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12

July

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Today's featured article

Hypericum sechmenii flowers

Hypericum sechmenii (Seçmen's St John's wort) is a rare species of flowering plant in the St John's wort family that is found in Eskişehir Province in central Turkey. It was first described and assigned to the genus Hypericum in 2009, and was later placed into the section Adenosepalum. H. sechmenii is a perennial herb that grows 3 to 6 centimeters (1 to 2 inches) tall and blooms in June and July. The stems of the plant are smooth and hairless, while the leaves are leathery and lack leafstalks. Its flowers are arranged in corymbs, and each has five bright yellow petals. Similar species are H. huber-morathii, H. minutum, and H. thymopsis. Found among limestone rocks, H. sechmenii has an estimated distribution of less than 10 square kilometers (4 square miles), with fewer than 250 surviving plants. Despite containing druse crystals and toxic chemicals that may deter herbivory, the species is threatened by overgrazing, as well as climate change and habitat loss. ( Full article...)

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In the news

Masoud Pezeshkian

The New Popular Front wins the most seats in the National Assembly in the French legislative election but does not achieve a majority.
In Iran, the reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian (pictured) is elected president in the second round of the presidential election.
The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election and Keir Starmer becomes prime minister.
Hurricane Beryl, the earliest-recorded Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in a calendar year, leaves at least 15 people dead in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and the United States.

Did you know?

Toe used in the Sourtoe Cocktail

... that a human toe used for cocktails (pictured) is one of many body parts that are tourist attractions?
... that a novel about Madagascar's colonization, which the author was aware was impossible to publish under colonial rule, was finally published decades after his suicide?
... that working broadcast journalists were used as extras for the portions of the Doctor Who episode " 73 Yards" that were filmed at the BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House?
... that plans to shoot the Beijing-set portions of the 1989 Japanese film Beijing Watermelon on location were cancelled after the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre occurred mid-production?
... that the Radcliffe Telescope was the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere when it was completed in 1948?
... that the marine fungal species Parengyodontium album only breaks down polyethylene plastics that have been exposed to ultraviolet light?
... that author Ron Chernow was reluctant to write a biography of John D. Rockefeller until being shown a 1,700-page transcript of three years' worth of private interviews with him?
... that the Green Bay Packers once defeated a team of all-stars chosen from the rest of the league?
... that on February 3, 1986, African Independence Party leaders Adama Touré and Adama Touré were released from detention?

On this day...

July 12

Yitzhak Rabin in 1948

927 – King Æthelstan of England secured the submission of four northern rulers: Constantine II of Scotland, Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred I of Bamburgh, and Owain ap Dyfnwal of Strathclyde.
1488 – Choe Bu, an official of the Joseon dynasty, returned to Korea after months of shipwrecked travel in China.
1801 – French Revolutionary Wars: A squadron of British ships of the line defeated a larger squadron of Spanish and French vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar.
1948 – Arab–Israeli War: Israel Defense Forces officer Yitzhak Rabin (pictured) signed an order to expel Palestinians from the towns of Lydda and Ramle.
1962 – The English rock band the Rolling Stones played their first concert, at the Marquee Club in London.

Alexander Hamilton ( d. 1804)
George Eastman ( b. 1854)
Gertrude Bell ( d. 1926)
Anne-Sophie Pic ( b. 1969)

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Today's featured picture

The village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found in much of sub-Saharan Africa and has been introduced to some islands in the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. Village weavers forage and roost in large groups, often with other weaver species. In some areas, they move periodically along fixed routes. The birds look for food on the ground, but also look up to search vegetation and trees. Village weavers nest in colonies and are very active during the breeding season. Birds fly in and leave again constantly, making significant noise. Colonies can contain as many as 150 nests, but eight to a hundred nests in a single tree are usual. This male village weaver was photographed in Kakum National Park, Ghana.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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