Chromatophores are pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells found
in amphibians, fish, reptiles, crustaceans and cephalopods. They are
largely responsible for generating skin and eye colour in cold-blooded
animals and are generated in the neural crest during embryonic
development. Some species can rapidly change colour through mechanisms
that translocate pigment and reorient reflective plates within
chromatophores. This process, often used as a type of camouflage, is
called physiological colour change. Cephalopods such as octopuses have
complex chromatophore organs controlled by muscles to achieve this,
while vertebrates such as chameleons generate a similar effect through
cell signaling. Such signals can be hormones or neurotransmitters, and
may be initiated by changes in mood, temperature or stress, or by
visible changes in the local environment. Unlike cold-blooded animals,
mammals and birds have only one class of chromatophore-like cells, the
melanocyte. The cold-blooded equivalents, melanophores, are studied by
scientists to understand human disease, and are used as a tool in drug
discovery.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatophore
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1419:
Hussite Wars: Jan Žižka and others threw several town councillors
out the window at the First Defenestrations of Prague.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestrations_of_Prague)
1619:
The first representative assembly in the Americas, Virginia's House of
Burgesses, convened for the first time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Burgesses)
1756:
Bartolomeo Rastrelli presented the Catherine Palace, a Baroque palace
in Tsarskoye Selo, to Empress Elizabeth of Russia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Palace)
1825:
Malden Island (pictured), now one of Kiribati's Line Islands, was
discovered in the Pacific Ocean.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malden_Island)
1930:
Uruguay won the first Football World Cup in front of their home crowd
at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, beating Argentina 4 to 2.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
What am I singing? A song of seeds The food of love. Eat the music. --
Kate Bush
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)
The Second Battle of Smolensk was a major World War II Red Army
offensive in western Russia, staged almost simultaneously with the
Battle of the Lower Dnieper. The two-month offensive led by Generals
Andrei Yeremenko and Vasily Sokolovsky was aimed at clearing the
German presence from the Smolensk and Bryansk regions. Smolensk had
been under German occupation since the first Battle of Smolensk in
1941. Despite an impressive German defense setup, the Red Army was
able to stage several breakthroughs, liberating several major cities,
including Smolensk and Roslavl, and moving into occupied Belorussia.
Although playing a major military role in its own right, the Smolensk
Operation was also important for its effect on the Battle of Dnieper.
It has been estimated that as many as 55 German divisions were
committed to counter the Smolensk Operation - divisions that were
critically needed to prevent Soviet troops from crossing the Dnieper
River in the south. Additionally, the operation allowed the Red Army
to repulse German forces definitively from the Smolensk landbridge,
historically the most important approach for an attack on Moscow from
the west.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Smolensk_%281943%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1030:
King Olaf II (pictured) fought and died in the Battle of Stiklestad,
trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stiklestad)
1900:
Italian American anarchist Gaetano Bresci assassinated King Umberto I
of Italy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Bresci)
1947:
ENIAC, the world's first all-electronic digital computer, was turned
on; it remained in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC)
1954:
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of The Lord of the Rings by
J.R.R. Tolkien, was published in the United Kingdom.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring)
1957:
The International Atomic Energy Agency was established.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Atomic_Energy_Agency)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic
country." -- Alexis de Tocqueville
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexis_de_Tocqueville)
Bulbasaur is one of the 403 fictional species of Pokemon
creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokemon media franchise—a
collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and
other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. CNN has called Bulbasaur one of
the "lead critters", referring to it and its later forms as "the
Carmen Miranda of Pokemon figures" due to the "increasingly exotic
foliage on its head" as it evolves. Bulbasaur are one of the first
Pokemon that a player can obtain in the first of the series' video
games (Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue). Bulbasaur also appear often in
the Pokemon anime. In every version of the Pokemon series, Bulbasaur
are vaguely reptilian creatures that move on all fours. They are small
and squat, and have a light blue-green body coloration, with darker
blue-green spots. The artwork design of Bulbasaur was created by Ken
Sugimori for the creature's 1996 debut in the Pokemon video games,
and has since remained unchanged.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulbasaur
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1794:
Reign of Terror leader Maximilien Robespierre (pictured) was
guillotined.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilien_Robespierre)
1914:
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, starting World War I.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I)
1976:
The Tangshan earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude
flattened Tangshan, China, killing 242,769 and injuring 164,851.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangshan_earthquake)
1990:
Alberto Fujimori became President of Peru and the first person of East
Asian descent to become executive head of state of a non-Asian nation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Fujimori)
1996:
The remains of the prehistoric Kennewick Man were discovered.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennewick_Man)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"We are social creatures to the inmost centre of our being. The notion
that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past,
or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong." -- Karl
Popper
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Popper)
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. The
primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place where Muslims can
come together for prayer. Mosques are widely recognized for their
importance in the Muslim community and in Islamic architecture. They
have evolved significantly from the open-air spaces of the Quba Mosque
and Masjid al-Nabawi of the 7th century, and most modern mosques have
elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls. Mosques originated on the
Arabian Peninsula, but can now be found on all six inhabited
continents. They are not only places for worship and prayer, but also
places for believers to interact and to learn about Islam. Other
faiths' places of worship, such as synagogues and churches, have often
been converted into mosques.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1214:
Philip II of France (pictured) decisively won the Battle of Bouvines
and took undisputed control of the territories of Anjou, Brittany,
Maine, Normandy and the Touraine.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bouvines)
1865:
A group of Welsh settlers arrived at Chubut Valley in Argentina's
Patagonia region.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_settlement_in_Argentina)
1921:
University of Toronto researchers led by Frederick Banting announced
the discovery of the hormone insulin.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/insulin)
1953:
A cease-fire was established in the Korean War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War)
1996:
Centennial Olympic Park bombing: A pipe bomb exploded during the 1996
Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, killing two and
injuring 111.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Olympic_Park_bombing)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"In soft deluding lies let fools delight. A shadow marks our days,
which end in Night." -- Hilaire Belloc
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hilaire_Belloc)
Lastovo is an island, town and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva
County in Croatia. The island has an area of 46 km² and a population,
of 835 of which 93% are ethnic Croats. The municipality is slightly
larger, as it includes another 46 islands and islets, covering a total
area of approximately 56 km². The island is rich in architecture,
featuring many buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries. There are a
large number of churches for the island's size, a testament to the
island's long-standing Roman Catholic tradition. Lastovo's major
cultural event, aside from the normal celebrations on the Catholic
calendar, is the event known as the Poklad. The island relies
primarily on its natural beauty and preservation to attract a
reasonable number of tourists each season. Lastovo, like the rest of
Roman Dalmatia, was settled by Illyrians. Around the year 1000, the
Venetians attacked the island due to the its participation in piracy
along the Adriatic, destroying the settlement. In the 13th century,
Lastovo joined the Dubrovnik Republic, where it mostly enjoyed a
certain level of autonomy until the republic's conquest by the French
under Napoleon. Austria then ruled the island for the next two
centuries until it finally became a part of Croatia.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lastovo
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1847:
Brigham Young led the first group of Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake
Valley, then part of Mexico.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young)
1911:
In the Peruvian Andes, Hiram Bingham re-discovered Machu Picchu
(pictured), "the Lost City of the Incas".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu)
1927:
The Menin Gate war memorial in Ypres, Belgium was unveiled.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menin_Gate)
1943:
World War II: RAF Bomber Command started Operation Gomorrah, the
strategic bombing of Hamburg, Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Hamburg_in_World_War_II)
2001:
Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a
child, was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becaming the only
monarch in history to regain political power through democratic
election to a different office.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_II_of_Bulgaria)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
There is one story and one story only. Dwell on her graciousness,
dwell on her smiling, Do not forget what flowers The great boar
trampled down in ivy time. Her brow was creamy as the long ninth wave,
Her sea-blue eyes were wild. But nothing promised that is not
performed. -- Robert Graves
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Graves)
"Read my lips: no new taxes" was a famous phrase spoken by American
Republican presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988
Republican National Convention in his acceptance speech on August 18.
Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line was one of the most
prominent soundbites from the speech. The impact of the pledge was
considerable, and many believe it helped Bush win the 1988 United
States presidential election. Once elected, however, Bush agreed to
raise several taxes as part of a 1990 budget agreement. This has been
attributed to a declining economy, ballooning budget deficits, and the
need to compromise with the Democrat-controlled Congress. This
reversal caused great controversy, especially in the more conservative
wing of the Republican Party. In the 1992 presidential election
campaign, Pat Buchanan made extensive use of the phrase in his
surprisingly strong challenge to Bush in the Republican primaries. In
the election itself, Bill Clinton also pointed to the quote as
evidence of Bush's untrustworthiness, contributing to Bush losing his
bid for reelection.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_my_lips%3A_no_new_taxes
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1881:
The International Federation of Gymnastics, the world's oldest
international sport federation, was founded in Liège, Belgium.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_Internationale_de_Gymnast…)
1952:
King Farouk of Egypt was forced to abdicate by army officers in the
Free Officers Movement.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farouk_of_Egypt)
1967:
The 12th Street Riot began in the predominantly black inner-city area
of Detroit, Michigan, United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Street_riot)
1970:
Qaboos (pictured) overthrew his father Said bin Taimur to become
Sultan of Oman.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qaboos_of_Oman)
1986:
Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey, joining the
British Royal Family as the Duchess of York.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah%2C_Duchess_of_York)
2001:
Megawati Sukarnoputri became the first female president of Indonesia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megawati_Sukarnoputri)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is
neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective must be a complete man and
a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather
weathered phrase, a man of honor. He talks as the man of his age
talks, that is, with rude wit, a lively sense of the grotesque, a
disgust for sham, and a contempt for pettiness." -- Raymond Chandler
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler)
Cryptography is a discipline of mathematics and computer science
concerned with information security and related issues, particularly
encryption and authentication. Prior to the early 20th century,
cryptography was chiefly concerned with linguistic patterns. Since
then, the emphasis has shifted, and cryptography now makes extensive
use of areas of mathematics such as of information theory,
computational complexity, statistics, combinatorics, and especially
number theory. Cryptography is also a branch of engineering, but an
unusual one, as it deals with active, intelligent and malevolent
opposition. There is also active research examining the relationship
between cryptographic problems and quantum physics. Cryptography is
central to the techniques used in computer and network security for
such purposes as access control and information confidentiality.
Cryptography is used in many applications that touch everyday life;
the security of ATM cards, computer passwords, and electronic commerce
all depend on cryptography.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1099:
First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first Protector of
the Holy Sepulchre in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_of_Bouillon)
1456:
Forces under John Hunyadi (pictured) lifted the Siege of Belgrade and
defeated an Ottoman invasion into the Kingdom of Hungary.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Belgrade)
1933:
Wiley Post became the first pilot to fly a fixed-wing aircraft solo
around the world.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_Post)
1946:
An Irgun bomb destroyed the headquarters of the British Mandate of
Palestine at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 90.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_bombing)
2003:
Coalition forces attacked a compound in Mosul, Iraq, killing two of
Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, the "aces of hearts and clubs"
in the U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis after the invasion of Iraq.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_Hussein)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
We thought we were done with these things but we were wrong.We
thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.We thought the long train
would run to the end of Time.We thought the light would increase.Now
the long train stands derailed and the bandits loot it.Now the boar
and the asp have power in our time.Now the night rolls back on the
West and the night is solid.Our fathers and ourselves sowed dragon's
teeth. Our children know and suffer the armed men. -- Stephen Vincent
Benet
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Vincent_Ben%C3%A9t
The National Anthem of Russia is the "Hymn of the Russian Federation".
The music of the anthem, composed by Alexander Alexandrov, was used
for the Soviet anthem, but the revised lyrics were written by Sergey
Mikhalkov in 2000. It was adopted in late 2000 by President Vladimir
Putin and replaced the former anthem, The Patriotic Song. Before and
after the adoption of the anthem, liberal groups raised concerns that
the re-adoption of the Soviet anthem was returning Russia to the
Soviet era. The revised lyrics removed mention of Lenin's ideas and
the "unbreakable union" of the Soviet state, instead speaking of a
country that is vast in distance and in resources that will be
entrusted to future generations.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anthem_of_Russia
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1298:
English and Irish forces led by Edward Longshanks defeated William
Wallace's Scottish troops at the Battle of Falkirk.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Falkirk_%281298%29)
1831:
In Brussels, Leopold I (pictured) was inaugurated as the first King of
the Belgians.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I_of_Belgium)
1861:
The First Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle in the American
Civil War, began.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run)
1954:
First Indochina War: The 17th parallel was established at the Geneva
Conference, partitioning Vietnam into North Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh
and South Vietnam under Emperor Bảo Ä?ại.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Demilitarized_Zone)
1970:
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed after 11 years of
construction.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken
places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good
and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of
these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no
special hurry." -- Ernest Hemingway
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway)