Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 2026

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Today's featured article archive

January 1

Copper fals citing al-Muti' as overlord

Al-Muti' was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974, ruling under the tutelage of the Buyid emirs. Al-Muti's reign represented the nadir of the Abbasid Caliphate's power and authority. In previous decades, the secular authority of the caliphs had shrunk to Iraq, and even there had been curtailed by powerful warlords; with the Buyid conquest of Baghdad, it was now abolished entirely. Al-Muti' was raised to the throne by the Buyids and was effectively reduced to a rubber-stamp figurehead, albeit with some vestiges of authority over judicial and religious appointments in Iraq. The very fact of his subordination and powerlessness helped restore some stability to the caliphal institution: in stark contrast to his short-lived and violently deposed predecessors, al-Muti' enjoyed a long and relatively unchallenged tenure, and was able to hand over the throne to his son al-Ta'i'. Al-Muti's prestige as the nominal leader of the Muslim world sharply declined during his tenure. (Full article...)

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January 2

Professed Cookery title page, 1760

Ann Cook (fl. c. 1725 – c. 1760) was an English cookery book writer and innkeeper. In 1754 she published Professed Cookery (pictured), which went on to two further editions in her lifetime. In 1739–1740 Cook and her husband John became embroiled in a feud with a well-connected local landowner, Sir Lancelot Allgood, following an argument over an invoice the Cooks had issued. Although they were later exonerated, Allgood continued his attack on them, forcing them to leave their inn. To earn money, Cook wrote The New System of Cookery in 1753, which was reissued as Professed Cookery in 1754. In the work, in addition to a range of recipes, she included a poem and an "Essay upon the Lady's Art of Cookery". This was an attack on Allgood's half-sister Hannah Glasse, who had published a best-selling cookery book, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, in 1747. The second and third editions of Professed Cookery include a critical analysis of Glasse's work, traditional English recipes and an essay on household management. (Full article...)

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January 3

Tseax Cone is a small volcano in the Nass Ranges of the Hazelton Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has an elevation of 609 metres (1,998 feet) and lies within an east–west valley through which a tributary of the Tseax River flows. The volcano consists of two nested structures and was the source of four lava flows that descended into neighbouring valleys. A secondary eruptive centre lies just north of Tseax Cone on the opposite side of Melita Lake. It probably formed simultaneously with Tseax Cone; both were formed by volcanic activity sometime in the last 800 years. The exact timing of volcanism at Tseax Cone has been a subject of controversy due to there being no direct written accounts. There is also controversy over whether the volcano was formed during one or more distinct episodes of eruptive activity. The single eruptive episode hypothesis has been proposed by researchers as early as 1923 whereas a multi-eruption hypothesis was proposed in 1978. (Full article...)

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January 4

Excavated remains of Richard III

The remains of Richard III, the last English king killed in battle and last king of the House of York, were discovered within the site of the former Greyfriars Friary in Leicester, England, in September 2012. Richard III, the final ruler of the Plantagenet dynasty, was killed on 22 August 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth Field. His body was taken to Greyfriars, where it was buried in a crude grave in the friary church. Following the friary's dissolution in 1538 and subsequent demolition, Richard's tomb was lost. A search for Richard's body began in August 2012 and that September an archaeological excavation took place at the site of the friary. A skeleton (pictured) was discovered of a man with a spinal deformity and severe head injuries. Following extensive anthropological and genetic testing, the remains were identified as those of Richard. Leicester Cathedral was chosen as the site of Richard's reburial. His reinterment took place on 26 March 2015, during a televised memorial service. (Full article...)

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January 5

In September 1826, Margaret Warden died by arsenic poisoning, near Dundee, Scotland. Warden, a young servant girl, was pregnant at the time of her death; the father was George Smith, the son of Warden's employers, Mary and David Smith. The attending doctor thought Warden died of cholera, but rumours of poisoning soon spread and she was exhumed. Her stomach contents were tested; arsenic was found, and in October Mary Smith was committed for trial for murder. Her defence advocates called nearly fifty witnesses, and the trial began on 19 February. Testimony at the trial made it clear that Smith had given Warden something to drink shortly before she became ill. The defence called witnesses who testified that Warden might have committed suicide. The jury returned a verdict of not proven, acquitting Smith of the crime. Popular opinion at the time was that Smith was guilty, and ballads were written about the case. One of Smith's lawyers later wrote that he was sure she had committed the murder. (Full article...)

