Latest news with #UniversityofQueensland
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Study finds link between low Vitamin D in babies
Babies born with low vitamin D levels are more likely to develop mental disorders like ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism later in life, according to a new study from the University of Queensland. Researchers analysed data from over 71,000 people, many of whom had a mental health disorder diagnosed during childhood and early adulthood. Professor John McGrath from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute led the study and says they found evidence that people with lower vitamin D concentration as a baby had an increased risk of schizophrenia, ASD and ADHD. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
There's a humongous boulder on a cliff in Tonga. Now we know how it got there.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A massive boulder perched hundreds of feet from the edge of a cliff in Tonga appears to have been transported by an ancient tsunami, making it one of the biggest rocks moved by a wave on Earth. The boulder, which was discovered in 2024 on the southern coast of the Tongan island of Tongatapu, sits 656 feet (200 meters) inland from the cliff edge, at an elevation of 128 feet (39 m) above sea level. And it is enormous, measuring 45.9 x 39.3 x 22 feet (14 x 12 x 6.7 meters) and weighing over 1,300 tons (1,180 metric tons) . It's the world's largest cliff-top boulder and was first identified by locals. "We had been surveying the southern side of the island of Tongatapu looking along the coastal cliffs at evidence of past tsunamis," lead author Martin Köhler, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, said in a statement. "We were talking to some farmers when they directed us to this boulder." But exactly how the big rock ended-up on a cliff was unclear. "I was so surprised," Köhler said. "It is located far inland outside of our field work area and must have been carried by a very big tsunami. It was quite unbelievable to see this big piece of rock sitting there covered in and surrounded by vegetation." According to a new study published online on 21 April in the journal Marine Geology, the boulder — named Maka Lahi, which is Tongan for "big rock" — may have been deposited in its unlikely home by a huge tsunami that struck the island around 7,000 years ago. Related: Dinosaur age tsunami revealed from tiny chunks of Japanese amber, study finds The researchers measured the boulder's properties then modeled how large a wave would have needed to be in order to deposit such a large rock so far inland. They suggested that the boulder originally sat at the cliff's edge, but was washed inland by a tsunami wave that lasted around 90 seconds and was up to 164 feet (50 m) tall – almost the height of Niagara Falls. "We made a 3D model and then went back to the coast and found the spot the boulder could have come from, on a cliff over 30 metres above the sea level," Köhler said. Based on dating methods involving isotopes present in the rock, Köhler and colleagues believe that the boulder was likely washed to its current location a minimum of 6,891 years ago, plus or minus 97 years. This date aligns with evidence of a huge tsunami that hit on New Zealand's North Island — around 1,300 miles (2,000 kilometers) south west of Tonga — between 7,240 and 6,940 years ago. The Maka Lahi boulder may have moved because the wave's arrival coincided with an earthquake – a "coseismic" event. "It is possible that the earthquake not only generated a tsunami that inundated the North Island of New Zealand but also triggered a coseismic landslide, which in turn produced a separate tsunami that deposited Maka Lahi," the researchers wrote in the paper. The islands of Tonga are located in the South Pacific Ocean, a region that is extremely prone to tsunamis due to being surrounded by tectonic plate boundaries known as the "Ring of Fire." Subduction zones — where one plate is forced under another — or large underwater volcanic eruptions can generate powerful undersea earthquakes that can trigger tsunamis. The Tongan islands are located near the Tonga Trench, where the Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath the Indo-Australian Plate, making it especially vulnerable to tsunamis. RELATED STORIES —Record-shattering Tonga volcanic eruption wasn't triggered by what we thought, new study suggests —Tsunamis up to 90 feet high smash into New Zealand every 580 years, study finds —What's the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave? In 2022, Tongatapu was hit by a 62.3 feet (19 m) tsunami triggered by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga volcano, with water reaching as far as 0.62 miles (1 km) inland. "Tonga's most recent tsunami in 2022 killed 6 people and caused a lot of damage," Annie Lau, a coastal geomorphologist at the University of Queensland, said in the statement. The researchers hope that this discovery of how far such a large boulder was moved by a wave may help Tonga and surrounding South Pacific nations prepare for large tsunamis. "Understanding past extreme events is critical for hazard preparation and risk assessment now and in the future," Lau said. "The analysis strengthens our understanding of wave transportation of rocks to improve coastal-hazard assessments in tsunami-prone regions around the world."
