The cell nucleus is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most
eukaryotic cells. It contains most of the cell's genetic material,
organized as multiple long linear DNA molecules in complex with a
large variety of proteins such as histones to form chromosomes. The
genes within these chromosomes make up the cell's nuclear genome. The
function of the nucleus is to maintain the integrity of these genes
and to control the activities of the cell by regulating gene
expression. The main structural elements of the nucleus are the
nuclear envelope, a double membrane that encloses the entire organelle
and keeps its contents separated from the cellular cytoplasm, and the
nuclear lamina, a meshwork within the nucleus that adds mechanical
support much like the cytoskeleton supports the cell as a whole.
Because the nuclear membrane is impermeable to most molecules, nuclear
pores are required to allow movement of molecules across the envelope.
Although the interior of the nucleus does not contain any
membrane-delineated bodies, its contents are not uniform, and a number
of subnuclear bodies exist, made up of unique proteins, RNA molecules,
and DNA conglomerates. The best known of these is the nucleolus, which
is mainly involved in assembly of ribosomes. After being produced in
the nucleolus, ribosomes are exported to the cytoplasm where they
translate mRNA. The nucleus was the first organelle to be discovered,
and was first described by Franz Bauer in 1802. It was later described
in more detail by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in 1831.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_nucleus
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1264:
King Henry III was captured in the Battle of Lewes, making Simon de
Montfort the de facto ruler of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_England)
1607:
An expedition led by Christopher Newport established the Jamestown
Settlement in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in
North America.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown_Settlement)
1796:
Edward Jenner began testing cowpox as a vaccine for protection against
smallpox.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner)
1948:
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Declaration of
Independence in Tel Aviv.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_(Israel))
1973:
The NASA space station Skylab was launched from Cape Canaveral.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living
his life, and who had good friends, a fine family. I don't think I
could ask for anything more than that, actually. -- Frank Sinatra
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra)
Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It
is the 12th largest state in the U.S., and the
21st most populous, with just over five million residents
as of 2006. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the
Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 32nd
state on May 11, 1858. While the state's residents are primarily white
and Northern European, substantial influxes of African, Asian, and
Hispanic immigrants have joined the descendants of European immigrants
and of the original Native American inhabitants. Nearly 60% of
Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan
area known as the Twin Cities, the center of transportation, business,
and industry, and home to an internationally known arts community. The
remainder of the state, often referred to as Greater Minnesota,
consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture;
eastern deciduous forests, also heavily farmed and settled; and the
less-populated northern boreal forest. The state, known as the "Land
of 10,000 Lakes," is known for its moderate-to-progressive politics
and social policies, its civic involvement, and high voter turnout.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
Merchant sea-captain Robert Gray first entered the Columbia River, the
largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River)
1812:
British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John
Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Perceval)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bellingham)
1918:
The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was established,
with Tapa Tchermoeff as the first prime minister.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapa_Tchermoeff)
1949:
Siam was officially renamed Thailand.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Thailand)
1960:
Mossad agents captured Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi leader and fugitive war
criminal hiding in Argentina.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The poet in a golden clime was born,
With golden stars above;
Dower'd with the hate of hate, the scorn of scorn,
The love of love.
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Tennyson)
Campbell's Soup Cans is the title of a work of art produced in 1962 by
Andy Warhol (pictured). It consists of thirty-two canvases, each
measuring 20 inches in height x 16 inches in width (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
and each consisting of a painting of a Campbell's Soup can—one of each
of the canned soup varieties the company offered at the time. The
individual paintings were produced with a semi-mechanised silkscreen
process, using a non-painterly style. Campbell's Soup Cans' reliance
on themes from popular culture helped to usher in pop art as a major
art movement. For Warhol, a commercial illustrator who became a
successful author, painter and film director, the work was his first
one-man gallery exhibition as a fine artist. This exhibition marked
the West Coast debut of pop art. The combination of the
semi-mechanized process, the non-painterly style, and the commercial
subject initially caused offense, as the work's blatantly mundane
commercialism represented a direct affront to the technique and
philosophy of abstract expressionism. The public commotion helped
transition Warhol from being an accomplished 1950s commercial
illustrator to a notable fine artist, and it helped distinguish him
from other rising pop artists.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_Soup_Cans
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1503:
Christopher Columbus and his crew became the first Europeans to visit
the Cayman Islands.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands)
1857:
The Sepoy Rebellion broke out in colonial India, threatening the rule
of the British East India Company.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rebellion_of_1857)
1869:
The First Transcontinental Railroad of North America was completed
with a golden spike ceremony.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad)
1924:
J. Edgar Hoover became director of the U.S. Bureau of Investigation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover)
1940:
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of the United Kingdom resigned and
formally recommended Winston Churchill as his successor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who
think. -- Jean de La Bruyère
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_de_La_Bruy%C3%A8re)
Hovhannes Bagramyan was a Soviet Armenian military commander and
Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Bagramyan became the
first non-Slavic military officer to become a commander of a Front.
