredible efforts in creating this new home.</p> <p>The house not only represents a new beginning for Ms Wilkinson's children and the Carroll family but also serves as a reminder of the love she brought to her family before her untimely passing.</p> <p>Though the pain of her loss remains, the community's support in building this new home has been a heartwarming gesture, one that Kelly's family deeply appreciates and will surely treasure forever.</p> <p><em>Images: Today Show / Instagram / GoFundMe</em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

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Got no COVID-19 symptoms? A gene mutation might be the reason

<div> <div class="copy"> <p>A global study has unearthed a possible genetic reason why some people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 show no symptoms.</p> <p>Human leukocyte antigens – or HLAs – are important genes that support immune function in the human body, particularly in identifying viral pathogens.</p> <p>And a particular variation in the HLA-B complex has been found to at least double the likelihood that a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 will be asymptomatic.</p> <p>For people who inherit a copy of the HLA-B15 variant from one parent, there was a 2.4 times greater chance of avoiding symptoms. Homozygous carriers — born with copies of the variant from each parent — were 8.5 times more likely to avoid symptoms.</p> <p>It’s a somewhat common variant among certain ethnicities – about 1 in 10 people with European ancestry are potential carriers – but having the gene is not a guaranteed protector against coronavirus symptoms.</p> <p>The findings, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06331-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06331-x">published</a> in <em>Nature</em>, have emerged from a joint study between researchers at the University of California San Fransisco and Australian institutions including Latrobe University, Monash University and the QIMR Berghofer Centre.</p> <p>The research came about almost by accident.</p> <div class="in-content-area content-third content-right"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/link-between-blood-type-and-risk-of-covid-19-infection/"> </a></div> <p>Co-lead authors Professor Stephanie Gras from Latrobe and Jill Hollenbach from UCSF first met at a research conference in May 2022 and pooled their resources to track the association of possible gene variations with COVID-19 symptoms.</p> <p>Their teams narrowed a group of 30,000 people with high-quality HLA data to a cohort of about 1,500 unvaccinated people who tested positive for the virus. They then focussed on five locations of interest in the HLA genes while monitoring the emergence of symptoms to determine which variants, if any, might have a greater linkage to being COVID asymptomatic.</p> <p>“The [SARS-CoV-2] virus gets inside cells and ‘presents’ some small part of the virus on the surface via the HLA molecule,” Gras explains.</p> <p>“Those act as a red flag for T cells. The cell sends the signal to the T cell that it has been infected with the virus, and the T cells get activated and kill that [infected] cell.</p> <p>“HLA-B15 can actually present a small part of the spike protein that is very similar between SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal coronaviruses… [that] circulate every year in the population and give us the common cold during winter most of the time. They share some similarities.”</p> <p>The understanding provides a possible application for future treatments. Now an association between the variant and asymptomatic cases has been identified, the Gras and Hollenbach teams have begun to study the interaction between HLA-B15 and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein at the atomic level.</p> <p>That research is already underway, including at the Australian Synchrotron at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.</p> <p>“We’re doing atomic-level models of proteins to understand the interaction,” Gras says.</p> <p>“We want to compare the T cells within people who are asymptomatic with HLA-B15 and people who are not asymptomatic with HLA-B15. Actually, HLA-B15 is not a magic bullet, you can have it and still have severe COVID.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> </div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/got-no-covid-19-symptoms-a-gene-mutation-might-be-the-reason/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/matthew-agius">Matthew Ward Agius</a>. </em></p> </div> </div>

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“Irwin genes are strong”: Bindi shares adorable candid snap

<p>Bindi Irwin has delighted fans after sharing a sweet snap of her two-year-old daughter, Grace Warrior cuddling a giant tortoise.</p> <p>The wildlife warrior took to Instagram to share the sweet snap with a comparison photo of herself hugging a giant tortoise when she was around Grace’s age.</p> <p>“Holding my newborn daughter wondering if she’ll love wildlife like I did” she captioned one of the photos in the Reel.</p> <p>The next two photos showed comparison photos of the mother-daughter duo which showed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.</p> <p>“Our Grace Warrior, the Wildlife Warrior," she captioned the post.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs4wPGzBjZZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs4wPGzBjZZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The adorable photo has been praised by fans who commented how proud Steve Irwin would be of his daughter and granddaughter.</p> <p>"It’s in the Irwin blood! You guys have the most beautiful connection with wildlife and each other! Steve Irwin genes are strong!” wrote one fan.</p> <p>"Your dad is probably so so proud looking down,” commented a second person.</p> <p>"This gives me happy goosebumps babe,” wrote a third.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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KISS concert halted as Gene Simmons falls ill on stage

<p>KISS singer Gene Simmons gave fans - and bandmates - a fright when dehydration got the better of him live on stage, and the group were forced to bring their entire concert to a halt. </p> <p>In a video from the event, KISS’ Paul Stanley can be seen addressing the crowd, telling them that “we’re gonna have to stop to take care of him. Because we love him, right?”</p> <p>He goes on to call for a cheer for Simmons, with the 73-year-old catching his breath on a chair on stage - the same chair that he remained in for the rest of the show, after a five minute break to assure he was well enough to continue.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="pt">Gene Simmons, baixista e vocalista do Kiss, passa mal e show é brevemente interrompido na Arena da Amazônia. <a href="https://t.co/nphJEj1PQo">pic.twitter.com/nphJEj1PQo</a></p> <p>— A Crítica (@ACritica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACritica/status/1646372105523478529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>And while fans were concerned for the singer, he later took to social media to assure them that he was “fine” and looking forward to the band’s next stadium performance. </p> <p>“I’m fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, [I] experienced weakness because of dehydration,” he explained. “We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious.”</p> <p>“Brazil is hotter than hell!!” one fan responded, “so glad you're okay and I can't wait to see you in São Paulo! Take care, god of thunder!!”</p> <p>“Even the God of Thunder needs hydration,” another agreed. “Good to hear you're doing well.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hey everybody, thanks for the good wishes. I’m fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, experienced weakness because of dehydration. We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious. Tomorrow, Bogota Stadium. See you there!</p> <p>— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/1646530305791266818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>And as news broke around the world of what had gone down in Brazil, Simmons returned with another round of assurances, writing that it was “not a big deal” while again thanking everyone for their well wishes. </p> <p>“Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song,” he said. “We got back on stage in 5 minutes &amp; finished the show.”</p> <p>It was enough for his fans, who were quick to share their delight that their star was okay, as well as voicing their excitement for upcoming shows - with a good portion of requests for the singer to take care of himself, and avoid a repeat performance. </p> <p>“Happy to hear you're doing better,” one wrote. “Even more happy it wasn’t anything serious.Ya'll take care.”</p> <p>“Frankly, I don’t know [how] you do it every night. You’re amazing!” another declared. </p> <p>Meanwhile, some could see the humour in it all now that their fears had been put to rest, with one joking “and who says playing music couldn't be dangerous”.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Caring

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Cleo Smith's mother speaks out after abductor's sentencing

<p>Cleo Smith's mother has shared her thoughts on the jail sentence handed down to the man who abducted her four-year-old daughter. </p> <p>Ellie Smith was in Western Australia's District Court on Wednesday when Terence Kelly was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/sentence-handed-down-for-cleo-smith-abductor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to 13 years and six months behind bars for abducting Cleo in October 2021. </p> <p>Shortly after the sentence was handed down, Ellie and her partner Jake Gliddon shared they will always feel "angry" towards Terence. </p> <p>"I think the anger always will be there," Ellie Smith told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/terence-kelly-sentence-update-cleo-smith/6306636b-7c6d-4f6b-9b92-48dd3296dace" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Nine News</em></a>. </p> <p>However, she added she "also feels contentment he is behind bars".</p> <p>"And we do have a number to hold with us of how long he is away."</p> <p>"But there is always going to be anger, always - how could there not be?" she added.</p> <p>While Ellie and Jake largely avoided the media outside the courtroom on Wednesday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch was quick to condemn the kidnapper and suggested the 13-year-sentence was not long enough. </p> <p>"Early on in my career I spoke to a father of a victim of a serious crime. And he said to me, as a dad, a million years isn't enough and that's driven by emotion - and as a father I understand that," he said.</p> <p>"And I would expect that the community would never think that 13-and-a-half years is enough."</p> <p>Terence Kelly snatched Cleo from the Quobba Blowholes campsite, a remote coastal area in WA, as she slept beside her parents and baby sister on the night of October 16th, 2021.</p> <p>He then held her captive in his home in the rural town of Carnavon for 18 days before she was found by police. </p> <p>During the course of the sentencing hearing, new details came to light on <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/frightening-new-details-emerge-on-cleo-smith-kidnapping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just what went on</a> during those 18 days of Cleo's captivity.</p> <p>Commissioner Blanch added that the investigation to track down and rescue Cleo was the "gold standard" for an operation of this type.</p> <p>"This is an evil crime. He committed a heinous crime. A parent's worse nightmare. As I said before, I'm Police Commissioner and I respect the rule of law, but as a father, that's something I could never forgive."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

Legal

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Frightening new details emerge on Cleo Smith kidnapping