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
The power of music sustaining Indigenous languages
For musician and producer Deline Briscoe, using language in her songs is not just a responsibility, it is a continuation of tradition and honouring her ancestors. "That's one of the forms we pass on our knowledge, including survival, including kinship systems, including stories," the Kuku Yalanji woman told AAP. "For me, that's the importance of keeping that oral tradition going because it's the way that we connect to the feeling, and when you feel something you can really understand it deeper. "Music brings that to the human experience." Ms Briscoe is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interviewed for a digital project at the University of Queensland, exploring how music can help prevent the loss of Indigenous languages. The suite of videos explores the connection between music and language. University of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit associate professor Katelyn Barney said researchers hope students will use the resource to learn about the power of music as a way to safeguard languages. "We wanted to really listen to people's story and allow them to share the ways they're using music," she said. "The people we interviewed talked about how there was a need for more resources around reclamation, revitalisation through music and how music can be a really powerful tool to do that." Assoc Prof Barney, who collaborated on the project with Ms Briscoe and Wiradyuri author and University of Queensland professor Anita Heiss, said a common theme in the interviews was the responsibility artists felt to maintain language. Biripi Worimi musician and University of Queensland alum, Jamaine Wilesmith said growing up, his language wasn't often spoken around him. He'd been trying to learn his language for six years and found incorporating it into his songs helped him preserve and familiarise himself with it. "When I use the language in my songs or writing it gives me a sense of pride, nostalgia and misery," Mr Wilesmith said."I love that when I sing or speak in language I've done right by my people and proven to our ancestors that we are strong enough and are still here, even though they're not." Ms Briscoe's ancestors are front of mind for her too. She said it's important to remember the effort started long ago, with work to capture and keep language dating back to colonisation. "There's a lot of stories of communities that have written whole language dictionaries from songs in the hymn books," she said. "That was a deliberate act, there was a deliberate choice to translate the hymns into their language, preserve their language. "The songs kept going, the pronunciation is there, the intonation, all the nuances are there in those songs, even when we weren't allowed to practice our traditional style of singing they were still using these songs as a way of preserving our language." For musician and producer Deline Briscoe, using language in her songs is not just a responsibility, it is a continuation of tradition and honouring her ancestors. "That's one of the forms we pass on our knowledge, including survival, including kinship systems, including stories," the Kuku Yalanji woman told AAP. "For me, that's the importance of keeping that oral tradition going because it's the way that we connect to the feeling, and when you feel something you can really understand it deeper. "Music brings that to the human experience." Ms Briscoe is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interviewed for a digital project at the University of Queensland, exploring how music can help prevent the loss of Indigenous languages. The suite of videos explores the connection between music and language. University of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit associate professor Katelyn Barney said researchers hope students will use the resource to learn about the power of music as a way to safeguard languages. "We wanted to really listen to people's story and allow them to share the ways they're using music," she said. "The people we interviewed talked about how there was a need for more resources around reclamation, revitalisation through music and how music can be a really powerful tool to do that." Assoc Prof Barney, who collaborated on the project with Ms Briscoe and Wiradyuri author and University of Queensland professor Anita Heiss, said a common theme in the interviews was the responsibility artists felt to maintain language. Biripi Worimi musician and University of Queensland alum, Jamaine Wilesmith said growing up, his language wasn't often spoken around him. He'd been trying to learn his language for six years and found incorporating it into his songs helped him preserve and familiarise himself with it. "When I use the language in my songs or writing it gives me a sense of pride, nostalgia and misery," Mr Wilesmith said."I love that when I sing or speak in language I've done right by my people and proven to our ancestors that we are strong enough and are still here, even though they're not." Ms Briscoe's ancestors are front of mind for her too. She said it's important to remember the effort started long ago, with work to capture and keep language dating back to colonisation. "There's a lot of stories of communities that have written whole language dictionaries from songs in the hymn books," she said. "That was a deliberate act, there was a deliberate choice to translate the hymns into their language, preserve their language. "The songs kept going, the pronunciation is there, the intonation, all the nuances are there in those songs, even when we weren't allowed to practice our traditional style of singing they were still using