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The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) is a species of hamster native to grasslands and agricultural areas across Eurasia, from Belgium and eastern France to Russia and western China. The largest living hamster species, it can reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in body length and has brown, black and white fur. It lives in underground burrows, where it stores food gathered in its expandable cheek pouches, and hibernates during winter. Once widespread and regarded as an agricultural pest, the European hamster has undergone a dramatic population decline, with intensive farming, habitat loss and persecution among possible causes. It has been classified as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2020. This European hamster was photographed in a cemetery in Meidling, in Vienna, Austria.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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On this Day

November 15

Buran

655 – Penda of Mercia and Æthelhere of East Anglia were defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of the Winwaed in Yorkshire, England.
1859 – Sponsored by Greek businessman Evangelos Zappas, the first modern revival of the Olympic Games took place in Athens.
1908 – After numerous atrocities in the territory, the Congo Free State was annexed to Belgium to form the Belgian Congo.
1943 – The Holocaust: In the Romani Holocaust, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler ordered that the Romani were to be put "on the same level as Jews and placed in concentration camps".
1988 – The Soviet spacecraft Buran (pictured), a reusable vehicle built in response to NASA's Space Shuttle program, was launched, uncrewed, on its only flight.

Cornelia Sorabji (b. 1866)
John Le Mesurier (d. 1983)
Sania Mirza (b. 1986)
Kim Min-jae (b. 1996)

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Featured Article of the Day

Mariah Carey

"Can't Let Go" is a song recorded by Mariah Carey (pictured) for her second album Emotions. Columbia Records released it as the album's second single in November 1991. Featuring synthesizers and drum programming, "Can't Let Go" is an R&B and pop slow jam that describes post-breakup sadness. Carey's vocal range spans more than three octaves; her delivery is predominantly breathy and in a low register, with whistle notes in the song's introduction and ending. Critics considered "Can't Let Go" a vocal showcase for Carey but gave the composition mixed reviews. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and ended her streak of five consecutive number-one songs. It was her lowest-charting single in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands at the time, but peaked within the top ten on sales and airplay charts in Canada and at number twenty in the United Kingdom. Jim Sonzero directed the music video, which depicts Carey singing alone in an empty house. (Full article...)

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In the News

Jensen Huang

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (pictured) resigns amidst allegations of being targeted by a Chinese spy and of having extramarital affairs.
The Salvadoran military intervention in Haiti intensifies with airstrikes on 400 Mawozo's alleged headquarters and a deployment to Stade Sylvio Cator.
American ocean liner SS United States is scuttled in the Gulf of Mexico to create the largest artificial reef.
The End of Everything by M. John Harrison wins the Booker Prize.
Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's oldest and most prominent independent newspapers, closes under pressure from the Russian authorities.

Did you Know?

Sabrina Bruce

... that the officers Erica Vandal, Kara Corcoran, Erin Krizek, Logan Ireland, and Sabrina Bruce (pictured) were all forced out of the US military because Donald Trump banned transgender people from serving?
... that Anita Chitaya was filmed farming one acre (0.40 ha) of land in a village in Northern Malawi, and on her quest to explain climate change in America?
... that Burial Lake and Lake E5 may indicate that humans have been present in Alaska for more than 30,000 years?
... that Bishop John scoffed at Maria of Antioch's claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and instead crowned another claimant, causing Maria to travel to Rome to complain to the pope?
... that the death of a 25-year-old woman led to the dissolution of Lauren Bennett's supergroup G.R.L.?
... that Sabrina Imbler, the author of How Far the Light Reaches, uses science journalism, memes, and LGBTQ narratives in their work?
... that invalids sometimes took toast water and calf's heel jelly spiked with wine?
... that, when Daniela Moreira began working at Timber Pizza, one of the recipes by the business's co-owner referenced spoon colors instead of measurements?
... that a Kona, a Kokona, and Kanna Kan starred in Link! Like! Love Live!?