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From today's featured article

Herrerasaurus was one of the earliest dinosaurs. Its name means "Herrera's lizard", after Victorino Herrera, a goatherd who discovered the first specimen. All known fossils of Herrerasaurus have been discovered in northwestern Argentina in rocks dated to 231.4 million years ago. It was a lightly built bipedal carnivore with a long tail and a relatively small head. Its length is estimated at 3–6 meters (10–20 ft) and it may have weighed around 210–350 kilograms (463–772 lb). The type species, Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, was described by Osvaldo Reig in 1963 and is the only species assigned to the genus. Where Herrerasaurus and its close relatives lie on the early dinosaur evolutionary tree is unclear. For many years, it was known from very fragmentary remains. However, with the discovery of an almost complete skeleton and skull in 1988, Herrerasaurus has been classified as either an early theropod or an early saurischian, with many researchers treating it at least tentatively as the most primitive member of Theropoda. It is a member of the Herrerasauridae, a family of similar genera that were among the earliest of the dinosaurian evolutionary radiation. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that Gothic House (pictured), a "fanciful and irresponsibly Gothick" 1820s building in Brighton, has most recently housed a video rental shop and the Rock 'N' Roller American Pool bar?
... that although most carpet sharks eat small prey such as shellfish, one was observed swallowing a bamboo shark whole?
... that shenmo, the "gods and demons" genre of Chinese literature, includes fantasy novels such as Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods?
... that the video game The X-Files: Unrestricted Access includes a comprehensive database based on the first four seasons of The X-Files?
... that Robert Waterton, as Constable of Pontefract Castle, had custody of Richard II of England after his deposition?
... that participants in the 1984 Summer Olympics torch relay had to pay $3,000 to run a kilometer?

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In the news

Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes on approach to Pakse Airport, Laos, killing all 49 people on board.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes the Philippines, resulting in more than 100 deaths.
American economists Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen and Robert J. Shiller win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their empirical analysis of asset prices.
A stampede breaks out during the Navratri festival in Madhya Pradesh, India, killing 115 and injuring at least 110.
Following the evacuation of 800,000 people, Cyclone Phailin (pictured) makes landfall in eastern India, causing at least 20 fatalities.

Recent deaths: Oscar Hijuelos

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On this day...

October 17: Dessalines Day in Haiti (1806)

1604 – German astronomer Johannes Kepler observed an exceptionally bright star, now known as Kepler's Supernova (remnant nebula pictured), which had suddenly appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus.
1943 – The Holocaust: Three days after a successful revolt by inmates, Sobibor extermination camp in eastern Poland was closed.
1956 – Queen Elizabeth II opened the world's first commercial nuclear power plant at Calder Hall in Cumbria, England.
1992 – Having gone to the wrong house for a Halloween party, Japanese exchange student Yoshihiro Hattori was shot and killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US.
2010 – Mary MacKillop was canonised to become the only Australian to be recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint.

More anniversaries: October 16 – October 17 – October 18

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Today's featured picture

Liocarcinus navigator is a species of crab in the family Portunidae. Its range covers much of the north-east Atlantic Ocean.

Photo: Hans Hillewaert

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