<p>New details have come to light regarding four-year-old Cleo Smith’s 2021 abduction, one day after the man responsible was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/sentence-handed-down-for-cleo-smith-abductor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced to at least 11 years and six months in prison</a>.</p> <p>Cleo was taken from her family’s Western Australia campsite and was missing for a total of 18 days. After an intense police investigation, and a $1 million reward offered by the Western Australia government, detectives found Cleo at a property 75 km south of where she’d been kidnapped by the 37-year-old Terence Kelly.</p> <p>While appearing before Judge Julie Wager in court, Kelly had nothing to say, offering only a nod to acknowledge both his own name and his guilty plea. Cleo’s parents - mother Ellie and stepfather Jake - also did not share any words outside of the courthouse in the wake of Kelly’s sentencing. </p> <p>But what was said inside has revealed frightening new insight into what young Cleo went through during her days of captivity, with Commissioner Blanch - who was Assistant Commissioner at the time - noting that he did not believe the community would ever think Kelly’s time behind bars would be enough. </p> <p>“Judge Wager had to weigh up many things,” he said, “and there were many mitigating circumstances, and I respect the court’s decision.”</p> <p>For the entire 18 days of her nightmare situation, Cleo was kept in Kelly’s Carnarvon property, often locked alone in a bedroom while Kelly was out - the door had been modified, and Cleo was unable to open it from her side. He reportedly attended a number of employment meetings in person, and even visited his relatives.</p> <p>It was also revealed that Cleo would plead with him to be allowed to see her parents, leading Kelly to play the radio at a loud volume to mask her noise. </p> <p>“When the young victim heard her name on the radio, she said ‘they’re saying my name’,” Judge Wagner told the court. </p> <p>As the University of Newcastle’s criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett told <em>Sunrise</em>, “eighteen days is a really long time in a four-year-old’s life, and to hear her name on the radio and not understand why he wouldn’t return her to her mother must have been incredibly traumatic for her.”</p> <p>Additionally, in a police interview, Kelly admitted that he grew frustrated and was rough with a number of times, but that she was “a bit of a fighter” when he attempted to restrain her. </p> <p>He even added Cleo’s mum as a Facebook friend while he had Cleo, although as he told police, he was never “planning to keep her forever.” </p> <p>Following Kelly’s arrest, social media played a role again, with pictures of his home emerging, showcasing his collection of Bratz dolls, one Judge Wager described as being “consistent with your anxiety.” </p> <p>Those in the courtroom were informed that Kelly had a “significant interest” in dolls, and that it was possible he had imagined his very own family with them. </p> <p>“You’d opened Facebook pages,” Judge Wager stated, “for your fantasy children and communicated with them.”</p> <p>She also shared her understanding that Cleo played into Kelly’s “fantasy of having a little girl he could dress up and play with”, although she still considered his actions to be “at the highest level of seriousness”.</p> <p>“This isn’t a case of luring a child away, that would be serious enough, but the taking of a little four-year-old girl from the zipped-up family tent in the middle of the night when her parents assumed she was safe is even more concerning,” Wager continued. </p> <p>“Her parents woke to find her missing, not knowing if she was alive or dead for the next 18 days. They didn’t know what had happened to her, or whether she’d ever be returned. This shattered her family, and has been damaging and traumatising for the child.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Super rare pic of unrecognisable Gene Hackman

<p>For the first time in a long time, legendary actor Gene Hackman has been spotted out and about at the age of 93.</p> <p>The icon had been reclusive in recent years, and these are the first photos of him snapped in a very long time. </p> <p>The <em>Superman</em> star still seemed fit and looked quite healthy in the snaps taken in Santa Fe, New Mexico. </p> <p>The retired actor was spotted enjoying a fast food lunch at a parking lot after going through the Wendy’s drive-thru. </p> <p>He is still sporting his signature moustache in the rare sighting. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">New photos of Hollywood Legend Gene Hackman have been released. He is currently 93-years-old. These are the first photos of him in years. <a href="https://t.co/5pn1wXN81w">pic.twitter.com/5pn1wXN81w</a></p> <p>— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyLoud/status/1633270131324223489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Hackman’s last movie role was with Ray Romano and Christine Baranski in the 2004 comedy <em>Welcome To Mooseport</em>. </p> <p>In July 2004, Hackman was interviewed by Larry King, where he announced there were no new film projects lined-up and believed his acting career was over.</p> <p>Years later, the star confirmed his retirement while promoting his third novel <em>Escape From Andersonville</em>, back in 2008.</p> <p>In an interview with CQ in 2011, he was asked if he would ever come out of retirement to do another film, and he responded, “If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people.”</p> <p>CQ also asked him, “how do you want to be remembered?"</p> <p>“As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion. I don't know, beyond that. I don't think about that often, to be honest. I'm at an age where I should think about it.” He said with a laugh.</p> <p>Hackman has long been one of the most highly regarded film actors of all time, leading his Mississippi Burning director Alan Parker to state that “he is incapable of bad work. Every director has a shortlist of actors he’d die to work with, and I’ll bet Gene’s on every one.”</p> <p>The thespian really made waves when he was nominated for an Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor category for the 1970s film<em> I Never Sang For My Father</em>.</p> <p>A year later, he became a leading man in incredible fashion, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in his New York City Detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in <em>The French Connection</em> (1971). </p> <p>Hackman’s career only went up from there, with countless awards under his belt, including two Oscars, two BAFTA awards and two Golden Globes.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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"I loved him very much": Pink reveals heartbreaking inspiration behind hit track