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January 6

New England Revolution stadium

New England Revolution has taken part in several international competitions. New England Revolution is an American soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which has competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) since the league's first season in 1996. The club has taken part five times in the CONCACAF Champions Cup; they have reached the quarterfinals on three occasions. In 2008, they lost to Joe Public F.C., marking the first time an MLS side had lost to a Caribbean one. In 2022, they lost to Pumas UNAM in a penalty shootout after winning the first leg 3–0. From 2008 to 2010, the club participated in the SuperLiga, an annual competition between MLS and Liga MX (the first-division Mexican league). They won the 2008 edition of the tournament, winning the final against the Houston Dynamo. The club also reached the final of the 2010 SuperLiga, which they lost to Atlético Morelia. Since 2023, they have participated in the Leagues Cup, another annual tournament between the two leagues. (Full article...)

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January 7

Yoshi's New Island is a 2014 platform game developed by Arzest and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The third installment in the Yoshi's Island series, it is set between the events of Yoshi's Island (1995) and Yoshi's Island DS (2006). Like its predecessors, Yoshi's New Island's gameplay revolves around safely transporting the infant Mario to his brother Luigi by completing a series of levels across an island. The player characters are dinosaurs known as the Yoshi species; each dinosaur is named Yoshi and has a unique color. Yoshi's New Island received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its sense of charm and nostalgia, but were divided on its art style, level design, and difficulty. Criticism was directed toward its soundtrack—which some considered repetitive—and the game's perceived lack of originality in comparison to its predecessors. The game was reissued as part of the Nintendo Selects line in 2016, and by 2020, it had sold more than two million copies worldwide. Yoshi's New Island was succeeded by Yoshi's Woolly World for the Wii U in 2015. (Full article...)

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January 8

Yamato on sea trial

The Yamato-class battleships were two battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Yamato (pictured) and Musashi, laid down leading up to the Second World War and completed as designed. A third hull was converted to the aircraft carrier Shinano during construction. Displacing nearly 72,000 long tons (73,000 t), the completed battleships were the heaviest ever constructed. The class carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to a warship, nine 460 mm (18.1 in) naval guns, capable of firing 1,460 kg (3,220 lb) shells over 42 km (26 mi). Because of the threat of U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers, Yamato and Musashi spent the majority of their careers in naval bases. All three ships were sunk by the U.S. Navy: Musashi by air strikes while participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, Shinano after being torpedoed by the submarine USS Archerfish in November 1944, and Yamato by air strikes while en route to Okinawa in April 1945. (This article is part of a featured topic: Yamato-class battleships.)

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January 9

Plato and Aristotle, ancient Greek philosophers

Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. It investigates different forms of government, ranging from democracy to authoritarianism, and the values guiding political action, like justice, equality, and liberty. Political philosophy focuses on desirable norms and values, in contrast to political science, which emphasizes empirical description. Political philosophy has its roots in antiquity, such as the theories of Plato and Aristotle (both pictured) in ancient Greek philosophy, with discussions on the nature of justice and ideal states. Confucianism, Taoism, and legalism emerged in ancient Chinese philosophy, while Hindu and Buddhist political thought developed in ancient India. The modern period marked a shift towards secularism as diverse schools of thought developed, such as social contract theory, liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, Marxism, and anarchism. (Full article...)

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January 10

Yan Bingtao, winner of the 2021 Masters

The 2021 Masters (officially the 2021 Betfred Masters) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 10 to 17 January 2021 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. It was the 47th staging of the Masters, which was first held in 1975, and the second of three Triple Crown events in the 2020–21 season. The top sixteen players from the snooker world rankings were invited to compete in a knockout tournament, organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. It was played behind closed doors because of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom. The defending champion, Stuart Bingham, had defeated Ali Carter 10–8 in the 2020 Masters final. Bingham lost 6–5 to Yan Bingtao (pictured) in the semi-finals. Yan (one of three debutants at the event, alongside Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Gary Wilson) met John Higgins in the final. Yan completed a 10–8 victory to win his first Triple Crown tournament. (Full article...)