these songs as a way of preserving our language." For musician and producer Deline Briscoe, using language in her songs is not just a responsibility, it is a continuation of tradition and honouring her ancestors. "That's one of the forms we pass on our knowledge, including survival, including kinship systems, including stories," the Kuku Yalanji woman told AAP. "For me, that's the importance of keeping that oral tradition going because it's the way that we connect to the feeling, and when you feel something you can really understand it deeper. "Music brings that to the human experience." Ms Briscoe is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interviewed for a digital project at the University of Queensland, exploring how music can help prevent the loss of Indigenous languages. The suite of videos explores the connection between music and language. University of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit associate professor Katelyn Barney said researchers hope students will use the resource to learn about the power of music as a way to safeguard languages. "We wanted to really listen to people's story and allow them to share the ways they're using music," she said. "The people we interviewed talked about how there was a need for more resources around reclamation, revitalisation through music and how music can be a really powerful tool to do that." Assoc Prof Barney, who collaborated on the project with Ms Briscoe and Wiradyuri author and University of Queensland professor Anita Heiss, said a common theme in the interviews was the responsibility artists felt to maintain language. Biripi Worimi musician and University of Queensland alum, Jamaine Wilesmith said growing up, his language wasn't often spoken around him. He'd been trying to learn his language for six years and found incorporating it into his songs helped him preserve and familiarise himself with it. "When I use the language in my songs or writing it gives me a sense of pride, nostalgia and misery," Mr Wilesmith said."I love that when I sing or speak in language I've done right by my people and proven to our ancestors that we are strong enough and are still here, even though they're not." Ms Briscoe's ancestors are front of mind for her too. She said it's important to remember the effort started long ago, with work to capture and keep language dating back to colonisation. "There's a lot of stories of communities that have written whole language dictionaries from songs in the hymn books," she said. "That was a deliberate act, there was a deliberate choice to translate the hymns into their language, preserve their language. "The songs kept going, the pronunciation is there, the intonation, all the nuances are there in those songs, even when we weren't allowed to practice our traditional style of singing they were still using these songs as a way of preserving our language." For musician and producer Deline Briscoe, using language in her songs is not just a responsibility, it is a continuation of tradition and honouring her ancestors. "That's one of the forms we pass on our knowledge, including survival, including kinship systems, including stories," the Kuku Yalanji woman told AAP. "For me, that's the importance of keeping that oral tradition going because it's the way that we connect to the feeling, and when you feel something you can really understand it deeper. "Music brings that to the human experience." Ms Briscoe is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interviewed for a digital project at the University of Queensland, exploring how music can help prevent the loss of Indigenous languages. The suite of videos explores the connection between music and language. University of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit associate professor Katelyn Barney said researchers hope students will use the resource to learn about the power of music as a way to safeguard languages. "We wanted to really listen to people's story and allow them to share the ways they're using music," she said. "The people we interviewed talked about how there was a need for more resources around reclamation, revitalisation through music and how music can be a really powerful tool to do that." Assoc Prof Barney, who collaborated on the project with Ms Briscoe and Wiradyuri author and University of Queensland professor Anita Heiss, said a common theme in the interviews was the responsibility artists felt to maintain language. Biripi Worimi musician and University of Queensland alum, Jamaine Wilesmith said growing up, his language wasn't often spoken around him. He'd been trying to learn his language for six years and found incorporating it into his songs helped him preserve and familiarise himself with it. "When I use the language in my songs or writing it gives me a sense of pride, nostalgia and misery," Mr Wilesmith said."I love that when I sing or speak in language I've done right by my people and proven to our ancestors that we are strong enough and are still here, even though they're not." Ms Briscoe's ancestors are front of mind for her too. She said it's important to remember the effort started long ago, with work to capture and keep language dating back to colonisation. "There's a lot of stories of communities that have written whole language dictionaries from songs in the hymn books," she said. "That was a deliberate act, there was a deliberate choice to translate the hymns into their language, preserve their language. "The songs kept going, the pronunciation is there, the intonation, all the nuances are there in those songs, even when we weren't allowed to practice our traditional style of singing they were still using these songs as a way of preserving our language."