<p>Multi award winning singer-songwriter Pink has opened up about the heartache that inspired her 2006 hit song ‘Who Knew’. </p> <p>The 43-year-old was chatting to fellow singer Kelly Clarkson on Kelly’s talk show when she made the tragic admission that ‘Who Knew’ is about the loss of two of her friends to drug overdose. </p> <p>“I lost several friends, unfortunately, to overdose,” she told Kelly, “and the second one was very, very, very close to me, and I loved him very much.” </p> <p>The singer was referring to her dear friend Sekou Harris, who died of a heroin overdose at just 14 years old.</p> <p>In a 2012 interview with <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>, Pink said of the song and its inspiration, “I always wanted to write a song for a friend of mine, Sekou Harris, who overdosed on heroin and died. And I never knew how because I didn’t want to force it and write some cheesy overdose song.”</p> <p>When Kelly mentioned that experiencing so much loss “sucks”, Pink countered that loss is unavoidable and that people “need music for that”. </p> <p>“I need music to help me through my feelings,” she said, “and I can numb down really easy.” </p> <p>She opened up about how the song has evolved over the years, and provided her comfort when faced with the deaths of those close to her heart. </p> <p>"But the thing that I love about the song now, after all these years, is that I never get tired of performing it, and it's taken on so many different meanings over the years,” she admitted, “it was about my grandmother at one point. It was about my dog.</p> <p>"I've lost people, so it's always sort of fresh in my heart." </p> <p>This isn’t the first time that Pink has been honest about her history with drugs. In her 2012 <em>EW </em>interview, the singer confessed that she understood addiction, as she “was a hardcore partier from 12 to 15. I was like a candy raver and I was on all the club drugs. Selling Ecstasy and crystal meth and Special K. I overdosed on Thanksgiving of ’95. And then I never took drugs again, ever.”</p> <p>In the same year, Pink told <em>Shape Magazine </em>that although she wasn’t hospitalised, she got the wake-up call she needed, and turned her attention to her wildly successful music career. </p> <p>Viewers of <em>The Kelly Clarkson Show</em> got a bonus look at that very career after the interview, with Pink and Kelly taking to the stage to perform a stunning duet of Pink’s ‘Who Knew’. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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Severe COVID-19 linked to signs of ageing in the brain

<p dir="ltr">COVID-19 infection has been associated with the same molecular changes seen in ageing brains, including higher levels of activity from genes associated with the ageing process.</p> <p dir="ltr">As we age, our brains shrink - with a five percent decline in weight per decade after the age of 40 - while our memory and levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine decline.</p> <p dir="ltr">With previous research finding that people who are infected with Covid can experience neurological conditions after they recover, as well as declines in cognitive performance that mimic accelerated ageing, a team of researchers from Harvard Medical School examined the brain tissue of 54 deceased people, including 21 who had severe Covid infections.</p> <p dir="ltr">They found that changes in how genes were expressed in the brains of Covid-infected people were similar to what is seen in older brains.</p> <p dir="ltr">Using a particular kind of analysis called whole-transcriptome sequencing, the team were able to investigate which genes were being switched on and off in a person at the time of their death, comparing brain samples from people infected with Covid and those who hadn’t been infected (from before the pandemic).</p> <p dir="ltr">In comparison to the uninfected group, the Covid group showed higher levels of activity for genes associated with immunity. Meanwhile, genes linked to cognition, memory and the activity of synapses, which are essential for helping impulses travel through the nervous system, had lower levels of expression.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We also observed significant associations of cellular response to DNA damage, mitochondrial function, regulation of response to stress and oxidative stress, vesicular transport, calcium homeostasis, and insulin signalling/secretion pathways previously associated with ageing processes and brain ageing," they wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Altogether, our analyses suggest that many biological pathways that change with natural ageing in the brain also change in severe COVID-19."</p> <p dir="ltr">Also investigating the trigger of these changes, they found increased levels of activity in several inflammatory pathways associated with ageing in the brain, and that specific immune cells influence the expression of several of these genes.</p> <p dir="ltr">This supports the hypothesis that the neurological symptoms that can accompany Covid are caused by inflammation triggered by the virus.</p> <p dir="ltr">But they also explored the other hypothesis, that the neurological symptoms are caused by the virus infiltrating and infecting the brain - specifically the frontal cortex - by looking to see whether there was evidence of Covid RNA (which contains the virus’ genetic material it needs to replicate).</p> <p dir="ltr">“In agreement with previous studies, SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was not detected in samples from individuals with COVID-19, suggesting that the observed gene expression changes are unlikely due to the effects of the viral RNA in the frontal cortex,” they wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">With these findings, the researchers concluded that managing Covid-induced inflammation could protect against the development of the neurological symptoms associated with Covid.</p> <p dir="ltr">They also argue that following up with patients recovering from Covid could be beneficial in reducing the risk or delaying the neurological symptoms and cognitive decline.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to <em>Nature</em>, neuropathologist Marianna Bugiani, who wasn’t involved in the study, said that it’s still difficult to know whether these changes to gene expression are permanent or whether they are also seen in people experiencing mild bouts of Covid.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It opens a plethora of questions that are important, not only for understanding the disease, but to prepare society for what the consequences of the pandemic might be,” she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-df4fb67d-7fff-854d-6942-559608bd9c1f">“And these consequences might not be clear for years.”<br /></span></p> <p>The researchers published their findings in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-022-00321-w" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Nature Aging</em></a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Mind

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Chris Hemsworth’s Alzheimer’s gene doesn’t guarantee he’ll develop dementia

