User:LEC20/Daily Diversions

The current time is 22:14 (UTC).
November 26, 2024.

==News of the Day==ncmfsgdkdhfkfrfkvcjcjnxjxjcjfjfijfmgjg.dcxnxxgs uer dhhdddsgxchxckvFjfaulz honcho gjjg

Gintautas Paluckas

• Following parliamentary elections, the Seimas elects Gintautas Paluckas (pictured) as the prime minister of Lithuania.
• The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif in its investigation of war crimes in Palestine.
• In New Zealand, the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti protest march arrives at Parliament in response to a proposed bill that would reform the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Ongoing:

• Israel–Hamas war
• Israeli invasion of Lebanon
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • timeline
• Sudanese civil war
  • timeline

Recent deaths:

• Rico Carty
• Chia-ying Yeh
• Fred R. Harris
• Tony Campolo
• John Prescott
• Diane Coleman

Article of the Day

Heptamegacanthus is a genus of acanthocephalans (thorny- or spiny-headed parasitic worms) containing a single species, Heptamegacanthus niekerki. This worm is a parasite of the endangered giant golden mole found only in isolated forests near East London and in the Transkei, both in South Africa. The worms are about 4 millimetres (0.2 in) long and 2 millimetres (0.08 in) wide with minimal sexual dimorphism. Their body consists of a short trunk and a proboscis with 40 to 45 hooks arranged in rings, which are used to pierce and hold the rectal wall of its host. The life cycle of H. niekerki remains unknown; however, like other acanthocephalans, it likely involves complex interactions with at least two hosts. Although the intermediate host for Heptamegacanthus is not definitively identified, it is presumed to be an arthropod, such as an insect, which is eaten by the giant golden mole. The worms then mature and reproduce sexually within the mole's lower gastrointestinal tract, creating eggs which are released in its feces. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

• Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• Sydney Newman

Picture of the Day

Picture of the day

Ice eggs, also known as ice balls, are a rare phenomenon caused by a process in which small pieces of sea ice in open water are rolled over by wind and currents in freezing conditions and grow into spheroid pieces of ice. They sometimes collect into heaps of balls on beaches where they pack together in striking patterns. The gentle churn of water, blown by a suitably stiff breeze, makes concentric layers of ice form on a seed particle that then grows into the floating ball as it rolls through the freezing currents. This formation of ice eggs was photographed in 2014 on Stroomi Beach in Tallinn, Estonia. The temperature was around −20 to −15 °C (−4 to 5 °F), and the diameter of each ball around 5 to 10 centimetres (2 to 4 in).Photograph credit: Aleksandr Abrosimov