‘Secrets of the Penguins' premieres on eve of Earth Day
Years of filming, often in extreme conditions, has provided new insights into the extraordinary challenges endured by penguins for a documentary series premiered on Monday, the eve of Earth Day.
' Secrets of the Penguins ' is voiced by US actor Blake Lively and hosted by National Geographic explorer Bertie Gregory, who hopes to engage the widest possible audience with the natural world.
He said filming that included 274 days on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica, home to around 20,000 emperor penguins, and in locations from Cape Town to the Galapagos Islands, led to discovering 'new penguin secrets'.
'I have filmed penguins a lot before,' he said.
'I thought I knew penguins. I was so wrong.'
The three-part series, screened on Disney+ on Monday and on Nat Geo Wild from Tuesday, took more than two years to film.
The highlights include penguin chicks jumping off 15m ice cliff to dive into the sea for the first time in their young lives.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
16 hours ago
- The Citizen
Friday the 13th: Do you suffer Friggatriskaidekaphobia?
The date has inspired novels and horror films, and is widely regarded as a day associated with bad luck. Is the eerie music from Friday the 13th movie playing on a loop in your head? Perhaps you are quivering in your shoes with fear that Jason Voorhees — the iconic masked killer from Friday the 13th — is waiting around the corner for you. Friggatriskaidekaphobia The date, which has inspired novels and horror movies, is believed to be one filled with bad luck, much like breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella inside, or walking under a ladder. If you fear Friday the 13th, chances are you might have Friggatriskaidekaphobia. The phobia can be broken up as follows. Frigg: Norse goddess for whom Friday is named Triskadekai: Latin for 13 Phobia: Fear ALSO READ: 'The Enfield Poltergeist' reignites conversations of possession, ghosts and ghouls Why the fear? There is no specific reason as to why this day is considered unlucky. In Western culture, the number 13 is often associated with bad luck. On the other hand, the number 12 is historically connected to good omens and completeness. Its successor, 13, has for long been known a sign of bad luck. National Geographic According to National Geographic Kids, the exact origins of when Friday the 13th became thought of as unlucky are unknown; however, it 'likely comes from the Christian religion.' For example, in the Bible, Judas—a person who is said to have betrayed Jesus—was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Also in the Bible, many unfortunate things happened on Fridays. So it made sense that people who read the Bible got nervous around Friday the 13th. Apollo 13 One of the more factual events, which did not happen on Friday the 13th, was the Apollo 13 spacecraft, but it bore the number 13. Apollo 13 is famously described as a 'successful failure'. It was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (Nasa) third moon-landing mission, but the astronauts never made it to the lunar surface. Blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center (formerly Cape Kennedy) on 11 April 1970, the mission experienced a dramatic series of events, an oxygen tank explosion almost 56 hours into the flight forced the crew to abandon all thoughts of reaching the moon. Failed mission The spacecraft was damaged, but the crew was able to seek cramped shelter in the lunar module for the trip back to Earth, before returning to the command module for an uncomfortable splashdown. The Apollo 13 astronauts were commander James Lovell, lunar module pilot Fred Haise, and command module pilot John 'Jack' Swigert. So, while you fear the day, remember, after every Friday the 13th comes a Saturday the 14th, which can only mean one thing: the weekend is nearly upon us. ALSO READ: WATCH: 'Resident Evil Requiem' release date revealed: A new era of survival horror begins

IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Unravelling the truth: Grace Van Patten to star in 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox'
"The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" stars Grace Van Patten. Image: Instagram True crime fans can prepare to delve into a harrowing chapter of legal mishaps and personal tragedy with the upcoming limited series, "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox". Disney+ recently announced that the eight-episode journey, inspired by one of the most controversial criminal cases in recent history, will premiere on Wednesday, August 20. The gripping story will follow Amanda Knox, an American student wrongfully accused of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007 while they were studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. Twenty-one-year-old Kercher's body was found in her bedroom, partly undressed and with multiple stab wounds. She had been sexually assaulted. The series chronicles Knox's unsettling odyssey - from being sentenced to 26 years in prison alongside her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito due to inadequate circumstantial evidence, to navigating the Italian judicial system. Grace Van Patten and Giuseppe De Domenico in "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox". Image: Instagram After a protracted battle, burdened by media scrutiny, false accusations, and personal tragedy, an Italian supreme court ultimately cleared Knox of all charges in 2015, leading to her exoneration. Grace Van Patten, popular for her role in "Tell Me Lies", stars as Knox. Van Patten's portrayal promises to capture Knox's experience, from her wrongful conviction to her difficult fight for exoneration. Sharon Horgan will portray Knox's mother, Edda Mellas, with John Hoogenakker as Knox's father, Curt. Francesco Acquaroli takes up the role of the Italian prosecutor Giuliano Mignini, Giuseppe De Domenico will embody Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's then-boyfriend, while Roberta Mattei infuses the series with intensity as Monica Napoleoni, a fierce prosecutor's aide determined to see Knox and Sollecito convicted. "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" will premiere on Wednesday, August 20 on Disney+. Image: Instagram The case captivated global audiences, highlighting issues of media influence and the legal injustices faced by those wrongfully accused. In an exclusive interview with "Us Weekly", Knox expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to retell her story. 'It really comes down to this idea of do I have a voice and does my voice matter in how a story is told? That is what Hulu has recognised,' Knox remarked. Meanwhile, in another online report, Meredith Kercher's sister, Stephanie Kercher said Meredith's 'strength and love remains strong after 17 years' and that she 'will forever hold a lasting legacy in friendship and kindness that no media can change'. Stephanie said her family had been through a lot and found it 'difficult to understand' how the series served any purpose. 'Meredith will always be remembered for her own fight for life, and yet in her absence, her love and personality continues to shine ... We will forever feel this indescribable void but we live by Meredith's standards with dignity.'


eNCA
2 days ago
- eNCA
Disney, Universal launch first major studio lawsuit against AI company
LOS ANGELES - Entertainment giants Disney and Universal filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Wednesday against AI company Midjourney, calling the image generator a "bottomless pit of plagiarism." The lawsuit is the first major legal battle between Hollywood studios and an AI firm, and follows other suits by independent artists who have sued Midjourney and other generative artificial intelligence makers for using their creative work. The entertainment giants accused San Francisco-based Midjourney of pirating their libraries and making "innumerable" copies of beloved characters including Darth Vader from "Star Wars," Elsa from "Frozen," and the Minions from "Despicable Me" without permission. The suit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, alleges Midjourney used the studios' works to train its image service and generate high-quality reproductions featuring the companies' iconic characters. "By helping itself to Plaintiffs' copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney's and Universal's famous characters — without investing a penny in their creation -- Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," the lawsuit states. The studios said they approached Midjourney about their copyright concerns before filing the suit, requesting the company implement measures to prevent infringement that other AI companies have adopted. But Midjourney "ignored" their concerns and is "strictly focused on its own bottom line," according to the filing. Instead of stopping its infringement, the studios argued, Midjourney continued to release new and better versions of its AI image service. The complaint noted the company generated $300 million in revenue last year through paid subscriptions. The lawsuit provides ample visual evidence of alleged infringement, showing AI-generated images of characters including Yoda wielding a lightsaber, Bart Simpson riding a skateboard, Disney's Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy," and Universal's Shrek. Disney and Universal are seeking unspecified monetary damages and a preliminary injunction to prevent Midjourney from copying their works or offering its services without copyright protections.