<p>Chris Hemsworth, famous for his role as the god Thor in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, has announced he will be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/21/chris-hemsworth-to-take-time-off-from-acting-after-discovering-alzheimers-risk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking a break</a> from acting after being told he has two copies of the <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/study-reveals-how-apoe4-gene-may-increase-risk-dementia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APOE4 gene</a>, increasing his risk of Alzheimer’s.</p> <p>Having one copy of the <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.8346443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APOE4 gene</a> increases your risk for Alzheimer’s 2-3 times. Two copies increases your risk 10-15 times.</p> <p>But the key here is “risk”. Having one or more copies of the gene doesn’t guarantee Chris or anyone else in a similar situation will go on to develop Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.</p> <p><strong>Sharing the news</strong></p> <p>Hemsworth’s willingness to share his concerns about developing Alzheimer’s with millions should be applauded. It’s a reminder to all of us to keep an eye on our health and reduce our risk of future illness.</p> <p>Alzheimer’s, and dementia more broadly, is <a href="https://www.dementiastatistics.org/statistics/global-prevalence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set to challenge</a> health-care systems worldwide.</p> <p>In Australia alone there are <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up to</a> 500,000 people with dementia, supported by almost 1.6 million carers. By 2036, about <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/sites/default/files/NATIONAL/documents/The-economic-cost-of-dementia-in-Australia-2016-to-2056.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">450 people</a> are predicted to be diagnosed daily. So understanding how APOE4 alters the risk for the major cause of dementia may be pivotal in preventing cases.</p> <p>But not all people with the APOE4 gene go on to develop Alzheimer’s. This means that there may be a combination of environmental factors interplaying with the gene that lead some people to develop Alzheimer’s, while others do not.</p> <p><strong>What’s APOE4 got to do with Alzheimer’s?</strong></p> <p>Most Australians have APOE3 or APOE2 genes. In Caucasians it’s only <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5531868/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">about 15%</a>, like Hemsworth, who have inherited an APOE4 gene.</p> <p>The APOE gene types are best known for their role in modulating the metabolism of lipids (fats), such as cholesterol and triglycerides.</p> <p>They code for synthesis of different versions of the protein APOE, with subtle differences in structure. The APOE proteins become an integral part of lipoproteins in the blood. These are the fat-carrying particles your GP measures to consider your risk of heart disease.</p> <p>APOE proteins have a similar function in the brain, to modulate lipid levels. But in the context of Alzheimer’s, researchers study it for its effect on the integrity of brain cells.</p> <p>Accumulating evidence <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458022000550" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggests</a> APOE4, is associated with brain inflammation and cellular damage.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">APOE4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. A study in <a href="https://twitter.com/Nature?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Nature</a> establishes a functional link between APOE4, cholesterol, myelination and memory, offering therapeutic opportunities for Alzheimer’s disease. <a href="https://t.co/bNsmDVPfFW">https://t.co/bNsmDVPfFW</a> <a href="https://t.co/58odE1JASl">pic.twitter.com/58odE1JASl</a></p> <p>— Nature Portfolio (@NaturePortfolio) <a href="https://twitter.com/NaturePortfolio/status/1594762841487249410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Can we prevent Alzheimer’s?</strong></p> <p><strong>1. Look after your capillaries</strong></p> <p>Damaged and leaky blood vessels (capillaries) in the brain lead to inflammation, the death of brain cells and cognitive impairment. In fact, in Alzheimer’s, damaged capillaries are the earliest sign of the type of brain damage that causes disease.</p> <p>The protein encoded by the APOE4 gene may be less able to support healthy capillaries in the brain. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163782709000563" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We suggested</a> APOE4 increases the abundance of specific complexes of lipoproteins and proteins in blood that silently damage brain capillaries, causing them to leak.</p> <p>We also see more brain capillary leakage in mice fed Western-style diets richer in saturated fats.</p> <p>The relationship between how the APOE proteins mediate lipid metabolism and capillary health in humans is poorly understood.</p> <p>But we have 60 years of research knowledge to say with confidence that eating foods good for the heart should also be good for the brain. This is particularly relevant for people with the APOE4 gene.</p> <p>So if you have the APOE4 gene and want to minimise your risk of Alzheimer’s, a healthy diet is a good place to start.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=316&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=316&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=316&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=397&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=397&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497142/original/file-20221124-24-rlqyk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=397&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Capillaries" /></a></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Looking after your capillaries with a healthy diet is a good place to start.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/system-many-small-capillaries-branch-out-1745173364" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>2. Give your brain a break</strong></p> <p>Reducing unnecessary stimuli to “give your brain a rest” may have big impact over decades of your life. The latter may be a more important consideration if you have the APOE4 gene.</p> <p>That’s because the APOE gene is also linked to how the brain uses energy, which may lead to more <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00216/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oxidative stress and damage</a>.</p> <p>While we’ve yet to collect robust data in humans, take a digital detox now and again, plan some down time, and avoid unnecessary stress if you can.</p> <p><strong>Should we test for the APOE4 gene?</strong></p> <p>Some people might be tempted to get tested for the APOE4 gene, especially if there’s a family history of Alzheimer’s.</p> <p>But unless genetic testing is going to change your treatment (for instance, by taking certain medications to slow progression of brain damage), or your behaviour to minimise your risk Alzheimer’s, then testing is not justified.</p> <p>We can’t change the genes our parents gifted us, but we can change our environment.</p> <p>Poor diet, every drop of alcohol you drink, obesity and diabetes, high blood pressure and sedentary behaviour <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/risk-reduction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all contribute, over time</a>, to poorer vascular health and increase your risk of dementia.</p> <p>We’re still learning about how these risk factors for Alzheimer’s interact with the APOE4 gene. But there is no reason we shouldn’t all take greater responsibility for minimising our risk of dementia now, whether we have the APOE4 gene or not.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195094/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Writen by John Mamo. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/chris-hemsworths-alzheimers-gene-doesnt-guarantee-hell-develop-dementia-heres-what-we-can-all-do-to-reduce-our-risk-195094" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Mind