West Australian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
The power of music sustaining Indigenous languages
For musician and producer Deline Briscoe, using language in her songs is not just a responsibility, it is a continuation of tradition and honouring her ancestors. "That's one of the forms we pass on our knowledge, including survival, including kinship systems, including stories," the Kuku Yalanji woman told AAP. "For me, that's the importance of keeping that oral tradition going because it's the way that we connect to the feeling, and when you feel something you can really understand it deeper. "Music brings that to the human experience." Ms Briscoe is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interviewed for a digital project at the University of Queensland, exploring how music can help prevent the loss of Indigenous languages. The suite of videos explores the connection between music and language. University of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit associate professor Katelyn Barney said researchers hope students will use the resource to learn about the power of music as a way to safeguard languages. "We wanted to really listen to people's story and allow them to share the ways they're using music," she said. "The people we interviewed talked about how there was a need for more resources around reclamation, revitalisation through music and how music can be a really powerful tool to do that." Assoc Prof Barney, who collaborated on the project with Ms Briscoe and Wiradyuri author and University of Queensland professor Anita Heiss, said a common theme in the interviews was the responsibility artists felt to maintain language. Biripi Worimi musician and University of Queensland alum, Jamaine Wilesmith said growing up, his language wasn't often spoken around him. He'd been trying to learn his language for six years and found incorporating it into his songs helped him preserve and familiarise himself with it. "When I use the language in my songs or writing it gives me a sense of pride, nostalgia and misery," Mr Wilesmith said."I love that when I sing or speak in language I've done right by my people and proven to our ancestors that we are strong enough and are still here, even though they're not." Ms Briscoe's ancestors are front of mind for her too. She said it's important to remember the effort started long ago, with work to capture and keep language dating back to colonisation. "There's a lot of stories of communities that have written whole language dictionaries from songs in the hymn books," she said. "That was a deliberate act, there was a deliberate choice to translate the hymns into their language, preserve their language. "The songs kept going, the pronunciation is there, the intonation, all the nuances are there in those songs, even when we weren't allowed to practice our traditional style of singing they were still using these songs as a way of preserving our language."
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
The power of music sustaining Indigenous languages
For musician and producer Deline Briscoe, using language in her songs is not just a responsibility, it is a continuation of tradition and honouring her ancestors. "That's one of the forms we pass on our knowledge, including survival, including kinship systems, including stories," the Kuku Yalanji woman told AAP. "For me, that's the importance of keeping that oral tradition going because it's the way that we connect to the feeling, and when you feel something you can really understand it deeper. "Music brings that to the human experience." Ms Briscoe is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interviewed for a digital project at the University of Queensland, exploring how music can help prevent the loss of Indigenous languages. The suite of videos explores the connection between music and language. University of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit associate professor Katelyn Barney said researchers hope students will use the resource to learn about the power of music as a way to safeguard languages. "We wanted to really listen to people's story and allow them to share the ways they're using music," she said. "The people we interviewed talked about how there was a need for more resources around reclamation, revitalisation through music and how music can be a really powerful tool to do that." Assoc Prof Barney, who collaborated on the project with Ms Briscoe and Wiradyuri author and University of Queensland professor Anita Heiss, said a common theme in the interviews was the responsibility artists felt to maintain language. Biripi Worimi musician and University of Queensland alum, Jamaine Wilesmith said growing up, his language wasn't often spoken around him. He'd been trying to learn his language for six years and found incorporating it into his songs helped him preserve and familiarise himself with it. "When I use the language in my songs or writing it gives me a sense of pride, nostalgia and misery," Mr Wilesmith said."I love that when I sing or speak in language I've done right by my people and proven to our ancestors that we are strong enough and are still here, even though they're not." Ms Briscoe's ancestors are front of mind for her too. She said it's important to remember the effort started long ago, with work to capture and keep language dating back to colonisation. "There's a lot of stories of communities that have written whole language dictionaries from songs in the hymn books," she said. "That was a deliberate act, there was a deliberate choice to translate the hymns into their language, preserve their language. "The songs kept going, the pronunciation is there, the intonation, all the nuances are there in those songs, even when we weren't allowed to practice our traditional style of singing they were still using these songs as a way of preserving our language."
