A Smithsonian folklorist examines Jewish humor in the midst of a pandemic

From Vietnam to Antarctica, this year's winners bring you amazing glimpses of a changing world—and the indefatigable human spirit

The new viruses are not harmful to humans or closely related to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19

He was talented and prosperous, but the young visionary worried the art world had left him behind. Then he discovered soup

Test your mettle with this puzzle created exclusively for our readers

Find the capital cities, working from a list of state names

These paintings, sculptures and illustrations honor the bonds of motherhood

Workers are checking solar power system on the lake. This is the first solar water power plant project in Vietnam. It is in Da Mi lake, Binh Thuan, Vietnam. With a capacity of 47.5 MWp, electricity output is nearly 70 million kWph / year.

A macro depiction of a beetle called Epilachna chrysomelina

Tour a gallery of presidential portraits, print a 3-D model of a fossil or volunteer to transcribe historical documents

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is looking for 1,000 places tied to women's history, and to share the stories of the figures behind them

The Beatles guitarist visited his sister in southern Illinois just months before he'd become world famous

In a nation under quarantine, chronicling a crisis demands careful strategy

Governments around the world grapple with how to deliver important guidelines on minimizing the spread of COVID-19

See how researchers at Smithsonian's National Zoo are trying to glean insight into elephant foraging behavior and more.

New Something Awful smilies

The Nunavut government says there is no set limit on how much money it is prepared to spend on hotels for residents required to isolate before they return home.

A trio of young northern violinists recently joined their contemporaries across Canada for a project that aims to bring people together through music — while being apart.

A spring storm is set to slam parts of New Brunswick this weekend, bringing up to 30 cm of snow. 

Fire scientist say that Saskatchewan say Canadian Forest Service is updating their interactive maps every month from May to September this year so people can check the fire map in their region. Saskatchewan is one of the highest chances of fire this year.

The Northwoods League announced Thursday that its 2020 season will not begin on May 26, as originally scheduled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parents-to-be who will have their new child delivered at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre have to follow a different set of guidelines than found at many other hospitals across Ontario.

Despite some pockets of severe activity, Canadians are succeeding at flattening the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s federal health minister, Patty Hajdu, said Thursday.

<span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Bebo's mom's water infested with worms! | RSS Feeds – IMC OnAir ...: Residents of Mayflower building at Carter Roa... http://bit.ly/bl0whF</span></span>

<span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">RT @imconair Song Contest: Raab und Engelke sollen Eurovision-Finale moderieren http://bit.ly/fsr6gD #IMCRadio.net: Song Contest: Raa...</span></span>

Newfoundland and Labrador's already fragile economy suffered another gut-punch in April, with Statistics Canada reporting Friday that 29,000 jobs were lost in April alone.

Mar del Plata, Argentinien :: Eine Gemeinde hört von Ländern, die keinen Zugang zum Evangelium haben

A doctor on Manitoulin Island is encouraging seasonal residents to stay home and not to come visit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new study facilitated by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario states miners who were forced to inhale an aluminum powder were found to have a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.

A former miner who was forced to breathe in a fine aluminum dust before each shift says he’s not surprised a new report links that dust and a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Every year Washingtonians are treated to a feast for the eyes as ornamental cherry trees bloom across the city, most prominently by the Tidal Basin. As cherry blossom season approaches, we would like to share information about two related resources that we hope will offer some inspiration for those near and far: a selected set […]

The following is a post by Kristi Finefield, Reference Specialist in the Prints & Photographs Division, and member of the Picture This blog team. Images have a way of opening our eyes to new aspects of a well-known story. When I think of singer Marian Anderson, an image of her performing at the Lincoln Memorial […]

The following is a post by Kristi Finefield, Reference Specialist in the Prints & Photographs Division, and member of the Picture This blog team. As the Library of Congress marks its 220th year, we take the opportunity to explore one example of its efforts to sustain and celebrate the arts in its physical spaces. Above […]

This rapid and efficient method to prepare highly purified recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) is based on binding of negatively charged rAAV capsids to an anion-exchange resin that is pH dependent.