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This new tech could spell end for mouse plagues

<p dir="ltr">Invasive mice populations could be a thing of the past, thanks to a new genetic tool developed by a team of Australian scientists.</p> <p dir="ltr">Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed t-CRISPR, which uses gene editing technology to alter the fertility gene in laboratory mice to make females infertile.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is the first time that a new genetic tool has been identified to suppress invasive mouse populations by inducing female infertility,” said lead researcher Professor Paul Thomas.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The t-CRISPR approach uses cutting-edge DNA editing technology to make alterations to a female fertility gene. Once the population is saturated with the genetic modification, all the females that are generated will be infertile.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are also developing new versions of t-CRISPR technology that are designed to target specific pest populations to prevent unwanted spread of the gene drive.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The new tool is based on an existing technology, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, which has largely been applied to limiting the spread of malaria by making male mosquitoes infertile.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>CRISPR 101</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Since it was unveiled in 2012, the CRISPR method has been used to edit pieces of DNA inside the cells of organisms, primarily insects.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Up until now, this technology has been aimed at insects to try and limit the spread of malaria, which causes up to 500,000 deaths worldwide per year,” Luke Gierus, a post-graduate student and the paper’s co-first author, said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The technology relies on the Cas9 protein found in bacteria, which scientists can program to find and bind to almost any 20-letter sequence of DNA in a gene with the help of a piece of RNA that matches the target DNA sequence.</p> <p dir="ltr">When it finds the target, standard CRISPR cuts the DNA, and the process of repairing the DNA introduces mutations that can disable the gene.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other variations of CRISPR can also replace faulty genes, turn genes on or off, or change one letter of the DNA code to another.</p> <p dir="ltr">In this study, the team simulated what would happen when an edited version of a fertility gene on chromosome 17, which affects the ability of sperm to swim, was introduced to populations of mice. </p> <p dir="ltr">Males who carry one copy of this gene are infertile, while females are still fertile but only have one functioning version of the gene and can pass on either the functioning or non-functioning version to their offspring.</p> <p dir="ltr">In females that had a second edited chromosome that affected their fertility, they found that male offspring would all be infertile, while only 50 percent of female offspring would be fertile.</p> <p dir="ltr">They found that 250 mice with modified genes could eradicate a population of 200,000 mice on an island in around 20 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The use of t-CRISPR technology provides a humane approach to controlling invasive mice without the release of toxins into the environment. We are also working on strategies to prevent failed eradication due to the emergence of gene drive resistance in the target population,” Gierus said.</p> <p dir="ltr">While t-CRISPR has been developed to specifically target mice, CSIRO Group Leader for Environmental Mitigation and Resilience Dr Owain Edwards said it could be developed to use on other invasive animals.</p> <p dir="ltr">The researchers, who collaborated with CSIRO, the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, the Genetic Biocontrol for Invasive Rodents (GBIRd) consortium and the US Department of Agriculture, were supported by both the South Australian and NSW governments.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These promising findings demonstrate how gene drive technology may be a game changer in managing the impacts of mice on our environment, community, and agricultural sector,” South Australian Deputy Premier Dr Susan Close said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This cutting-edge research also highlights the global leadership of the South Australian research sector, in finding solutions to social, environmental and economic challenges.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The South Australian Government is proud to have supported this proof-of-concept, having granted the University of Adelaide $1 million through the Research and Innovation Fund.”</p> <p dir="ltr">They published their findings in the journal <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213308119" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a></em>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bca82366-7fff-dcca-05a4-83502245beac"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: ABC News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"Clueless": Meghan Markle told to show some gratitude

<p dir="ltr">American journalist Megyn Kelly has once again called out Meghan Markle for always talking about herself. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess of Sussex came out swinging in her latest podcast titled <em>To ‘B’ or not to ‘B’?</em>, in which she hit back at her nickname, “Duchess Difficult”.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said the nickname was a way of gaslighting women and “is really a codeword for the B-word”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly had enough of the Duchess’ incessant nagging and said there was another word to call her. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I wouldn’t necessarily call her the B-word, but I would definitely call her the C-word: clueless,” she said on the GB News <em>Dan Wootton Tonight</em> program.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She’s utterly clueless and I am so sick of her off-point irrelevant musings about her non-problems.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to reveal that the homicide rates of more than 100,000 homeless people in California, where Meghan lives, “reached an all-time high”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“And we are supposed to give a damn if someone is calling [Meghan] the b-word or difficult?” Kelly continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t, she doesn’t get it. No one gives a damn about these non-problems.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She should stop complaining and start showing some gratitude for what appears to be a very beautiful life of which she finds nothing to celebrate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t care. Shut up! Stop talking about yourself and show some humility and gratitude.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Meghan was given the nickname back in 2018 when she was accused of displaying “dictator” style behaviour towards her staff members - which led to one of them quitting.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My friend said to me, there’s a certain point when you come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to like you,” Meghan continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The goal can’t be for everyone to like you, but the goal can be for them to respect you.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty/GB Tonight</em></p>

TV

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“We get it!”: Journalist slams Meghan Markle's flaunting of "her husband"