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January 11

The northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird in the northern Atlantic. The sexes are similar in appearance. Nesting takes place in colonies on both sides of the North Atlantic. Its breeding range has extended northward and eastward, with colonies being established on Russia's Kola Peninsula in 1995 and Bear Island (the southernmost island of Svalbard) in 2011. Colonies are mostly located on offshore islands with cliffs, from which birds can more easily launch into the air. The northern gannet undertakes seasonal migrations and catches fish (which are the mainstay of its diet) by making high-speed dives into the sea. It faces few other natural or man-made threats. Because the northern gannet is both a conspicuous and a common bird, it is referred to in several ancient myths and legends. (Full article...)

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January 12

The Impartial Scout of June 1650, mentioning Alkin

Elizabeth Alkin (c. 1600 – c. 1655) was a publisher, nurse and spy for the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War (1642–1651). She was also commonly known as Parliamentary Joan, one of many derogatory names she was called by royalist sympathisers. Little is known about Alkin's early life. Her husband was arrested and hanged in 1643 by the royalists during the English Civil War for spying for the Parliamentarians; Alkin continued his work, spying in Oxford—the royalist wartime capital—even during the city's siege. By 1648 Alkin was involved in selling and then publishing Parliamentary newsbooks (example pictured)—the forerunners of newspapers. She used her role as a vendor to track down and report several publishers of royalist material. After the civil war, Alkin nursed casualties of the First Anglo-Dutch War, initially in Portsmouth, then Harwich and Ipswich. With her health failing she returned to London. It is presumed she died shortly afterwards, possibly over the 1655 Christmas period. (Full article...)

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January 13

Gwen Stefani

"Shine" is a song written and recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani (pictured) featuring Pharrell Williams, who also produced the song. Originally intended for Stefani's band No Doubt, it is a reggae pop and ska song that is featured in the 2014 live-action/animated film Paddington in the United States and Canada. The lyrics revolve around the lead character Paddington Bear's journey to London and his identity crisis. Stefani initially disagreed with Williams' choice to use direct references to Paddington in the lyrics, but praised this decision after watching the film with her children. She reported that her involvement with the recording was inspired by her then-husband Gavin Rossdale and her children's connection to England. Critical response to "Shine" was mixed; some praised Stefani and Williams's chemistry, while others compared it negatively to their previous collaborations. Commentators frequently likened it to Williams's 2013 single "Happy" and Stefani's 2014 song "Spark the Fire". (Full article...)

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January 14

The Snow Queen is a 2000 young-adult fantasy novel by the Canadian writer Eileen Kernaghan. It follows Gerda, a young Danish woman who sets out to rescue her childhood friend Kai from Madame Aurore, a magician known as the Snow Queen. She is joined on her journey by Ritva, a young Sámi woman born to a shamaness and a robber. The novel is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" (1844), but incorporates elements of Scandinavian shamanism and influences from the Kalevala (1835), a compilation of Finnish mythology and epic poetry. It also explores feminist and matriarchal themes, reinterpreting several plot elements from Andersen's original with contemporary shifts against the background of the imaginative geography of Arctic landscapes. The Snow Queen was published by Thistledown Press and received positive reviews. It received the Aurora Award for Best Novel in 2001 and was considered for two other accolades. (Full article...)

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January 15

Daughters of Jacob Home, showing the 8-spoked plan

Louis Abramson (August 1, 1887 – January 15, 1985) was an American architect who practiced mostly in New York City, specializing in hospitals, nursing homes, and restaurants. He is best known for designing the Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center. Early in his career, he designed several Jewish Centers, a new type of building which filled the religious, cultural, educational, and often fitness needs of the community in a single structure. Abramson had little formal schooling in architecture; he took courses at Cooper Union, the Mechanics Institute, and Columbia University but did not complete a degree. Most of his training was on-the-job in junior positions at well-known New York City architecture firms, after which he started his own firm. He employed a variety of styles, including Neo-Renaissance, Moorish Revival, Neo-Classical, Tudor, Art Deco, and Art Moderne. Several of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Full article...)

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January 16

Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Batman (1989) and the second installment in the Batman film series (1989–1997). Set during Christmas in Gotham City, the film follows Batman (Michael Keaton; pictured) as he confronts corrupt businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) and deformed crime boss Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin (Danny DeVito), whose bid for power threatens the city. Their schemes are further complicated by Shreck's former secretary Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), who seeks revenge against him as Catwoman. Released in June 1992, Batman Returns broke several box-office records and grossed $266.8 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1992. Critical reception was polarized, though most reviewers praised the principal cast. Following the mixed reception, Burton was replaced as director for its sequel, Batman Forever (1995). (Full article...)