Bagramyan's previous experience in military planning as a chief of
staff officer allowed him to distinguish himself as a capable
commander during the war in the early stages of the Soviet
counter-offensives against Nazi Germany. He was given his first
command of a unit in 1942 and in November 1943, received his most
prestigious command as the head of the First Baltic Front. As head of
the Baltic Front, he participated in the offensives which moved
westwards to push German forces out of the occupied Soviet Union and
the recapturing of the Baltic republics. After the war, he served as a
deputy member of the Supreme Soviets of the Latvian Soviet Socialist
Republic and Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and was a regular
attendant of the Party Congresses. In 1952, he became a candidate for
entry into the Central Committee and, in 1961, was inducted as a full
member. For his contributions during the war, he was widely regarded
as a national hero in the Soviet Union, and continues to hold such
esteemed status among many Armenians today.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovhannes_Bagramyan
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1671:
Thomas Blood was caught trying to steal the British Crown Jewels from
the Tower of London.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blood)
1901:
The first Parliament of Australia opened in the Royal Exhibition
Building in Melbourne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Australia)
1945:
End of World War II in Europe: The signing of a second German
Instrument of Surrender by General Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel,
specifying the capitulation of the Wehrmacht to the Soviet Red Army,
was announced.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Instrument_of_Surrender)
1946:
King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicated.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emmanuel_III_of_Italy)
1950:
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard, the
founder of Scientology and Dianetics, was first published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianetics:_The_Modern_Science_of_Mental_Health)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is
also believed by many others. They just don't dare express themselves
as we did. -- Sophie Scholl of the White Rose
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sophie_Scholl)
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is known as the Red Planet
due to its reddish appearance as seen from Earth. The planet is named
after Mars, the Roman god of war. A terrestrial planet, Mars has a
thin atmosphere and surface features reminiscent both of the impact
craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice
caps of Earth. It has the highest mountain in the solar system,
Olympus Mons, and the largest canyon, Valles Marineris. Mars'
rotational period and seasonal cycles are also similar to those of the
Earth. Of all the planets in our solar system other than Earth, Mars
is the most likely to harbor liquid water, and perhaps life. Mars is
currently host to three functional orbiting spacecraft: Mars Odyssey,
Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is more than any
planet except Earth. The surface is also home to the two Mars
Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity). Geological evidence
gathered by these and preceding missions suggests that Mars previously
had large-scale water coverage, while observations also indicate that
small geyser-like water flows have occurred in recent years. Mars has
two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1429:
Siege of Orléans: French troops led by Joan of Arc lifted the English
siege and turned the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Orléans)
1541:
The expedition led by Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reached
the Mississippi River.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto_(explorer))
1794:
French chemist and economist Antoine Lavoisier, a former royal tax
collector with the Ferme Générale, was tried, convicted, and
guillotined on the same day during the Reign of Terror.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier)
1902:
The volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée destroyed the town of St. Pierre,
Martinique, killing over 30,000 people.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pelée)
1945:
Most armed forces under German control ceased active operations by
23:01 hours CET at the end of World War II in Europe, in accordance
with the capitulation documents signed by General Alfred Jodl
on behalf of Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz the day before.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_World_War_II_in_Europe)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
And, oh! what beautiful years were these When our hearts clung each to
each;When life was filled and our senses thrilled In the first faint
dawn of speech. Thus life by life and love by love We passed through
the cycles strange,And breath by breath and death by death We followed
the chain of change. -- Langdon Smith
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Langdon_Smith)
The history of Tamil Nadu and the civilisation of the Tamil people are
among the oldest in the world. Throughout its history, spanning from
the early Palaeolithic age to the modern time, this region has
coexisted with various external cultures. Except for relatively short
periods in its history, the Tamil region has remained independent of
external occupation. The three Tamil dynasties of Chera, Chola and
Pandya were of ancient origins. With the decline of the three ancient
dynasties during the fourteenth century, the Tamil country became part
of the Vijayanagara Empire. Under this empire the Telugu speaking
Nayak governors ruled the Tamil land. The brief appearance of the
Marathas gave way to the European trading companies, who began to
appear during the seventeenth century and eventually assumed greater
sway over the indigenous rulers of the land. The Madras Presidency
comprising of most of southern India was created in the eighteenth
century and was ruled directly by the British East India Company.
