Wikipedia:2008 main page redesign proposal/TakuyaMurata

What I have in mind is the main page that looks like an online newspaper site, except that each article is an encyclopedia article, not a news piece. I go to the homepage of nytimes.com several times a day because it has a lot of content and is updated frequently. Wikipedia's main page could be something similar, something that can be frequented by readers.

The proposal in more detail: The page is organized into subject sections. Each section then has featured articles or DYK articles related to its subject matter. For example, the geography section would always have some featured content (e.g., articles, pictures) related to geometry. This way, readers can find featured articles or new articles interested to them every day. This would also foster the competition between wikiprojects.

We are getting too big; it's time to have multiple featured content in the main page. The popularity of Wikipedia lies in the quality (or quantity?) of our content, so it seems natural to emphasize our articles as much as possible. This emphasis makes sense, as opposed to explaining what this site is about, since only very few don't know Wikipedia at this point. -- Taku (talk) 00:04, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

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Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia July 16, 08. 6,930,380 articles

Current news Manmohan Singh Former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh (pictured) dies at the age of 92. Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashes near Aktau International Airport, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. A multi-vehicle crash in Minas Gerais, Brazil, leaves 41 people dead. A car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, kills five people and injures more than two hundred others. Ongoing: Israel–Hamas war Israeli invasion of Lebanon Russian invasion of Ukraine timeline Sudanese civil war timeline Recent deaths: Gaboro Slim Dunlap John Marsden James E. Malone Jr. Rickey Henderson Zakir Hussain

On this day December 26: Saint Stephen's Day (Western Christianity); Boxing Day in the Commonwealth; Wren Day in Ireland and the Isle of Man; Kwanzaa begins (African diaspora in the Americas) Flannan Isles Lighthouse 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou began with Confederate defenders engaging Union forces who were attempting to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. 1871 – Thespis, the first comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered at the Gaiety Theatre in London. 1900 – A relief crew arrived at the Flannan Isles Lighthouse (pictured) in Scotland and discovered that the previous crew had disappeared. 1943 – Second World War: The German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk at the Battle of the North Cape during an attempt to attack Arctic convoys. 2004 – A major earthquake and tsunami devastated communities around the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries. Willy Corsari (b. 1897) Elizabeth David (b. 1913) Milagros Benet de Mewton (d. 1948) Stanisław Kot (d. 1975) More anniversaries: December 25 December 26 December 27

Natural science

Structural image of DNA

Genetics, a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the process of inheritance, only began with the work of Gregor Mendel in the mid-nineteenth century. Although he did not know the physical basis for heredity, Mendel observed that organisms inherit traits in a discrete manner—these basic units of inheritance are now called genes. Genes correspond to regions within DNA, a molecule composed of a chain of four different types of nucleotides—the sequence of these nucleotides is the genetic information organisms inherit. The sequence of nucleotides in a gene is translated by cells to produce a chain of amino acids, creating proteins—the order of amino acids in a protein corresponds to the order of nucleotides in the gene. The amino acids in a protein determine how it folds into a three-dimensional shape; this structure is, in turn, responsible for the protein's function. Proteins carry out almost all the functions needed for cells to live. A change to the DNA in a gene can change a protein's amino acids, changing its shape and function: this can have a dramatic effect in the cell and on the organism as a whole. (more...)

Transportation

Looking north on NY 32 in the Town of Cornwall

New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for 176.73 miles (284.42 km) through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. For much of its route it is closely parallel to Interstate 87 and US 9W, overlapping with the latter in several places. NY 32 begins at NY 17 near Harriman, and ends at NY 196 north of Hudson Falls. In between, the road passes through the cities of Newburgh, Kingston, Albany and Glens Falls. Outside of the cities, it offers views of the Hudson Highlands, Shawangunk Ridge, Catskill Mountains, and, during an overlap with US 4 north of Albany, the Hudson River. The roads now making up the highway were originally part of several privately-maintained turnpikes, which enhanced the growth of settlements along the corridor. Once part of the former NY 58, it has been NY 32 since 1930. It has had three suffixed spur routes, only one of which remains. (more...)