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January 17

Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956) was an American politician who served as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1917 to 1947. Hague ran a corrupt political machine that dominated politics in Hudson County, and in the entire state. Born into poverty in Jersey City, Hague first gained office at age 20, and rose through the political ranks. During his 30 years as mayor, Hague's influence reached the national level. His ability to gain huge majorities in Hudson County for the Democrats helped elect governors and presidents, and his machine dispensed jobs and aid in exchange for votes. He wielded his greatest power under Franklin D. Roosevelt, controlling funding for New Deal projects. Among these were the Jersey City Medical Center and Roosevelt Stadium. By the 1940s, Hague was spending much time vacationing, and other ethnic groups were challenging the longtime Irish dominance in the city. He resigned in 1947 in favor of his nephew, Frank Hague Eggers. (Full article...)

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January 18

Cameroon, celebrating their victory

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final was an association football match to determine the winner of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It was held at the Stade de l'Amitié in Libreville, Gabon, and contested by Cameroon and Egypt. Egypt took a 1–0 lead through Mohamed Elneny after 22 minutes. Cameroon had more possession than Egypt in the first half, but their attack lacked potency and Egypt led at half time. The Egyptians made few attempts to attack in the second half, and Cameroon equalised after 59 minutes through Nicolas Nkoulou, who had come on as a substitute. Egypt were unable to adjust, and Cameroon continued to have the better chances, eventually scoring again two minutes before the end, through Vincent Aboubakar, to record a 2–1 win. The victory marked their fifth Africa Cup of Nations title. As winners, they represented CAF at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, but they did not progress beyond the group phase. (Full article...)

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January 19

Edward III outside a walled town

King Edward III of England led a campaign in the Duchy of Brittany in 1342 and 1343. England, at war with France since 1337 in the Hundred Years' War, had sided with John of Montfort's faction in the Breton Civil War soon after it broke out in 1341. An English fleet broke the blockade of Brest on 18 August and on 30 September a numerically inferior English army inflicted a heavy defeat on the French at the battle of Morlaix. After logistical difficulties, Edward abandoned his siege train and landed in Brittany on 26 October after a storm-wracked three-week passage. The English then advanced on the major Breton town of Vannes. The French garrison repelled an immediate assault and the English began a siege. English raiding parties devastated large parts of eastern Brittany, but attempts to reinforce or supply Edward from England failed. Philip VI of France moved his court to Brittany and entered into negotiations with Edward; they rapidly agreed the Truce of Malestroit, which is widely seen as favouring the English. (Full article...)

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January 20

The volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) is a small species of rabbit that lives in pine and alder forests on several volcanic slopes in Mexico. It is the sole member of the genus Romerolagus and considered the most primitive species among the rabbits and hares. One of the smallest rabbits in the world, it has an adult weight ranging from 390 to 600 g (14 to 21 oz) and a total body length of 23 to 31 cm (9.1 to 12.2 in). Dense, short, yellowish brown fur covers its body, helping it to blend in with volcanic soil. It has short, rounded ears, and its short tail becomes hidden in adulthood. The volcano rabbit has a highly restricted habitat, being found only on the slopes of four volcanoes to the southeast of Mexico City. Human activities, including urban and agricultural expansion, have caused its habitat to become more fragmented, and hunting, livestock grazing, and fires threaten rabbit populations even inside protected areas. (Full article...)

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January 21

Reflectivity imagery taken by a NEXRAD radar of the tornado

The Greensburg tornado struck on May 4, 2007 through Kiowa County, Kansas, heavily damaging the town of Greensburg. It was tracked 28.8 miles (46.3 km) through the area, killing 12 people and injuring 63. The tornado was the first to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The tornado heavily damaged Greensburg; 662 structures in the town sustained some form of damage and 95% of the town was damaged or destroyed. It dissipated northwest of Greensburg after being on the ground for just over an hour. The tornado left monetary losses of $250 million (2007 USD) in its wake. Kiowa County was declared a federal disaster area in the immediate aftermath. Rebuilding efforts were intensive, and several major federal government agencies collaborated with state agencies to help restore the town with the goal of making it a "green town" using a long-term community recovery (LTCR) plan. (This article is part of a featured topic: Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 2007.)

