Latest news with #Köhler
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Swimmer Köhler still suffers consequences of receiving hate messages
Germany's Angelina Koehler reacts disappointed after competing in the final of the women's 100m butterfly swimming event at the Paris La Defence Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Jan Woitas/dpa Swimming world champion Angelina Köhler is still suffering the consequences of receiving hate messages, which included images with reference to Nazism sent to her. "I was attacked by Chinese bots in English and German. I was called a Nazi and sent photos with the Hitler salute," the 24-year-old German told the Sport Bild weekly in an interview published on Wednesday. Advertisement "Because of my ADHD diagnosis, people claimed that I was taking medication like Ritalin. But I don't take any medication at all!" she stressed. The attacks came after Köhler called for clarification after Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei was included on a list published by broadcasters ARD and The New York Times of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in 2021. None of the athletes were banned and the scandal broke out a few months before the Paris 2024 Games. "The whole thing has left its mark on me. I'm now going into the next competitions like the world championships in Singapore with a different feeling. I don't know what it will be like to face the Chinese team. What will it be like with a Chinese audience? Will I be booed?" Köhler. Advertisement Köhler was fourth in the 100 metre butterfly at the Paris Olympics, while Zhang claimed bronze, and the German spoke of a "bitter aftertaste." During the Games in Paris, Köhler said she was afraid to be out on her own. The hate messages have since decreased, but she still receives some. "I'm restricted in my everyday life by the consequences. It's like a persecution complex. I still don't drink from a bottle that's already been opened. I have to keep a close eye on my bottle to make sure no one pours anything into it," she explained. In addition to artificial intelligence tools that scans messages and shields athletes from hate comments, Köhler would like further support from the German Olympic body (DOSB). "I would like the DOSB to offer a contact person for athletes. So that they don't feel left alone," she said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- 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."
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Research Shows Tonga's Maka Lahi Boulder's Journey
Article – RNZ The researchers used numerical modelling to establish that wave heights of around 50 metres, and lasting around 90 seconds, would have been needed to dislodge the boulder from its cliff-edge origin. New research theorises that Tonga's Maka Lahi boulder was moved more than 200 metres inland by a tsunami around 7,000 years ago. Maka Lahi, meaning 'Big Rock', is a limestone boulder measuring 6.7 metres tall and 14 metres wide, and weighing approximately 1180 tonnes. It is the second-largest boulder in Tonga, after Maui Rock, and sits at an elevation of 39 metres. The University of Queensland's School of the Environment PhD candidate Martin Köhler is one of the authors of the study published in Marine Geology. He said that he and his team were directed to the boulder local farmers. 'We had been surveying the southern side of the island of Tongatapu, looking along the coastal cliffs at evidence of past tsunamis,' Köhler said. '[The boulder] is located far inland, outside of our field work area, and must have been carried by a very big tsunami. '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.' The researchers used numerical modelling to establish that wave heights of around 50 metres, and lasting around 90 seconds, would have been needed to dislodge it from its cliff-edge origin and move it to its resting place. This suggests its emplacement 'likely resulted from a landslide-triggered tsunami event', researchers said. Several wave-transported boulders (weighing 0.6-1555 t) had previously been reported on Tongatapu. 'The exceptional characteristics of the Maka Lahi boulder, including its dimensions, estimated mass of approximately 1180tn and its high elevation, rank it among the three largest coastal boulders globally and the largest cliff-top boulder in the world.' Co-author Dr Annie Lau said Tonga had a long history of tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes along the underwater Tofua Ridge and the Tonga Trench. 'The findings we have reported on the Maka Lahi boulder are the evidence of a tsunami in the Pacific region in the Holocene epoch, which began around 11,700 years ago,' she said. 'Understanding past extreme events is critical for hazard preparation and risk assessment now and in the future.' The study said like other coastal boulders on Tongatapu such as Maui Rock on the west coast and the Haveluliku boulders on the east coast, Maka Lahi is also interpreted within a mythological framework as one of the ' Maui throwing stones' believed to be deposited by the demi-god Maui, while chasing chicken(s) from 'Eua to Tongatapu, as described in a Tongan legend.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Research Shows Tonga's Maka Lahi Boulder's Journey
