Some scientists think that chikungunya has become much more common because of a change in the virus's genetic code. This change may have made it easier for the virus to make copies of itself in mosquito cells. It may have also allowed the virus to be spread more easily by the Asian tiger mosquito ("Aedes albopictus"). This is important because the Asian tiger mosquito lives in many more places than "Aedes aegypti", the other species of mosquito that spreads chikungunya to humans. "Aedes aegypti" lives only in tropical places. However, the Asian tiger mosquito spreads easily, and lives in Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.
Chikungunya was first described by Marion Robinson and W.H.R. Lumsden in 1955, after an outbreak in 1952 along the border between Mozambique and Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania). A group called the Makonde lived in this area. The word "chikungunya" probably comes from the Makonde language. It means "that which bends up" or "to walk bent over." This describes how people with very bad joint pain from the virus would bend into unusual positions.
The first recorded outbreak of chikungunya may have been in 1779. Scientific evidence agrees that the virus evolved around the year 1700.
Chikungunya was once researched as a possible biological weapon.
Concepcion Picciotto
Concepción Picciotto (née Martín c. 1935 – January 25, 2016) also known as Conchita or Connie, was a Spanish-born American peace activist. She lived in Washington, D.C. on the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, in a peace camp across from the White House.
She lived in a tent outside from the White House since from August 1, 1981 because of the protest of nuclear arms under the Ronald Reagan presidency until her death in 2016. She carried on the longest act of political protest in the United States, with her camp having been nicknamed by her supporters as 1601 Pennsylvania Avenue. She was born in Vigo, Spain.
Picciotto died in Washington, D.C. from complications of a fall on January 25, 2016 at the age of 80.
Richard Levins
Richard "Dick" Levins (June 1, 1930 – January 19, 2016) was an American ecologist, a population geneticist, biomathematician, mathematical ecologist, and philosopher of science. He had researched diversity in human populations. Levins was a university professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a long-time political activist. He was best known for his work on evolution and complexity in changing environments and on metapopulations.
Levins died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 19, 2016 from heart failure at the age of 85.
Kaeng Krachan National Park
Kaeng Krachan () is the largest national park of Thailand. It is on the border with Myanmar, and joins with Myanmar's Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. It is popular with tourists, and is near the beach resort of Hua Hin.
The park covers parts of Phetchaburi Province and Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. It contains rainforest on the eastern side of the Tenasserim Mountain Range. The highest elevation is 1,20 m. Two main rivers begin within the park: the Pranburi River and the Phetchaburi River. The Phetchaburi is blocked by the Kaeng Krachan Dam at the eastern border of the park. The dam creates a lake covering an area of 46.5 km. The dam was built in 1966. There are private plantations within the park.
The park was created on 12 June 1981. It was the 28th national park of Thailand. It originally covered an area of 2,478 km. It was enlarged in December 1984. In 2005 it was shown to UNESCO for consideration as a World Heritage Site.
The forests contain a great variety of plants and animals. The killing of wild elephants is a big problem at the park. It is difficult to stop poachers.
Ignition
Ignition may refer to:
Karch Kiraly
Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiraly () (born November 3, 1960) is an American volleyball player, coach and broadcast announcer.
He was born in Jackson, Michigan. He grew up in Santa Barbara, California.
He is one of three people who have won Olympic gold medals in both volleyball categories: beach and indoor. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, (FIVB), volleyball's highest governing body, honored Kiraly as the greatest volleyball player of the 20th Century. He played college volleyball for the UCLA Bruins and won three national championships under head coach Al Scates.
Lloy Ball
Lloy James Ball (born February 17, 1972, in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American volleyball player, a member of American national team in 1993–2008, a participant of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and gold medalist of Beijing 2008, gold medalist of the NORCECA Championship 2007 and World League 2008, silver medalist of the Pan American 1995, bronze medalist of the World Championship 1994. When not on the court actively playing the game, Ball operates Team Pineapple, a volleyball clinic that also features his father, Arnie Ball.
Luigi Mastrangelo
Luigi Mastrangelo (born August 17, 1975 in Mottola, Italy) is an Italian men's volleyball player, a member of Italy national volleyball team, silver and bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, multiple winner of the European Championship and World League. He competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the 2000 and 2012 Games. He won a silver medal in the 2004 Games.
Ivan Zaytsev
Ivan Zaytsev (born in Spoleto, Italy, 2 October 1988) is an Italian volleyball player. His parents originally come from Russia. He is a member of Italy's national volleyball team and the Italian club Sir Safety Umbria Volley.
Zaytsev won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. He won a silver medal at the European Championship (2011, 2013), and bronze medal at the World League (2013, 2014). He won the Italian Championship in 2014.
Matt Anderson
Matthew John Anderson (born April 18, 1987) is an American volleyball player. He is a member of the United States men's national volleyball team and the Russian club Zenit Kazan. He played volleyball at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. He was a NORCECA Champion 2013. He won gold medals at the 2008 Pan American Cup, 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup.
Ophiolite
An ophiolite is a section of the Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed above sea level. The rocks which make up ophiolites are an altered form of basalt. The rocks are often green.
They are found in the mountain belts such as the Alps or the Himalayas. They show where former ocean basins were consumed by subduction. This was one of the discoveries of plate tectonics. Ophiolites have always played a central role in plate tectonic theory and the interpretation of ancient mountain belts.
The stratigraphic sequence seen in ophiolites is caused by lithosphere-forming processes at mid-oceanic ridges:
Maxim Mikhaylov
Maxim Mikhaylov (born 19 March 1988) is a Russian volleyball player. He is a member of Russia men's national volleyball team. He also plays for the Russian club Zenit-Kazan. Mikhaylov was a gold medalist in the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was a bronze medalist of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Mikhaylov won a gold medal in the 2011 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup. He has won several medals in the Volleyball World League.
Yekaterina Gamova
Yekaterina Aleksandrovna Gamova (; born 17 October 1980) is a Russian volleyball player. She was a member of the Russian team that won the gold medals at the FIVB Volleyball World Championships in 2006 and 2010. She was also a member of the Russian team that won silver medals in both the Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Gamova is tall with an EU shoe size of 49. This makes her one of the tallest female athletes in the world. Her role is outside hitter/opposite.
Flight of the Navigator