This is a simple method for rapid preparation of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) stocks, which can be used for in vivo gene delivery. The purity of these vectors is considerably lower than that obtained by either CsCl gradient centrifugation or by combination of iodixanol gradient ultracentrifugation followed by column chromatography.

The most commonly used method for production of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAVs) in research laboratories is by transient triple transfection of 293 cells with AAV cis and trans plasmids and an adenovirus helper plasmid. This protocol describes the processes required to prepare the transfected cell suspension for virus purification.

Successful modification of the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) after two-step BAC engineering is confirmed in two separate polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). The first reaction (5' co-integrate PCR) uses a forward 5' co-integrate primer (a sequence located upstream of the 5' end of the A-box) and a reverse 3' primer on the vector (175PA+50AT) or within the reporter sequence or mutated region as appropriate. The second reaction (3' co-integrate PCR) uses a forward 5' primer on the recA gene (RecA1300S) and a reverse 3' co-integrate primer (a sequence located downstream from the 3' end of the B-box). Those colonies shown to be positive in PCR analysis are further tested for sensitivity to UV light. After the resolution, colonies that have lost the excised recombination vector including sacB and recA genes become UV light sensitive.

Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones are rendered electrocompetent and transformed with the recombinant shuttle vector, pLD53SCAB/AB-box. Cointegrates are selected by growth on chloramphenicol and ampicillin to ensure recombination of the shuttle vector into the BAC.

Plasmid DNA is prepared from the recombinant shuttle vector pLD53.SCAB/A-B created by cloning of the A and B homology arms for two-step bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) engineering. To confirm that the A-box and B-box arms have been successfully incorporated into pLD53.SCAB, the pattern of enzyme digestion of the modified plasmid is compared with that of the unmodified pLD53.SCAB. Once the shuttle vector is shown to carry the proper sequences, it is ready for transfer into the BAC host.

This protocol describes the preparation of the shuttle vector before its introduction into bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) host cells for BAC two-step engineering. The homology arm sequences, prepared previously, are introduced by ligation into the digested shuttle vector DNA to provide sites for recombination within the BAC clone. Crude lysates of individual bacterial transformants serve as templates in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to confirm the presence of the homology arms in the recombinant shuttle vector.

The 700-bp A homology arm (A-box) and the 700-bp B homology arm (B-box) are amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using purified bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) DNA as template for two-step BAC engineering. The resulting A-box PCR product contains an AscI site at its 5' end (the 5' primer incorporates an AscI site, and the 3' primer does not incorporate any restriction sites). The B-box PCR product contains an XmaI site at its 3' end (the 5' primer does not incorporate any restriction sites, and the 3' primer incorporates an XmaI site). The amplification products are then digested with the appropriate restriction endonucleases to render them suitable for cloning into the shuttle vector.

In two-step bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) engineering, a single plasmid is introduced into the BAC-carrying cell lines. The shuttle vector pLD53.SCAB (or pLD53.SCAEB) carries the recA gene and the R6K origin, which requires the protein to replicate. PIR2 cells, expressing , are typically used for the amplification of the vector and maintain about 15 copies/cell of the donor vector, which is relatively stable in this host.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead discussing "Zone One" on the Poetry & Prose stage at the 2012 Festival.

British product designer Lucy Hughes has invented a biodegradable plastic made from fish offcuts

Application deadline: 17 May 2020 | Banking Settlements Centre | Location: Basel, Switzerland

Press release about the Basel Committee launching the consolidated Basel Framework, 16 December 2019.

Basel Committee Press release "Basel Committee meets to review vulnerabilities and emerging risks, advance supervisory initiatives and promote Basel III implementationl", 27 February 2020.

Press release "Basel Committee coordinates policy and supervisory response to Covid-19", 20 March 2020

Press release "Governors and Heads of Supervision announce deferral of Basel III implementation to increase operational capacity of banks and supervisors to respond to Covid-19", 27 March 2020

Press release "Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to solve RegTech and SupTech challenges", 27 April 2020