Article – RNZ The researchers used numerical modelling to establish that wave heights of around 50 metres, and lasting around 90 seconds, would have been needed to dislodge the boulder from its cliff-edge origin. New research theorises that Tonga's Maka Lahi boulder was moved more than 200 metres inland by a tsunami around 7,000 years ago. , meaning 'Big Rock', is a limestone boulder measuring 6.7 metres tall and 14 metres wide, and weighing approximately 1180 tonnes. It is the second-largest boulder in Tonga, after Maui Rock, and sits at an elevation of 39 metres. The University of Queensland's School of the Environment PhD candidate Martin Köhler is one of the authors of the study published in Marine Geology. He said that he and his team were directed to the boulder local farmers. 'We had been surveying the southern side of the island of Tongatapu, looking along the coastal cliffs at evidence of past tsunamis,' Köhler said. '[The boulder] is located far inland, outside of our field work area, and must have been carried by a very big tsunami. '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.' The researchers used numerical modelling to establish that wave heights of around 50 metres, and lasting around 90 seconds, would have been needed to dislodge it from its cliff-edge origin and move it to its resting place. This suggests its emplacement 'likely resulted from a landslide-triggered tsunami event', researchers said. Several wave-transported boulders (weighing 0.6-1555 t) had previously been reported on Tongatapu. 'The exceptional characteristics of the Maka Lahi boulder, including its dimensions, estimated mass of approximately 1180tn and its high elevation, rank it among the three largest coastal boulders globally and the largest cliff-top boulder in the world.' Co-author Dr Annie Lau said Tonga had a long history of tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes along the underwater Tofua Ridge and the Tonga Trench. 'The findings we have reported on the Maka Lahi boulder are the evidence of a tsunami in the Pacific region in the Holocene epoch, which began around 11,700 years ago,' she said. 'Understanding past extreme events is critical for hazard preparation and risk assessment now and in the future.' The study said like other coastal boulders on Tongatapu such as Maui Rock on the west coast and the Haveluliku boulders on the east coast, Maka Lahi is also interpreted within a mythological framework as one of the ' Maui throwing stones' believed to be deposited by the demi-god Maui, while chasing chicken(s) from 'Eua to Tongatapu, as described in a Tongan legend.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Research Shows Tonga's Maka Lahi Boulder's Journey
New research theorises that Tonga's Maka Lahi boulder was moved more than 200 metres inland by a tsunami around 7,000 years ago. Maka Lahi, meaning "Big Rock", is a limestone boulder measuring 6.7 metres tall and 14 metres wide, and weighing approximately 1180 tonnes. It is the second-largest boulder in Tonga, after Maui Rock, and sits at an elevation of 39 metres. The University of Queensland's School of the Environment PhD candidate Martin Köhler is one of the authors of the study published in Marine Geology. He said that he and his team were directed to the boulder local farmers. "We had been surveying the southern side of the island of Tongatapu, looking along the coastal cliffs at evidence of past tsunamis," Köhler said. "[The boulder] is located far inland, outside of our field work area, and must have been carried by a very big tsunami. "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." The researchers used numerical modelling to establish that wave heights of around 50 metres, and lasting around 90 seconds, would have been needed to dislodge it from its cliff-edge origin and move it to its resting place. This suggests its emplacement "likely resulted from a landslide-triggered tsunami event", researchers said. Several wave-transported boulders (weighing 0.6-1555 t) had previously been reported on Tongatapu. "The exceptional characteristics of the Maka Lahi boulder, including its dimensions, estimated mass of approximately 1180tn and its high elevation, rank it among the three largest coastal boulders globally and the largest cliff-top boulder in the world." Co-author Dr Annie Lau said Tonga had a long history of tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes along the underwater Tofua Ridge and the Tonga Trench. "The findings we have reported on the Maka Lahi boulder are the evidence of a tsunami in the Pacific region in the Holocene epoch, which began around 11,700 years ago," she said. "Understanding past extreme events is critical for hazard preparation and risk assessment now and in the future." The study said like other coastal boulders on Tongatapu such as Maui Rock on the west coast and the Haveluliku boulders on the east coast, Maka Lahi is also interpreted within a mythological framework as one of the " Maui throwing stones" believed to be deposited by the demi-god Maui, while chasing chicken(s) from 'Eua to Tongatapu, as described in a Tongan legend.
