Latest news with #JervisBay
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
TikTok is losing it over real-life octopus cities
Remember when the internet cried actual tears for an anglerfish earlier this year? Now, TikTok has a new deep-sea obsession. Brought to light by creator and wildlife biologist Josh Allyn, TikTok has recently discovered 'Octopolis' and 'Octlantis'—two real underwater sites off the coast of Australia where gloomy octopuses have been quietly building their own cities and complex societies. 'I'm kinda pissed right now, was nobody going to tell me that octopuses are creating their own underwater cities?' he said in a video posted last week. It has since gone viral with 13 million views at the time of writing. 'I had to find out through Instagram Reels, what the hell.' This isn't a new discovery. Once thought to be solitary creatures, gloomy octopuses (named for their downcast eyes rather than their mood) were first seen living communally in 2009, when diver Matthew Lawrence discovered the original octopus 'city' in Jervis Bay, Australia. Home to 16 octopuses, it was dubbed 'Octopolis.' Then, in 2017, a group of researchers including Lawrence, discovered another site with a similar social arrangement among the gloomy octopuses just a few hundred metres from 'Octopolis'. They dubbed it 'Octlantis.' At both sites, octopuses were observed sculpting dens from piles of clam and scallop shells, socializing, bickering, and even 'evicting' one another. As one Reddit user joked in a 2022 thread about the phenomenon: 'Octopus landlords? octopus rent? octopus homeowner's associations? I swear, if octopi reinvent capitalism, I'll be so disappointed.' Now TikTok has discovered these octopus cities, the content writes itself. As well as being fodder for AI slop, some have turned the cephalopods' society into viral skits. 'You're soooo early we just learned about octopolis,' one commented under comedian Vinny Thomas's post. 'I can't wait to understand this in 30 minutes'. So why is something discovered over a decade ago trending again now? Thomas has a theory: 'We're all in this moment fixating on it because we're so desperate. We're so desperate to imagine that there's a society somewhere where they've got it all figured out,' he explained in another post. 'The octopuses are just down there butt-ass naked, eating crabs, living it up. Meanwhile, we are not doing great. I think we are just desperate for that little ounce of hope.' He added, 'Maybe it's alright with the octopuses.' Still, in the era of generative AI and 'AI slop,' some viewers— scarred by past hoaxes like trampoline bunny-gate—want hard evidence before getting emotionally attached to Octopolis and Octlantis. Good news: This time, the octopus cities are very real.
ABC News
22-07-2025
- ABC News
The Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force launched a missile off the coast of Jervis Bay as part of Operation Talisman Sabre.
The Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force fire a surface-to-surface missile from the Beecroft Peninsula in Jervis Bay as part of Operation Talisman Sabre.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Australia bomb cyclone live: Coastal residents told to ‘evacuate now' as powerful storm halts flights
A rapidly intensifying low-pressure system known as a ' bomb cyclone ' is lashing Australia 's east coast with heavy rain and winds, prompting evacuation orders for coastal properties. Authorities on Tuesday warned that parts of New South Wales could expect the weather to worsen in the next 24 hours, with up to 250mm (9.8 inches) of rain and winds up to 125kmph (78mph) predicted. Emergency services minister Jihad Dib said the size of the system was "enormous". "It may seem pretty bad but the terrible thing is the situation is going to worsen over the course of the next 24 hours," he told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. Residents living in areas vulnerable to coastal erosion have been told to leave their homes, with minor flood warnings also in place for several communities along the state's Mid North Coast. Authorities received over 900 emergency calls on Tuesday. 'Stay indoors' warning as bomb cyclone pummels Australia's east coast Residents across parts of New South Wales have been urged to stay inside as a powerful 'bomb cyclone' brings torrential rain and destructive winds to Australia's east coast. The NSW State Emergency Service issued urgent warnings late on Tuesday for people in Jervis Bay, Ulladulla and Batemans Bay, where wind gusts exceeding 125kmph are possible overnight. 