Scanning electron micrograph of rods of Escherichia coli

They constitute a domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Among the first life forms to appear on Earth, bacteria are present in most habitats. They are vital in many stages of the nutrient cycle, where they recycle nutrients. The study of bacteria is known as bacteriology, a branch of microbiology. Humans and most other animals carry millions of bacteria; most bacteria in and on the body are harmless or rendered so by the immune system, and many are beneficial. Several species are pathogenic and cause infectious diseases. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and are also used in farming, making antibiotic resistance a growing problem. Bacterial cells do not contain a nucleus and rarely harbour membrane-bound organelles. Their scientific classification changed after the discovery in the 1990s that prokaryotes consist of two groups of organisms that evolved from a common ancestor. (Full article...)

Hearst Castle

• ... that Hearst Castle (pictured) inspired Xanadu, the lavish mansion in the 1941 film Citizen Kane?
• ... that the Gouzenko Affair marked the beginning of the Cold War in Canada?
• ... that Sujudi had his election to the post of rector of the University of Indonesia overruled by the Indonesian government?
• ... that when Zenni Optical released a Super Bowl LIV advertisement, its website told a number of customers that eyeglasses deliveries would be delayed for weeks?
• ... that Burmese princess Myat Phaya Gyi was impregnated by a servant, gave up her royal privileges, and lived a life of poverty?
• ... that the soundtrack of The Last of Us features a song performed by Nick Offerman, who played a character in the series?
• ... that the government of Ethiopia's SNNP Region supported local governments calling for a referendum to secede from the region?
• ... that British designer Alexander McQueen constructed a dress made of clear pallet wrap for his Spring/Summer 1995 collection The Birds?

Kelvin Kiptum

• In the London Marathon, Sifan Hassan wins the women's race, while Kelvin Kiptum (pictured) wins the men's event and breaks the course record.
• The wreckage of the Montevideo Maru, a Japanese vessel sunk by the US during World War II with over 1,000 captive Australian nationals onboard, is discovered in the South China Sea.
• SpaceX Starship, the most powerful rocket to date, is launched from Texas and destroyed almost four minutes into the flight.

April 27: Koningsdag in the Netherlands

Raising the Flag on the Three-Country Cairn

• 629 – Shahrbaraz usurped the throne of the Sasanian Empire from Ardashir III, but was himself deposed forty days later.
• 1650 – Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Covenanter forces defeated the Royalists at the Battle of Carbisdale near the village of Culrain, Scotland.
• 1945 – World War II: The photograph Raising the Flag on the Three-Country Cairn (pictured) was taken after German troops withdrew to Norway at the end of the Lapland War.
• 1965 – Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation: British forces repelled a surprise Indonesian attack on a base at Plaman Mapu in Sarawak.
• 2005 – The Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner, made its maiden flight from Toulouse, France.