All posts tagged: longstanding

Dolly Parton finally confirmed a long-standing rumor about her body before her death at 80

Dolly Parton finally confirmed a long-standing rumor about her body before her death at 80

Published by Daniella Wilson

Dolly Parton was an open book about the cosmetic changes she made to her body before her death at 80 on August 25, 2026, even once revealing that she spent $1 million on breast augmentations.  However, it wasn’t just her fondness for plastic surgery that garnered attention. Over the years, speculation grew that Dolly was hiding several tattoos under her favored long-sleeved outfits. In 2006, Dolly attended a special-edition DVD launch party for the 25th anniversary of her film, 9 to 5 – in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin – wearing a white long-sleeved shirt.  Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: King Charles pays tribute to Dolly Parton after her death at 80 Some eagle-eyed fans spotted what appeared to be a large butterfly tattoo peeking through the top, which led to years of many people claiming Dolly was covered in ink.  Dolly’s tattoos © Getty ImagesFans were convinced Dolly had a butterfly tattoo peeking through the sleeve of her shirt In 2020, she finally put the rumors to rest, confirming that …

Ralph Lauren’s Longstanding US Open Collection Looks Aces off the Courts

Ralph Lauren’s Longstanding US Open Collection Looks Aces off the Courts

Published by Jenni Sidey

If the tennis freaks in your life have been a bit distracted the last few days, go easy on them. The US Open is approaching faster than a Jannik Sinner forehand down the line. As we wrap our heads around the latest tournament, we have Polo Ralph Lauren’s recently released US Open collection to serve as a nice warm-up, at least for those of us not participating in the final Grand Slam of the year. Polo has long been one of the official merchandise partners for the tournament, and they have dropped more than 60 pieces tied explicitly to the Open. And lest you think it might get repetitive, Polo packed the collection with more variety than Carlos Alcaraz’s arsenal of exquisite shots. Hyper technical on-court gear? Check. Vintage-inspired knitwear? Buckle up. The exact same gear worn by chair umps and ball crews? Yessir. Classic tees and embroidered button-ups? Who do you think is behind this? And as a result, what we’re left with is one of the most interesting, unexpected and comprehensive merch drops …

Rapidly spinning stars could solve a longstanding black hole flare mystery

Rapidly spinning stars could solve a longstanding black hole flare mystery

Published by Jenni Sidey

Some stars survive repeated close passes around supermassive black holes, but several known systems produce flares that get dimmer each time. Computer simulations suggest rapid stellar spin can explain the fading by limiting how much extra rotation the black hole adds during each encounter. The same process that may trap these stars near black holes, the breakup of a tight binary star system, could also explain why the stars were spinning so fast beforehand. A star can skim dangerously close to a supermassive black hole, lose part of itself and survive. Then, months or years later, it can return and do it again. In several known systems, though, each new flare grows mysteriously dimmer. That pattern has challenged models of repeating partial tidal disruption events, or rpTDEs. These events happen when a black hole strips material from a star without completely destroying it. The surviving stellar core stays in orbit and can return for another close encounter. Now, hydrodynamical simulations suggest the missing piece may be the star’s rotation before it ever meets the black …

Black Hole Stars Are Apparently Real and Help Explain a Long-Standing Mystery

Black Hole Stars Are Apparently Real and Help Explain a Long-Standing Mystery

Published by skeptic

It’s time to cue up some Chris Cornell and get in the mood, because astronomers may have found a real black hole sun. While the Soundgarden frontman wrote the 1994 song after mishearing a news broadcast, the black hole star we’re talking about today is likely very real.  Astronomers have been studying the half-black hole, half-star object, known formally as MoM-BH*-1, and this week published the results of their analysis in the journal Nature. The object bears a striking resemblance to a star, thanks to its outer shell of very hot and dense gas. It exhibits other star-like behaviors as well, especially when viewed with the NIRSpec instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.  But there are some notable differences when compared to other stars. MoM-BH*-1 has a black hole at the center instead of a molten core like a traditional star. It’s also the size of our entire solar system and puts out over 100 billion times the amount of energy of any known star. The energy output is more in line with what …

Supreme Court strikes down long-standing campaign finance restrictions

Supreme Court strikes down long-standing campaign finance restrictions

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down longtime campaign finance rules challenged by Vice President JD Vance that place limits on how much a national political party committee can spend in coordination with individual candidates. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading. In a 6-3 ruling authored by conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court found that the restrictions violate free speech rights under the Constitution’s First Amendment, based on the theory that political spending is a form of speech. The challenge was brought by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the campaigns of two candidates in the 2022 elections: Vance, who was then running as a Republican candidate for the Senate in Ohio, and then-Rep. Steve Chabot, a Republican congressman from the same state who lost his re-election bid. The Federal Election Commission, under the Trump administration, sided with the challengers. Vice President JD Vance speaks in Alburtis, Pa., on Dec. 16.Ryan Collerd / AFP via Getty Images The …