'Locally destructive wind gusts with peak gusts in excess of 125kmph are possible along the coastal fringe of the Illawarra and South Coast this evening and overnight, roughly between Jervis Bay and Batemans Bay, with this risk easing during Wednesday morning," the SES said. A severe weather warning to stay indoors also applies to residents on the exposed coastal fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, particularly between Bulli and Collaroy. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts a further 100–200 mm of rain across parts of the Central Coast and Hunter region, with damaging winds expected to persist through Thursday as a powerful 'bomb cyclone' batters New South Wales. Stuti Mishra1 July 2025 09:16
ABC News
01-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Rains, winds to strengthen as severe weather system hovers off NSW coastline
A "complex and live" weather system is continuing to move further inland in NSW on Tuesday, with the worst to come over the next 24 hours. Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the system was stretching from the Mid North Coast down to the south coast. "Just the sheer size of it is enormous, in the last 24 hours alone, the SES has responded to 600 calls," he said. Jervis Bay has experienced about 120 millimetres of rainfall since Monday, while other parts of the state received anywhere between 50 to 90mm, including parts of the Mid North Coast. "Now that might seem pretty bad but the terrible thing is that the situation is going to worsen over the course of the next 24 hours," Mr Dib said, particularly on Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. The minister said the rains were being felt as far north as the Blue Mountains, down the coast towards near Eden. "There's multiple systems of lows which bring rain with them, if they join up then potentially we have an East Coast Low, that brings a lot of rain," he said. Bomb cyclone batters coastal communities with heavy rain and strong winds. Follow live He said the State Emergency Service (SES) had already deployed 1,200 volunteers on standby. As of 1:45pm on Tuesday, there are two Watch and Act alerts and 14 Advice warnings for flooding and severe weather along the coastline. The minister said the current system was "much more intense and much sharper" than the prolonged flooding NSW saw in May. "So what we will see in the next 24 hours is rain but also very strong winds," he said. NSW SES zone commander Andrew Cribb said there was potential for isolated pocks of heavy rain as far west as Dungog within the Hunter area. He said the SES expecting to see further waterlogging of grounds, leading to isolated road closures from flash flooding — which could continue over the next 48 hours. The NSW government and SES are expecting up to about 100mm of rainfall, isolated in parts to 250mm across the state. "We are worried about the winds, we know the grounds are saturated, there's the potential for trees to be blown over and for other loose items to be thrown around," Mr Dib said. "The wind could potentially blow up to 125 kilometres [per hour] ... and some [tree] branches might end up becoming projectiles." Chief Superintendent Cribb said these strong winds would "peak" on Tuesday evening into Wednesday. He said he was expecting the winds to intensify around the Hunter, the Mid North Coast, the Central Coast and down through to the southern tip of NSW over the next 24 hours. "The latest weather modelling has shown we're not out of the woods yet in regards to rainfall, we still expect to see significant rain in the Hunter, the lower Mid North Coast," Chief Superintendent Cribb said. Mr Dib said the rains that fell overnight on Monday near Taree were less than other parts of the state and the "system itself was moving a bit more south". "That's a promising sign but of course with that comes a caveat that anything can change at any given time." Mr Dib urged people to stay up to date with information via the Hazards Near Me app and SES or Bureau of Meteorology websites, avoid unnecessary travel and not driving through floodwaters. He said anyone in vulnerable areas that SES doorknocks should "follow the instructions of emergency services". "We've been here before, I can fully understand ... this is pretty hard again on the communities," he said, acknowledging flooding in the region less than two months ago. "I know it's been hard work, we've got a lot of volunteers, our people are tired but we just again ask people to remain as vigilant as possible. "We will get through this, we've always got through this, we'll continue to get through this."
