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November 26

Giant golden mole, type host of H. niekerki

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 (example pictured) 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...)

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April 26

The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first modern celebration of the Olympic Games, after the Ancient Olympic Games had been cancelled by Roman emperor Theodosius I in AD 393. At a 1894 congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, the International Olympic Committee was established, and the Greek capital of Athens was appointed as the host city of the first modern Olympics. The Greeks had little experience with organizing sports events, and initially had financial troubles as well, but managed to have everything ready in time. Although the number of participating athletes was low by today's standards, it had the largest international participation for any sports event to that date. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spiridon Louis. The most successful competitor in terms of victories was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann. Barring the so-called Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics. (more...)

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March 26

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that infects the mucus lining of the human stomach. Many peptic ulcers and some types of gastritis are caused by H. pylori infection, although most humans who are infected will never develop symptoms. The bacterium lives in the human stomach exclusively and is the only known organism that can thrive in that highly acidic environment. It is helix shaped (hence the name helicobacter) and can literally screw itself into the stomach lining to colonize it. In 1875, German scientists found the bacteria in the lining of the human stomach, although the results were forgotten. The bacterium was rediscovered in 1982 by two Australian scientists Robin Warren and Barry Marshall, who isolated and cultured organisms from mucosal specimens from human stomachs. In their original paper, Warren and Marshall contended that most stomach ulcers and gastritis were caused by colonization with this bacterium, not by stress or spicy food as had been assumed before. The medical community was slow to recognize the role of this bacterium in stomach ulcers and gastritis, but in 1994, the National Institutes of Health published an opinion stating that most recurrent gastric ulcers were caused by H. pylori, and recommended that antibiotics be included in the treatment regimen. (more...)

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February 26

The Lord's Resistance Army is a rebel paramilitary group operating in northern Uganda, and as of February 2005 is engaged in an armed conflict against the Ugandan government. It is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself a spirit medium and apparently wishes to establish a state based on his unique interpretation of Biblical millenarianism. The rebels have been accused of many atrocities in the area. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the group since 1987 for use as as soldiers and sex slaves. LRA practices such as mutilation, enforced prostitution and enlisting children under the age of 15 into armed groups are war crimes. The group abducts its members primarily from the Acholi people, but it lacks widespread support among the Acholis, who have been the victims of many of its tactics. The insurgency has been mainly contained to the region known as Acholiland, consisting of the districts of Kitgum, Gulu, and Pader, though since 2002 violence has overflowed into other districts, including Lira, Apac and Adjumani. (more...)

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January 26

The Battle of Hampton Roads was a naval battle of the American Civil War, taking place from March 8, 1862 to March 9, 1862, off Sewell's Point, a narrow place near the mouth of Hampton Roads, Virginia. As the war started, Union forces evacuating Norfolk burned the ships left behind. One was raised by the Confederates, renamed the CSS Virginia, and plated with iron—making it the first modern ironclad warship. On March 8, 1862, it sailed into Hampton Roads off Sewell's Point to challenge the blockading Union ships there, destroying several of them. The next day, it was engaged by the USS Monitor, a newly built Union ironclad. Although the battle itself was inconclusive, it is chiefly significant in naval history as the first battle between two powered ironclad warships, which came to be known as ironclads. Prior to then, warships were made primarily of wood. After the battle, ships and naval warfare changed dramatically, as nations around the world raced to convert their fleets to iron. (more...)

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December 26

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, with more than one million casualties. The British and French forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 25 mile (40 km) front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. One purpose of the battle was to draw German forces away from the battle of Verdun; however, by its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun. The battle is best remembered for its first day, July 1, 1916, on which the British suffered 57,470 casualties, making it the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. As horrific as the battle of the Somme is in British memory, it also had a staggering impact on the German army; one officer famously describing it as "the muddy grave of the German field army." By the end of the battle the British had learnt many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreparable losses. (more...)

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November 26

Athanasius Kircher was a German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works in the 17th century, most in the fields of oriental studies, geology and medicine. He made an early study of Egyptian hieroglyphs. He was ahead of his time in proposing that the plague was caused by an infectious microorganism and in suggesting effective measures to prevent the spread of the disease. A scientific star in his day, towards the end of his life he was eclipsed by the rationalism of René Descartes and others. In the late 20th century, however, the aesthetic qualities of his work have again begun to be appreciated. He has been described by one scholar, Edward Schmidt, as "the last Renaissance man." (more...)

