Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 January 10

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Today's featured article
The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms with no cell nucleus nor any other membrane-bound organelles. They show many differences in their biochemistry from other forms of life and have an independent evolutionary history. In the three-domain system, they are classified as a separate domain from the phylogenetically distinct Bacteria and Eukaryota. Archaea are divided into four recognized phyla, but many more phyla may exist. Of these groups the Crenarchaeota and the Euryarchaeota are most intensively studied. Classification is still difficult, since the vast majority have never been studied in the laboratory. Archaea and bacteria are quite similar in size and shape, but a few archaea have very unusual shapes. Despite this visual similarity to bacteria, archaea possess genes and several metabolic pathways that are more closely related to those of eukaryotes: notably the enzymes involved in transcription and translation. Initially, archaea were seen as extremophiles that lived in harsh environments, such as hot springs and salt lakes, but they have since been found in a broad range of habitats, including soils, oceans, and marshlands. Archaea are now recognized as a major part of Earth's life and may play roles in both the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle. (more...) Recently featured: John L. Helm – "Like a Rolling Stone" – Princess Charlotte of Wales Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the 240-foot (73 m) clock tower on the former Union Station (top pictured) that dominates the skyline in Waterbury, Connecticut, was modeled on the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy? ... that as theologian to the Pontifical Household, Wojciech Giertych provides advice to the Pope on theological issues? ... that in the 1930s, the Indochinese Communist Party and the Vietnamese Trotskyists collaborated on the joint publication La Lutte? ... that Daniel Bellemare, chief prosecutor for the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon, is also the longest-serving head of the Federal Prosecution Service in Canadian history? ... that the fiber-based nature of Novacam Technologies' detector probes is unique in the optical metrology industry? ... that demonstrators in New Delhi wore garlands made of onions to protest against the rising onion prices in India? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Voting continues in a referendum to determine whether Southern Sudan should become independent from Sudan. Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Urmia Airport, West Azarbaijan, Iran, killing at least 70 people. A shooting in Arizona leaves six people dead and U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (pictured) critically injured. Andrew Wakefield's study linking autism to the MMR vaccine is declared a fraud by the British medical journal BMJ. The U.S. government oil spill commission releases a report accusing BP, Halliburton and Transocean of managerial failure in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A series of floods affects more than 450,000 people in the Philippines. Salmaan Taseer, the Governor of the Pakistani province of Punjab, is assassinated. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 10: Coming of Age Day (Japan, 2011) 1645 – William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and a fervent supporter of King Charles I, was beheaded in the midst of the English Civil War. 1776 – Common Sense by Thomas Paine (pictured), a document denouncing British rule in the Thirteen Colonies, was published. 1941 – Greco-Italian War: The Greek army captured the strategically important Klisura Pass in Albania. 1946 – The first session of the United Nations General Assembly convened at the Westminster Central Hall in London with representatives from 51 member states. 1993 – The Braer Storm, the strongest extratropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Atlantic, reached its peak intensity. More anniversaries: January 9 – January 10 – January 11 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 10 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A polished sample of opal, a mineraloid gemstone that occurs in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl and basalt. Opal comes in a wide variety of colors, with red against black being the most rare, whereas white and green are the most common.

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