Saturday, March 28, 2020

Wikipedia article of the day for March 29, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 29, 2020 is Francis Willughby.
Francis Willughby (1635–1672) was an English ornithologist and ichthyologist, and an early student of linguistics and games. At Trinity College, Cambridge, he was tutored by the mathematician and naturalist John Ray, who became a lifetime friend and colleague. Willughby, Ray, and others including John Wilkins were advocates of a new way of studying science, relying on observation and classification, rather than the received authority of Aristotle and the Bible. Willughby and Ray undertook journeys to gather information and specimens in England, Wales, and continental Europe, visiting museums, libraries and private collections as well as studying local animals and plants. After Willughby's early death, Ray completed the works they had jointly planned, publishing books on birds, fish and invertebrates that included innovative ways of classifying animals. Carl Linnaeus relied on Willughby and Ray's books in his Systema Naturae, the basis of binomial nomenclature.

A Single Gesture Behind Trump Fuels an Online Conspiracy Theory


By BY DAVEY ALBA AND SHEERA FRENKEL from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dB2aB4

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Wikipedia article of the day for March 27, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 27, 2020 is Introduction to viruses.
A virus is an infectious agent that reproduces inside the cells of living hosts. Unlike most living things, viruses do not have cells that divide; instead they force infected host cells to produce thousands of identical copies of the original virus, at an extraordinary rate. A virus consists of two or three parts: genes, made from either DNA or RNA, long molecules that carry the genetic information; a protein coat that protects the genes; and in some, an envelope of fat that surrounds and protects them when they are not contained within a host cell (and makes them vulnerable to soap). Viruses spread in different ways; some through the air by people when they cough or sneeze, others by the faecal–oral route, and some by direct contact or during sex. Over 4,800 species have been discovered, many of which cause disease in plants and animals, including common human diseases such as the common cold, chickenpox and cold sores, and serious epidemics and pandemics such as HIV, Ebola, influenza, SARS and COVID-19.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Wikipedia article of the day for March 26, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 26, 2020 is Ubinas.
Ubinas is a stratovolcano in the Moquegua Region of southern Peru, 60 kilometres (37 mi) east of the city of Arequipa. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, it rises 5,672 metres (18,609 ft) above sea level. Its summit is cut by a caldera 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) wide and 150 metres (490 ft) deep, which itself contains a smaller crater. Below the summit, Ubinas is a steep cone with a prominent notch on the southern side. The most active volcano in Peru, it has a history of small- to moderate-sized explosive eruptions and persistent degassing and ash emissions. An eruption in 1667, its largest since prehistoric times, produced scoria falls and pyroclastic flows. In 2006 and 2007 eruption columns led to ash fall in the region, resulting in health issues and evacuations. During the most recent activity, from 2013 to 2019, a lava flow formed inside the crater, and as ash fell, surrounding towns had to be evacuated.

Lawmakers Question Start-Ups on At-Home Kits for Coronavirus Testing


By BY NATASHA SINGER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dqMDUp