A Long-Standing Theory of Childbirth Is a Myth

A Long-Standing Theory of Childbirth Is a Myth

Published by Daniella Wilson

As billions of people can attest, giving birth is hard for humans. Our infants have an exceptionally large head for their body size and yet have to squeeze through a very narrow pelvis. Appendages can get stuck; bones can fracture. At worst, the consequences can be lethal for mothers or babies. Until recently, many researchers believed that our species weathered that particular hardship alone: Other primates, they supposed, didn’t need to strike the same compromise between super-brains and walking upright, and so could birth babies with relative ease. But new evidence has started to challenge the notion that human childbirth is uniquely dangerous. A new paper published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution offers one of the most compelling cases to date against that assumption—showing that other primates, too, must push their babies through some seriously restricted spaces, contributing to infant-death rates that can exceed 34 percent. Humans have long put ourselves on an evolutionary pedestal—“We always think we are special,” Nicole Webb, an evolutionary biologist at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, …

Prince Harry’s longstanding fear of being ‘overshadowed’ by Prince William’s children

Prince Harry’s longstanding fear of being ‘overshadowed’ by Prince William’s children

Published by Daniella Wilson

Prince Harry feared his brother Prince William’s three children would “overshadow” him, a royal biographer has claimed.  The Prince and Princess of Wales’ three children – Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight – have grown up in the public eye, just like their uncle. But in recent months, the limelight has been on George in particular as he is set to embark on his secondary studies in September at a still undisclosed school. Amid speculation over the young royal’s future education, royal biographer Andrew Morton alleges that the Duke of Sussex has long been concerned about his niece and nephews eclipsing him. “The issue that always concerned Prince Harry, that he would be overshadowed by his brother’s children, is coming true”, he claimed to the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential. The biographer also weighed in on Oundle School in Northamptonshire as a potential pick for where the young royal could be studying next. © Samir Hussein./WireImageThe Prince and Princes of Wales with their three children: Louis, Charlotte and George George’s school Prince William recently …

Sen. Susan Collins reveals long-standing essential tremor diagnosis: ‘I’ve lived with for decades’

Sen. Susan Collins reveals long-standing essential tremor diagnosis: ‘I’ve lived with for decades’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Republican Sen. Susan Collins has publicly disclosed for the first time that she has a benign essential tremor, a long-standing health condition, as she campaigns for reelection in one of this year’s most competitive Senate races. The Maine senator confirmed the tremor to WCSH-TV on Wednesday, following questions about her health that arose from recent video appearances, including her campaign announcement. Collins stated the condition causes trembling in her hands, head, and voice, and she has lived with it throughout her nearly three-decade career in the Senate. She clarified in a Thursday statement to The Associated Press that the condition affects millions of Americans over 40, “does not interfere” with her work, and is not neurodegenerative. “The tremor is occasionally inconvenient, and sometimes the subject of cruel comments online, but it does not hinder my ability to work and, as I …

Orthodox Georgians Bid Final Farewell to Longstanding Patriarch

Orthodox Georgians Bid Final Farewell to Longstanding Patriarch

Published by Sam Flores

TBILISI, March 22 (Reuters) – ⁠Large ⁠crowds of Orthodox ⁠Christians gathered in the centre of the ​Georgian capital on Sunday to mourn Ilia II, ‌the spiritual leader who led ‌the church through nearly half a ⁠century of ⁠Georgia’s often tumultuous history. Ilia II, born Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili, ​died on Tuesday in hospital aged 93, having served as patriarch in the overwhelmingly Orthodox country for 49 ​years. “He was a friend, he was a father, ⁠he was ⁠a leader,” said ⁠mourner ​Nino Kajaia. “This is the end of an era.” Georgians of ​all ages, some ⁠holding flowers and candles, gathered along the Tbilisi river embankment to bid farewell as Ilia II’s funeral cortege made its way to the ⁠Sioni Cathedral, where the patriarch was laid to rest. Many wept ⁠and clapped as the car bearing his coffin drove by, shouting “I love you, patriarch!” Georgia adopted Christianity as its state religion in the early fourth century, and remains deeply religious to this day. Ilia II became patriarch in 1977 and led the church through the Soviet ⁠period …

An Introduction to the Strait of Hormuz and Its Role in the Longstanding US-Iran Conflict

An Introduction to the Strait of Hormuz and Its Role in the Longstanding US-Iran Conflict

Published by José Betancourt

Above, you can watch a primer on the Strait of Hor­muz, the nar­row pas­sage between Iran and Oman through which rough­ly 20% of the world’s oil sup­ply flows. Pro­duced by Vox, the video explains why this choke­point has long played a cen­tral role in ten­sions between the Unit­ed States and Iran. Since the 1980s, Iran has threat­ened to dis­rupt traf­fic through the Strait, all as a way to exert pres­sure on the glob­al econ­o­my. Now, fac­ing an attack from the Unit­ed States and Israel, it’s mak­ing good on its threats, slow­ing traf­fic to a trick­le. With oil prices surg­ing, the Trump admin­is­tra­tion has yet to demon­strate that it has a coher­ent plan for coun­ter­ing a strat­e­gy that Iran announced decades ago. Stay tuned for more… If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newslet­ter, please find it here. It’s a great way to see our new posts, all bun­dled in one email, each day. If you would like to sup­port the mis­sion of Open Cul­ture, con­sid­er mak­ing a dona­tion to our site. It’s …