<p dir="ltr">American journalist Megyn Kelly has called out Meghan Markle for constantly referring to Prince Harry as “her husband”, claiming the former royal is doing it for attention.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the latest episode of her podcast, Kelly criticised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for “ripping on the royals”, to whom she said the couple owed literally “all of their fame and most of their fortune”.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also took great annoyance with Meghan referring to Harry, who she married in 2018, as her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We get it, you bagged the gorilla,” Kelly said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations, you got the big bear, [and] you want us all to know.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Her criticism comes after Meghan spoke at length about Harry’s parenting skills in the latest episode of her podcast, <em>Archetypes</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh, my husband? Oh, he's great!” the 41-year-old said when asked whether Harry contributed much to parenting duties.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said that Harry would help Archie while she cooks breakfast during their “chaotic” mornings.<br />“I make breakfast for all three of them. It’s very important to me. I love doing it,” Meghan added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly also took aim at Meghan for claiming she had never looked up the royal family prior to her relationship with Harry, calling the duchess a “liar”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The claim in question dates back to Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she said she “never looked up my husband online”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just didn't feel the need to because everything that I needed to know, he was sharing with me — or everything we thought I needed to know, he was telling me,” she said at the time.</p> <p dir="ltr">Christopher Anderson, who appeared on the episode of Kelly’s podcast to talk about his new book, The King: The Life of Charles III, said that Meghan was like “every other young woman” and in love with the royals.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She, like every other young woman that age, they were all in love with [the royals]. There are pictures of her at the gates of Buckingham Palace when she was a teenager,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Let's get real, there's always that eligible bachelor,' Kelly replied.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For my age, it was JFK Jr., for her age it was Prince Harry.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was a liar...that's really what we're both saying. She lied about it, she lied.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Anderson also claimed the comments made about what colour skin Meghan and Harry’s child would have - said by an unknown family member - happened before their engagement was announced, rather than while Meghan was pregnant.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was an instant conversation about two people who are going...if they are going to be grandparents, Charles and Camilla [were] speculating on what the kids might look like,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Obviously, you have two very attractive people here and ‘Gee I wonder what colour their eyes will be, what their hair would be like.’ You know this kind of thing it was something I would say [was] relatively benign and witnessed by several people and then spun into something toxic.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly added that the conversation between Charles and Camilla shouldn’t be considered racist.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You're just curious about how your baby's gonna look,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A negative judgement attached to a darker skin would be racist, but just wondering, that's not racist.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7e4d5b4-7fff-8494-c3a3-25d07acece8a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Megyn Kelly (YouTube) / Spotify</em></p>

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Excelling as a musician takes practice and requires opportunities – not just lucky genes