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January 22

Mariah Carey

The First Vision is the debut video album by Mariah Carey (pictured), released on January 22, 1991. It is a collection of music videos, live performances, and film footage detailing the development and promotion of Carey's first studio album Mariah Carey. It features music videos of "Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", and "Someday", as well as snippets of future singles "I Don't Wanna Cry" and "There's Got to Be a Way". The collection presents Carey performing at Club Tatou and rehearsal footage for Saturday Night Live and It's Showtime at the Apollo. During an interview segment, Carey answers questions about her life and music. Critics considered the album insightful and praised the showcase of her live vocal abilities; others opined that it projected her in a sexual manner. The video peaked at numbers 2 and 24 on US and UK music video charts. The Canadian Recording Industry Association certified it gold and the Recording Industry Association of America certified it platinum. (Full article...)

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January 23

Tiananmen Square

A Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen Square (pictured) in central Beijing on the eve of Chinese New Year on 23 January 2001. The official Chinese press agency, Xinhua News Agency, stated that five members of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual movement, set themselves on fire to protest the unfair treatment of Falun Gong by the Chinese government. The Falun Dafa Information Center stated the incident was a hoax staged by the Chinese government to turn public opinion against the group and to justify the torture and imprisonment of its practitioners. The incident received international news coverage, and video footage was broadcast later in the People's Republic of China by China Central Television. The campaign of state propaganda that followed the event eroded public sympathy for Falun Gong, and the government began sanctioning "systematic use of violence" against the group. (Full article...)

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January 24

Musidora: The Bather 'At the Doubtful Breeze Alarmed', also known as The Bather, is a name given to four nearly identical oil paintings on canvas by English artist William Etty. The paintings illustrate a scene from James Thomson's 1727 poem Summer in which a young man accidentally sees a young woman bathing naked and is torn between his desire to look and his knowledge that he ought to look away. The scene was popular with English artists as it was one of the few legitimate pretexts to paint nudes at a time when the display and distribution of nude imagery was suppressed. Musidora was extremely well received when first exhibited and considered one of the finest works by an English artist. Etty died in 1849 and his work rapidly went out of fashion. At that time, the topic of Musidora itself became a cliche, and from the 1870s Thomson's writings faded into obscurity. Etty's Musidora is likely to have influenced The Knight Errant by John Everett Millais, but otherwise has had little effect. (Full article...)

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January 25

CSS General Earl Van Dorn at Fort Pillow

CSS General Earl Van Dorn was a cottonclad warship used by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. She was purchased for Confederate service in New Orleans, in early 1862 to serve with the River Defense Fleet. She was converted into a cottonclad warship by installing an iron-covered framework of timbers on her bow that served as a ram, and protecting her machinery with timber bulkheads packed with cotton. A sidewheel steamer, she was 182 feet (55 m) long and was armed with a single 32-pounder cannon on the bow. Initially assigned to defend the Mississippi River, General Earl Van Dorn arrived at Memphis, Tennessee in April 1862. On May 10, she fought with the River Defense Fleet against the Union navy in the Battle of Plum Point Bend, where she rammed and sank the USS Mound City. After withdrawing up the Yazoo River to Liverpool Landing, Mississippi, General Earl Van Dorn, along with two other warships, was burnt by to prevent her capture by approaching Union vessels. (Full article...)

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January 26

Leblanc in 2011

Louis Leblanc (born January 26, 1991) is a former professional ice hockey player. A centre, Leblanc played minor hockey in the Montreal region before playing one season with the Omaha Lancers and becoming Rookie of the Year. At the 2009 NHL entry draft he was selected 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. He then spent one season with Harvard Crimson, being named Ivy League rookie of the year, before signing a contract with the Canadiens in 2010. Later that year Leblanc joined the Montreal Juniors. He spent three seasons with the Canadiens, mainly playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, before being traded in 2014 to the Anaheim Ducks, who kept him in the AHL. In 2015, Leblanc moved to Europe, joining HC Slovan Bratislava, playing seven games before being released. He appeared in four games for Lausanne HC, then retired from hockey. Internationally, Leblanc played in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. (Full article...)