After the independence of India, the Tamil Nadu state was created
based on linguistic boundaries.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tamil_Nadu
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: The Estates-General convened in Versailles to
discuss a financial crisis in France.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates-General_of_1789)
1862:
Mexican troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halted a French invasion in the
Battle of Puebla.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Puebla)
1949:
The Council of Europe was formed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Europe)
1950:
Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned in Bangkok as King Rama IX of
Thailand, currently the world's longest-serving head of state.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhumibol_Adulyadej)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations — one can
either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is
this: do it or do not do it — you will regret both. -- Søren
Kierkegaard in Either/Or
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard)
Gilwell Park is a campsite and activity centre for Scouting groups, as
well as a training and conference centre for Scout Leaders. The
44 hectare (109 acre) site is located in Sewardstonebury, Epping
Forest close to Chingford, London. In the late Middle Ages, it started
as a farm, growing to a wealthy estate that fell into disrepair
towards 1900. It was given in 1919 by Scout Commissioner William De
Bois Maclaren to The Scout Association of the United Kingdom to
provide camping facilities to London Scouts, and training facilities
for Scouters. As Scout Leaders from all countries of the world have
come to Gilwell Park for their Wood Badge training, it is one of the
great landmarks of the world Scouting movement. The site contains
campfields for a small patrol up to a 1200 people camp, indoor
accommodations, historical sites, monuments of Scouting, and
activities suitable for all sections of the Scouting Movement. It can
accommodate events for up to 10,000 people. Accommodation of Gilwell
Park can also be hired for non-Scout activities such as school group
camping, wedding receptions and conferences.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilwell_Park
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1471:
Wars of the Roses: Yorkist Edward IV defeated a Lancastrian army in
the Battle of Tewkesbury.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tewkesbury)
1855:
William Walker and a group of mercenaries sailed from San Francisco to
conquer Nicaragua.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_(soldier))
1919:
The May Fourth Movement began in China with large-scale student
demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, Peking against the Paris Peace
Conference and Japan's Twenty-One Demands.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Fourth_Movement)
1970:
The Ohio National Guard shot at students in Kent State University
protesting the American invasion of Cambodia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings)
1979:
Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The life, the fortune, and the happiness of every one of us, and, more
or less, of those who are connected with us, do depend upon our
knowing something of the rules of a game infinitely more difficult and
complicated than chess. It is a game which has been played for untold
ages, every man and woman of us being one of the two players in a game
of his or her own. The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the
phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game are what we call the
laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We
know that his play is always fair, just, and patient. But also we
know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the
smallest allowance for ignorance. -- T. H. Huxley
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Huxley)
William Monahan is a novelist and Academy Award-winning American
screenwriter. Monahan went to work in Hollywood in 1998, when Warner
Bros. bought the film rights to Light House: A Trifle, which had not
yet been published, and contracted him to adapt it to the screen for
director Gore Verbinski. In 2001, 20th Century Fox bought Monahan's
spec script about the Barbary Wars called Tripoli, with Ridley Scott,
who was to become Monahan's primary collaborator, attached to direct.
Monahan, immediately successful as a screenwriter, has since worked
with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, among other filmmakers. His
first produced screenplay, Kingdom of Heaven was made into a film by
Ridley Scott and released in theaters in 2005. His second produced
screenplay was The Departed, a film which earned him a WGA award and
an Academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Monahan prefers that
screenplays should be written by one writer rather than a
collaboration of multiple screenwriters writing competing drafts. Thus
far he has followed his scripts through production, and is one of very
few sole credit writers in the film business.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Monahan
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1791:
The Polish Constitution of May 3, one of the earliest codified
national constitutions in the world, was adopted by the Sejm.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_May_3%2C_1791)
1808:
The Swedish fortress Sveaborg was lost to Russia during the Finnish
War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomenlinna)
1939:
Subhash Chandra Bose formed the Forward Bloc of the Indian National
Congress.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Forward_Bloc)
1945:
World War II: German ocean liner Cap Arcona, left to float
defencelessly in the Bay of Lübeck with thousands of prisoners from
various concentration camps on board, was attacked and sunk by RAF
Typhoons.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_Arcona)
1947:
A new Constitution of Japan went into effect.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Japan)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and
sing. What a mistake that would be. -- Pete Seeger
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger)
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on
May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. It
was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season, and the first race
of the season to be held in Europe. The race weekend was marred by the
deaths of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and three-time world champion
Ayrton Senna as well as numerous other accidents and injuries, and was
described by BBC Television commentator Murray Walker as "the blackest
day for Grand Prix racing that I can remember". The race was
eventually won by Michael Schumacher. In the press conference
following the race, Schumacher said that he "couldn't feel satisfied,
couldn't feel happy" with his win following the events that had
occurred during the race weekend.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_San_Marino_Grand_Prix
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1707:
The Kingdoms of England and Scotland merged to form the Kingdom of
Great Britain, a single kingdom encompassing the entire island of
Great Britain with a single parliament and government based in
Westminster.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707)
1840:
The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, was issued
in the United Kingdom.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black)
1893:
The World's Columbian Exposition, a World's Fair to celebrate the
400th anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher
Columbus, opened in Chicago, United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_Columbian_Exposition)
1956:
A doctor in Japan reported an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the
central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata
disease.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease)
1960:
Bombay State, India was partitioned into Gujarat and Maharashtra along
linguistic lines.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtra)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
A man must be excessively stupid, as well as uncharitable, who
believes that there is no virtue but on his own side, and that there
are not men as honest as himself who may differ from him in political
principles. -- Joseph Addison
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Addison)