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Today's featured article Cyathus is a genus of fungi in the Nidulariaceae, a family collectively known as the bird's nest fungi. They are given this name since they resemble tiny bird's nests filled with "eggs". The "eggs", or peridioles, are firmly attached to the inner surface of this fruiting body by an elastic cord of mycelia known as a funiculus. The 45 species are widely distributed throughout the world and some are found in most countries, although a few exist in only one or two locales. Cyathus stercoreus is considered endangered in a number of European countries. The internal and external surfaces of this cup may be ridged longitudinally; this is one example of a taxonomic characteristic that has traditionally served to distinguish between species. Generally considered inedible, Cyathus species are saprobic, since they obtain nutrients from decomposing organic matter. They usually grow on decaying wood or woody debris, on cow and horse dung, or directly on humus-rich soil. The life cycle of this genus allows it to reproduce both sexually, with meiosis, and asexually via spores. Phylogenetic analysis is providing new insights into the evolutionary relationships between the various species in Cyathus. (more...) Recently featured: Battle of Rennell Island – Otto Julius Zobel – Nebula Science Fiction Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the filly Dancing Rain (pictured) was the first British-trained horse to win the Preis der Diana? ... that the undefeated 1922 Michigan football team held opponents to 1.8 points per game and shut out Vanderbilt and Ohio State at dedication games for their new stadia? ... that the archaeological site of Tel Michal in Israel owes its name to an ancient identification of Apollo with the Semitic god Reshef? ... that the black sea cucumber can split into two by transverse fission? ... that Horst Janssen painted Friedrich von Keller with the orders he had earned during his career, which took him as a German ambassador to Belgrade, Brussels, Buenos Aires and Ankara? ... that Lord High Treasurer William le Scrope was beheaded at the Bristol High Cross? ... that Amnesty International recruited writers to lobby at the Edinburgh Festival for the release of the UAE Five, imprisoned in 2011 for insulting political figures of the United Arab Emirates?

In the news The European Men's Handball Championship concludes with Denmark defeating Serbia in the final. The European Union and 22 member nations sign the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, resulting in the resignation of the treaty's rapporteur and protests across Poland. Intense Tropical Cyclone Funso (pictured) stalls off the coast of Mozambique, killing 15 people at sea and at least 14 others through inland flooding. The European Union imposes an embargo on future oil contracts with Iran. British novelist Salman Rushdie cancels an appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India, and four other writers leave the city after reading excerpts from The Satanic Verses, which is banned in the country. On this day... January 30: Martyrs' Day in India 1649 – English Civil War: King Charles I (pictured), who was defeated in both the First and the Second Civil Wars, was beheaded for high treason in front of the Banqueting House in London. 1930 – Soviet meteorologist Pavel Molchanov launched one of the world's first radiosondes, a device attached to weather balloons to measure various atmospheric parameters. 1945 – World War II: Allied forces liberated over 500 prisoners of war from a Japanese POW camp near Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. 1959 – On the return leg of her maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Danish ocean liner Hans Hedtoft struck an iceberg and sank with all 95 passengers and crew lost. 2000 – Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Côte d'Ivoire shortly after takeoff, killing 169 on board. More anniversaries: January 29 – January 30 – January 31 It is now January 30, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list The Smithsonian museums are the most widely visible part of the United States' Smithsonian Institution (pictured) and consist of nineteen museums and galleries as well as the National Zoological Park. Eleven of these museums are located on the National Mall, while the remainder are located elsewhere in Washington, D.C., as well as New York City and Chantilly, Virginia. The museums have roughly 137 million objects such as works of art, natural specimens, cultural artifacts, etc., in their collections, and are visited by over 25 million people every year. The birth of the Smithsonian Institution can be traced to the acceptance of James Smithson's legacy, willed to the United States in 1826. In 1838, this legacy, which totaled more than $500,000, was delivered to the US Mint and in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution was established. The Institution grew slowly until 1964 when Sidney Dillon Ripley became secretary. Ripley managed, over a twenty year period, to expand the institution by eight museums and upped admission from 10.8 million to 30 million people a year. The newest Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, is slated to open in 2015. (more...)

Today's featured picture Baalbek in Lebanon is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when, then known as Heliopolis, it was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire. It can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world, containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins. Seen here is the Great Court of the temple complex. Photo: Guillaume Piolle Recently featured: Elakala Falls, West Virginia, US – Non-uniform rational B-spline – Grapefruit

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