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From today's featured article
The goblin shark is a rare species of deep-sea shark. Sometimes called a "living fossil", it is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage 125 million years old. This species looks unlike any other shark, with a long, flattened snout, highly protrusible jaws containing prominent nail-like teeth and pink coloration. Its snout is covered with ampullae of Lorenzini that enable it to sense minute electric fields produced by nearby prey, which it can snatch up by rapidly extending its jaws. It is usually three to four metres long (10 to 13 ft) when mature. Goblin sharks inhabit upper continental slopes, submarine canyons and seamounts deeper than 100 metres (330 ft). Anatomical features, such as its flabby body and small fins, suggest that it is sluggish in nature. It hunts for teleost fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans both near the sea floor and in the middle of the water column. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as Least Concern. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the end of the Okipa involved Bull Dancers of the Mandan tribe (example pictured) having ritual sex with married women and then smoking a "pipe of reconciliation" with their husbands?
- ... that the Cova de les Dones contains prehistoric art and ancient Roman inscriptions?
- ... that baseball player Chuck Hockenbery had to refuse an offer to join an MLB team?
- ... that around 2,000 prison guards were fired after the 2025 New York corrections officers' strike ended?
- ... that an openly gay referee officiated the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship final?
- ... that old bridge abutments became artificial reefs during the South Coast Rail project?
- ... that the limited edition of Reira Ushio's debut EP includes a booklet featuring short stories she wrote?
- ... that financial issues including the misuse of funds emerged at an Illinois TV station after its director died?
- ... that, before designing the Millard House, Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Millard House?
In the news

- Flooding in Central Texas (pictured), United States, leaves more than 110 people dead.
- Astronomers announce the discovery of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object passing through the Solar System.
- The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile releases the first light images from its new 8.4-metre (28 ft) telescope.
- In basketball, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Indiana Pacers to win the NBA Finals.
On this day
- 1640 – The Virginia Governor's Council made John Punch the first legally recognized slave in England's North American colonies.
- 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: French victory at the Battle of Melle enabled their subsequent capture of Ghent from the Austrian Netherlands.
- 1790 – Russo-Swedish War: During the Battle of Svensksund in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish Navy captured a third of the Russian fleet.
- 1850 – Following Zachary Taylor's death, Millard Fillmore (pictured) became president of the United States, the last member of the Whig Party to hold that office.
- 1995 – Sri Lankan civil war: After advising civilians to take shelter in places of worship, the Sri Lanka Air Force bombed a church in Navaly, killing at least 147 people.
- Ariwara no Narihira (d. 880)
- Mercedes Sosa (b. 1935)
- Shelton Benjamin (b. 1975)
- mxmtoon (b. 2000)
Today's featured picture

The tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous tree in the family Fabaceae, indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The tamarind tree produces brown, pod-like edible fruits, 12 to 15 centimetres (4.5 to 6 inches) in length, which contain a sweet, tangy pulp. The pulp is also used in traditional medicine and as a metal polish. This photograph shows two tamarind fruits of the cultivar 'Si Thong', one whole and one opened, with three tamarind seeds in front. The picture was focus-stacked from 51 separate images.
Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus