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From today's featured article

Lemurs of Madagascar is a reference work and field guide giving descriptions and biogeographic data for all the known lemur species in Madagascar (ring-tailed lemur pictured). It also provides general information about lemurs and their history and helps travelers identify species they may encounter. The primary contributor is Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International. The first edition in 1994 received favorable reviews for its meticulous coverage, numerous high-quality illustrations, and engaging discussion of lemur topics, including conservation, evolution, and the recently extinct subfossil lemurs. The American Journal of Primatology praised the second edition's updates and enhancements. Lemur News appreciated the expanded content of the third edition (2010), but was concerned that it was not as portable as before. The first edition identified 50 lemur species and subspecies, compared to 71 in the second edition and 101 in the third. The taxonomy promoted by these books has been questioned by some researchers who view these growing numbers of lemur species as insufficiently justified inflation of species numbers. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long island of Herm (flag pictured) has up to 100,000 tourists pass through it in summer?
... that the Boeing RC-1, designed to haul ore and oil out of the Arctic, would have been twice the size and weight of the largest aircraft ever built?
... that rape during the Rwandan Genocide led to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda defining rape as an act of genocide?
... that Ethel Sands was "one of the leading artist hostesses of her time"?
... that the city of Uppsala in Sweden helped renovate the Uppsala House in Estonia?
... that William Paynel supported Matilda's claim to the English throne, despite her husband Geoffrey of Anjou having previously attacked William's castle?
... that at the end of The Beatles' rooftop concert, John Lennon jokingly said, "I hope we've passed the audition"?

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In the news

Amidst ongoing anti-government riots (aftermath pictured), Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov resigns.
At the 56th Grammy Awards, Daft Punk wins four awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly approves a new constitution following the 2011 Tunisian Revolution.
SN 2014J, located in the nearby galaxy Messier 82, becomes the closest type Ia supernova discovered since 1972.
The dwarf planet Ceres is observed to be releasing water vapour.
Scientists in Brazil identify a new species of river dolphin.

Recent deaths: Pete Seeger

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On this day...

January 30: Martyrs' Day in India

1661 – Two years after his death, Oliver Cromwell's remains were exhumed for a posthumous execution and his head was placed on a spike above Westminster Hall in London, where it remained until 1685.
1847 – The town of Yerba Buena in Mexican California was renamed San Francisco.
1948 – Nathuram Godse fatally shot Mahatma Gandhi (pictured), the political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement, at Birla House in Delhi.
1964 – In a bloodless coup, General Nguyen Khanh overthrew General Duong Van Minh's military junta in South Vietnam, less than three months after Minh executed a bloody coup himself.
1972 – On Bloody Sunday, members of the British Parachute Regiment shot at twenty-six civil rights protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing at least thirteen people.

More anniversaries: January 29 – January 30 – January 31

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Today's featured picture

The Dusky Myzomela (Myzomela obscura) is a species of bird in the honeyeater family which lives in various habitats in Oceania and the Malay archipelago. Feeding on insects and nectar, these birds may be sedentary or migrant, depending on the habitat in which they live.

Photograph: JJ Harrison

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