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January 27

Market square in Dęblin during the German occupation

Thousands of Jews lived in the towns of Dęblin and Irena in central Poland before World War II. In September 1939, the town was captured in the German invasion of Poland and the persecution of Jews began with drafts into forced labor and the start of a Judenrat. An open ghetto was made in Irena and its inhabitants worked on labor projects for Dęblin Fortress, the railway, and the Luftwaffe. Beginning in May 1941, Jews were sent to labor camps around Dęblin from the Opole and Warsaw ghettos. Conditions in the ghetto worsened due to epidemics of typhus and dysentery. The first deportation was on 6 May 1942 and took around 2,500 Jews to Sobibór extermination camp. A week later, two thousand Jews arrived from Slovakia and hundreds more from nearby ghettos. In October, the Irena ghetto was liquidated; about 2,500 Jews were deported to Treblinka extermination camp while some 1,400 Jews were retained as inmates of forced-labor camps. On 27 July 1944, the camp was liberated by the Red Army. (Full article...)

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January 28

Inaugural cover, January 1915

The Ladies' Journal was the longest-lasting and widest-circulating Chinese women's magazine during the Republican period. Published from 1915 to 1931 by the Commercial Press, it initially focused on domestic issues and short stories of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school of romantic fiction. Following criticism over the journal's stances, Shen Yanbing (Mao Dun) was hired as editor in 1920. Shen left later that year, and Zhang Xichen replaced him as editor. While lacking prior interest in women's issues, he became a dedicated liberal feminist and recruited like-minded writers such as his assistant Zhou Jianren. A controversial 1925 special issue on the "new sexual morality" alongside political disagreements with the Commercial Press led to their removal as editors. The journal returned to a domestic focus. Already struggling due to decreased advertiser investment, the journal was cancelled after its headquarters were destroyed in a month-long battle between Chinese and Japanese forces. (Full article...)

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January 29

Opifex fuscus resting on a salt pool

Opifex fuscus is a species of mosquito that is endemic to New Zealand. They occur along the coast, where their larvae live in rock pools within the spray zone. To survive in this habitat, the larvae are able to tolerate a wide range of water salt concentrations. The larvae feed on algae and decomposing matter. They also have mouthparts that specialize towards either filter feeding or grazing, depending on what food sources are available to them. As adults the females feed on the blood of birds and humans. They have an unusual mating system where the males wait on the surface of the rock pools and mate with female pupae before they have matured into adults. They are widespread throughout the rocky coasts of New Zealand but have been displaced from the Otago region by the introduced species Aedes australis. The larvae are also known to be infected by the fungus Coelomomyces psorophorae, which uses copepods as intermediate hosts. (Full article...)

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January 30

Bowie in 1972 as Ziggy Stardust

"Life on Mars?" is a song by the English musician David Bowie (pictured), first released on his 1971 album Hunky Dory. Conceived as a parody of Frank Sinatra's "My Way", "Life on Mars?" was recorded in August 1971 at Trident Studios in London, and was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott. The track features piano by the keyboardist Rick Wakeman and a string arrangement by the guitarist Mick Ronson. "Life on Mars?" is primarily a glam rock ballad, with elements of cabaret and art rock. The lyrics are about a girl who goes to a cinema to escape reality, and include surreal images that reflect optimism and the effects of Hollywood. In June 1973, at the height of Bowie's fame as Ziggy Stardust, RCA Records issued "Life on Mars?" as a single in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number three. Bowie frequently performed "Life on Mars?" during his concerts, and the track has appeared on numerous compilation albums. Commentators generally consider "Life on Mars?" to be one of Bowie's finest songs. (Full article...)

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January 31

The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice is a 12-story office building in the East Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, United States. Completed in 1967, it was designed in the late modernist style by architect Kevin Roche and engineering partner John Dinkeloo of Roche-Dinkeloo. The building was commissioned as the headquarters of the Ford Foundation, the largest private foundation in the United States when the edifice was constructed. The building is a glass-and-steel cube held up by piers made of concrete and clad with Dakota granite. Dan Kiley was the landscape architect for the large public atrium inside, the first such space in an office building in Manhattan. The building has received critical acclaim for its design following both completion and renovation, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the building and its atrium as city landmarks. (Full article...)

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