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Brain worm spike detected in Australia following extreme weather event
A tiny parasite that can infect human brains has the potential to change our way of life in Australia, threatening not only our health but what we eat. Originally from Southeast Asia, rat lungworm is now established along our east coast, with infections found as far south as Jervis Bay. University of Sydney research has linked spikes in infections of the worm in animals to heavy rainfall, because the worm is commonly found in slugs and snails that proliferate during wet weather. A study of 93 dog infections in Sydney and Brisbane found 32 occurred directly after a single rain event, which were likely triggered after pets came into contact with common garden molluscs. The researchers found risk was elevated for between two and 10 months after heavy rain. The study's senior author, Jan Šlapeta from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, told Yahoo News it's unclear how far south the parasite will spread. But with the world's weather becoming warmer and wetter, it's possible it could one day make its way down to Melbourne. "It has the potential to spread further. An indicator is that 20 or 30 years ago, we did not talk about it in America or Europe. Now it's in the southern states of the United States, it's creeping into Europe, it's in Spain," he said. "I think climate change is very much helping this parasite spread further." Interactions with slugs and snails are the most common way for people to become infected, either by accidentally or intentionally eating them, or by consuming unwashed salad they've had contact with. In 2010, a Sydney man died after he ate a slug following a dare. It's unusual for anyone in Australia to eat an infected snail because of their large size, but that could change if there's a similar biosecurity breach to what has occurred in Hawaii. It's on the Big Island that a tiny semi-slug,Parmarion martensi, has invaded the landscape. It's so small that it's easy to accidentally consume when eating salad greens and fresh fruit and vegetables. "You can't wash them off or see them. The number of human cases [of rat lungworm] have increased dramatically," Šlapeta said. "In Australia we do not have this semi-slug. Is there a potential? We can't yet tell. But we have areas up north that are similar to Hawaii. I don't want to be an alarmist, but this parasite could create more havoc. "If this semi-slug comes in, then it might end up on the veggies that people have got in their backyards. And that would change the landscape of this disease completely, like it changed in Hawaii." The semi-slug would complete a cocktail of invasive species that Šlapeta doesn't want to see become established in Australia. "The parasite is invasive, the rat is invasive, the European slugs that we see in the backyards of Sydney are invasive, but if we bring in the semi-slug... it could change the way we grow greens and behave in restaurants," he said. The first sign the worm has reached a city is usually that animals in its zoo have become sick, with curious primates often picking up slugs inside their cage and then becoming sick. Reports made by wildlife rescue volunteers are also useful in monitoring its spread, as tawny frogmouths and possums often get sick in large numbers. Since rat lungworm, also known as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, was first detected in Brisbane in the 1970s, at least six people have been infected, two of whom have died. When it comes to infections in people, most are asymptomatic, and many cases likely aren't diagnosed. Seven dire reasons it might be time to leave Australia – from floods to fungus Travellers could trigger mosquito disease outbreak in Australia as weather warms Details in satellite photos spark 'worrying' prediction about colony of thousands During its first phase of life, rat lungworm larvae hatch in the lungs of rats and is then passed through the animal as faeces. Slugs and snails consume that faeces and the worms grow inside of them. Rats then eat the slugs and snails and the process begins again. The process is relatively harmless to slugs, snails and rats, but in other hosts like humans, dogs or native birds and mammals, the body can overreact and try to kill the parasite. On rare occasions, it causes an infestation in the brain that triggers an immune response that causes inflammation. Symptoms normally set on between one and three weeks after a slug or snail is eaten, and include headaches, nausea, vomiting, a stiff neck, pain in the skin and fever. The University of Sydney study on rat lungworm infections in dogs advocates for a One Health approach to combating the parasite. This concept means recognising that animals and humans live in the same environment and are therefore interconnected. But how best to respond to the problems it's causing is something that's left Šlapeta stumped. "That's the million dollar question. The parasite is moving wherever it wants," he said. "We can't eliminate rats, we can't eliminate slugs, so we just have to be more vigilant around the clinical signs in our pets and ourselves. "But there's not much we can do about tawny frogmouths. They will keep looking for some sort of food, and if the slug or snail is infected then they will become infected too." The lead author of the study into rat lungworm in dogs was Sydney University's Phoebe Rivory. The research was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. 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