<p>What makes talented musicians so good at what they do?</p> <p>There’s plenty of evidence that people can be born that way. Research findings suggest that about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/jmg.2007.056366">half of musical ability is inherited</a>. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean you must have musical talent in your genes to excel on the bass, oboe or drums. </p> <p>And even if you’re fortunate enough to belong to a family that includes musicians, you would still need to study, practice and get expert guidance to play well. </p> <p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=34DZlUIAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">music professor and conductor</a>, I’ve seen the role that practice and experience play in propelling musicians toward mastery and success. There are some factors that help a musician get started – and heredity could be one of them. But musical skill is ultimately a complex interplay between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022429416680096">lots of practice and high-quality instruction</a>.</p> <h2>The role genes can play</h2> <p>Of course many great musicians, including some who are world famous, are related to other musical stars.</p> <p>Liza Minnelli, the famed actress, singer and dancer, is one of the late entertainer <a href="https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/judy-garland-kids-4728886/">Judy Garland’s three children</a>. <a href="https://people.com/music/jon-batiste-everything-to-know">Jon Batiste</a> – “The Late Show” bandleader, pianist and composer who has won Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe awards – has at least 25 musicians in his family. Saxophonist Branford, trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason Marsalis are the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/02/825717204/ellis-marsalis-patriarch-of-new-orleans-most-famous-musical-family-has-died">sons of pianist Ellis Marsalis</a>.</p> <p>Singer and pianist <a href="https://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ge-La/Jones-Norah.html">Norah Jones</a> is the daughter of Indian sitar player <a href="https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/norah-jones-on-her-relationship-with-pandit-ravi-shankar-september-2020-cover-interview-hope">Ravi Shankar</a>, though Jones had little contact with her renowned father while growing up.</p> <p>Absolute pitch, also known as perfect pitch, is the ability to recognize and name any note you hear anywhere. Researchers have found that it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/301704">may be hereditary</a>. But do you need it to be a great musician? Not really.</p> <h2>Most people are born with some musical ability</h2> <p>I define musical ability as the possession of talent or potential – the means to achieve something musical.</p> <p>Then there’s skill, which I define as what you attain by working at it.</p> <p>You need at least some basic musical ability to acquire musical skills. Unless you can hear and discern pitches and rhythms, you can’t reproduce them.</p> <p>But people may overestimate the role of genetics because, with very rare exceptions, <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb05/absolute">almost everyone can perceive pitches</a> and rhythms.</p> <p>My research regarding children’s musicality suggests measures of singing skills are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429416666054">normally distributed</a> in the population. That is, pitch ability follows a <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bell-curve.asp">bell curve</a>: Most people are average singers. Not many are way below average or excellent. </p> <p>My team’s most recent research suggests that this distribution is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294211032160">true for rhythm</a> in addition to pitch. </p> <p>Not surprisingly, some musical skills are correlated.</p> <p>The more training you have on specific musical skills, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294211011962">better you’ll test on certain others</a>. This is probably because musical experience enhances other musical abilities.</p> <p>To sum it up, an emerging body of research indicates that practice doesn’t make perfect. But for most people, it helps a lot.</p> <h2>Lessons and practice are essential</h2> <p>What about people who say they they can’t keep a beat? It turns out that they almost always can track a steady beat to music. They just haven’t done it enough.</p> <p>Indeed, the last time I gave a nonbeliever our lab’s test for rhythm perception, she performed excellently. For that and for singing, some people just need <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/magazine/how-to-sing-in-tune.html">a little help</a> to move past assumptions they lack talent: You can’t say you’re incapable of something if you haven’t spent time trying. </p> <p>Some researchers and <a href="https://strategiesforinfluence.com/malcolm-gladwell-10000-hour-rule/">journalists have promoted</a> the idea it takes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363">10,000 hours of practice or training to master</a> a new skill. </p> <p>Innate ability puts people at different starting lines toward musical mastery. But once you’ve started to study an instrument or singing style, skill development depends on many other factors. Getting lessons, practicing often and being in a musical family may make those more likely.</p> <p>For example, Lizzo, a hip-hop superstar and classically trained flute player, had the luck to <a href="https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lizzo-44986.php">grow up in family of music lovers</a>. They all had their own taste in music. Her success is a microcosm of why a well-rounded musical education for young people matters.</p> <p>The singers in the choir I lead at Penn State have a range of experience, from a little to a lot. Yet soon after they join it, they develop the ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233211040726">pick a good key and starting pitch</a> as they get to know their own voices. </p> <p>Practicing more doesn’t change your baseline potential, it just changes what you can presently do. That is, if you practice a specific song over and over again, eventually you’re going to get better at it.</p> <p>Jonathon Heyward, the Baltimore Symphony’s new conductor, who has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/arts/music/jonathon-heyward-baltimore-symphony-orchestra.html">no musicians in his family</a>, has worked really hard to excel. He started taking cello lessons at age 10 and hasn’t stopped since, playing and practicing and studying.</p> <h2>Privilege can play a role</h2> <p>Socioeconomic factors can also enter the equation. While conducting research, I’ve seen high-income college students from high-income families, with more years of musical experience, perform better than their classmates who have lower-income backgrounds and had fewer opportunities.</p> <p>Genes can give someone a head start. At the same time, having a quiet space where you can practice on an acoustic instrument or a digital workstation might make a more decisive difference for the musical prospects of most children. The same goes for having money for private lessons or access to free classes.</p> <p>Even so, many of the best musicians, including jazz greats <a href="https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/biography/">Louis Armstrong</a> and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/billie-holiday-about-the-singer/68/">Billie Holiday</a>, grew up facing many hardships.</p> <p>With the right conditions for practice and gaining experience, who knows where the next Liza or Lizzo will come from.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/excelling-as-a-musician-takes-practice-and-requires-opportunities-not-just-lucky-genes-186693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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"An incredible gift": Grace Kelly remembered 40 years on

<p dir="ltr">The royal family of Monaco have shared a series of stunning tribute photos to the late Princess Grace, 40 years after her death.</p> <p dir="ltr">Princess Grace, formerly known as Grace Kelly an American actress, died in a car accident at the age of 52 after suffering a stroke.</p> <p dir="ltr">She appeared in several movies including <em>Mogambo</em> (1953), <em>To Catch A Thief</em> (1955) and three <em>Alfred Hitchcock</em> thrillers before retiring from acting at the age of 26.</p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to marry Prince Rainier III in April 1956, earning her the title of Princess of Monaco, and the couple had three children, Princess Caroline, 65, Prince Albert, 64, and Princess Stéphanie, 57.</p> <p dir="ltr">The official Instagram page of the Monaco Royal Family shared a series of photos of Princess Grace in her memory.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In Memoriam Princesse Grace de Monaco 1929 - 1982,” the caption simply read.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her son Prince Albert said it doesn’t feel like 40 years had passed and people still remember his mother.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It doesn't seem like 40 years," he told <a href="https://people.com/royals/prince-albert-remembers-his-mother-princess-grace-on-the-40th-anniversary-of-her-death/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PEOPLE</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Many times during a day, a week, not only do I find myself thinking of her, but numbers of people still recall her to me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They remember her and that's a great tribute to her and who she was — to what an exceptional human being she was.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Forty years on, she still captures people's imagination. She managed to capture the imagination and attention of several younger generations and not many have done that. It's an incredible gift that she had.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She had charm and incredible allure about her. And It's not only her beauty or the fashion icon that she was that attracts people, It was her warmth, her heart, the humanity people saw in her that they remember."</p> <p dir="ltr">He said if he could speak to his mother again, he would want her to meet his children.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I could speak to her, I would say that I wish she were here to see her grandchildren and how great they are. They're great kids."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram/Fausto Picedi, Georges Lukomski, Gianni Bozzachi, Italo Bazzoli</em></p>

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