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October 26

The term race is used in a wide variety of contexts, with related but often distinct meanings. Its use is often controversial, largely because of the political and sociological implications of different definitions, but also because of disagreements over such issues as whether humans can be meaningfully divided into multiple races. In biology, some use race to mean a division within a species, synonymous with subspecies or variety. Race serves to group members of a species that have, for a period of time, become geographically or genetically isolated from other members of that species, and as a result have diverged genetically and developed certain shared characteristics that differentiate them from the others. Some biologists feel that in this usage we may justifiably speak of dividing Homo sapiens into races. Others, however, assert that in humans there is in fact insufficient categorical variation to justify the classification of humans into multiple races in a strictly biological sense. Many social scientists therefore view race as a social construct, and have sought to understand it as such. (more...)

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September 26

A mixed-breed dog (also called a mutt or mongrel) is a dog that is a mixture of two or more breeds. Mixed-breed dogs vary in size, shape, and color, making them hard to classify physically, but some colors are more common than others. With each generation of mixing, the offspring move closer to the genetic norm. Dogs that are descended from many generations of mixes are typically light brown or black and weigh about 18 kg (40 lbs). The theory of hybrid vigor suggests that dogs of mixed ancestry will be healthier than their purebred counterparts. In some cases this might be true, because inbreeding among purebreds has made some breeds prone to various genetic health problems. Historically, dog shows and dog sports excluded mixed-breed dogs from competition. While this tradition is changing, some sports still remain open only to one breed of dog, such as greyhound racing. (more...)

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September 6

The Warsaw Uprising was an armed struggle during the Second World War by the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) to liberate Warsaw from German occupation and Nazi rule. It started on August 1, 1944 as a part of a nationwide uprising, Operation Tempest. The Polish troops resisted the German-led forces until October 2. An estimated 85% of the city was destroyed during the urban guerrilla war and after the end of hostilities. The Uprising started at a crucial point in the war as the Soviet army was approaching Warsaw. Although the Soviet army was within a few hundred metres of the city from September 16 onward, the link between the uprising and the advancing army was never made. This failure and the reasons behind it have been a matter of controversy ever since. (more...)

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August 26

Art competitions were held from 1912 to 1948 at the Olympic Games. The competitions were an idea of Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Movement. Medals were awarded in five areas: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture, to works of art inspired by sport. The art competitions were abandoned in 1954 because artists were contended to be professionals, while Olympic athletes were required to be amateurs. Since 1956, the Olympic cultural programme has taken the place of the art competitions. (more...)

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July 26

A siege is a prolonged military assault on and blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that refuses to surrender and cannot be easily taken by a frontal assault. Sieges usually involve surrounding the target and blocking the provision of supplies, typically coupled with artillery bombardment, sapping and mining to reduce fortifications. Sieges are as old as warfare itself, with towns in the Middle East from the dawn of civilization having defensive walls. However, with the advent of mobile warfare, one single fortified stronghold is no longer as decisive as it once was. (more...)

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June 26

A heavy metal umlaut is an umlaut over some of the letters in the names of a heavy metal band—although the names will then sound very silly to people who use languages in which umlauts are common, such as German, Turkish or Swedish. Umlauts are often used in concert with a Blackletter or pseudo-Blackletter typeface in the band logo to give it a more gothic feel. The original use of gratuitous diacritical marks appears to have been by the Blue Öyster Cult in 1971; Motörhead and Mötley Crüe then followed. Spoof band Spinal Tap parodied the idea still further in 1982 by putting the umlaut over the letter n, which does not belong to any standard character set. (more...)

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May 26

Single malt Scotch is a type of Scotch whisky, distilled by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient. This is in contrast to blended whisky, which consists of a mixture of single malt whiskies and whiskies derived from other grains. All single malt Scotch must be produced using a pot still, and be distilled, aged, and bottled in Scotland. (more...)

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April 26

The 2004 Taiwanese presidential election was held on March 20, 2004. President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu of the Democratic Progressive Party were re-elected by a margin of less than 0.25% of valid votes over a combined opposition ticket of Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong. Lien and Soong refused to concede and unsuccessfully challenged the results. (more...)

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March 26

Medieval literature encompasses essentially all written works available in Europe during the Middle Ages (roughly from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. 500 AD to the beginning of the Florentine Renaissance in the late 15th century). The literature of this time period varies wildly, from the utterly sacred to the exuberantly profane (touching all points in-between), which is only fitting for a millennium in which European life circled around the muck and mire of the fields, the gore of the battlefield, and the quiet removal of monasteries and cathedrals. (more...)

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