title: Theia (planet)

text: Theia was named after Theia, one of the Titans, who in Greek mythology was the mother of Selene, the goddess of the Moon, which parallels the planet Theia's collision with the early Earth that is theorized to have created the Moon. In modern Greek, it has the same origin as the words "θείος" (theios) and "θεία" (theia) ('uncle' and 'aunt', also meaning 'divine' in Ancient Greek).


title: Theia (planet)

text: Theia is hypothesized to have orbited in the L or L configuration presented by the Earth–Sun system, where it would tend to remain. In that case, it would have grown, potentially to a size comparable to Mars. Gravitational perturbations by Venus could have eventually put it onto a collision course with the early Earth.


title: Theia (planet)

text: According to the giant impact hypothesis, Theia orbited the Sun, nearly along the orbit of the proto-Earth, by staying close to one or the other of the Sun-Earth system's two more stable Lagrangian points ("i.e.", either L or L). Theia was eventually perturbed away from that relationship by the gravitational influence of Jupiter, Venus, or both, resulting in a collision between Theia and Earth.


title: Theia (planet)

text: Computer simulations suggest that Theia was traveling no faster than when it struck Earth at an estimated 45-degree angle.


title: Theia (planet)

text: Initially, the hypothesis supposed that Theia had struck Earth with a glancing blow and ejected many pieces of both the proto-Earth and Theia, those pieces either forming one body that became the Moon or forming two moons that eventually merged to form the Moon. Such accounts assumed that a head-on impact would have destroyed both planets, creating a short-lived second asteroid belt between the orbits of Venus and Mars.


title: Theia (planet)

text: In contrast, evidence published in January 2016 suggests that the impact was indeed a head-on collision and that Theia's remains are on Earth and the Moon.


title: Theia (planet)

text: From the beginning of modern astronomy, there have been at least four hypotheses for the origin of the Moon:


title: Theia (planet)

text: The lunar rock samples retrieved by Apollo astronauts were found to be very similar in composition to Earth's crust, and so were likely removed from Earth in some violent event.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Bret Samuel Weinstein (; born February 21, 1969) is an American podcaster, author, and former professor of evolutionary biology. He served on the faculty of Evergreen State College from 2002 until 2017, when he resigned in the aftermath of a series of campus protests about racial equity at Evergreen, which brought Weinstein to national attention. Along with his brother Eric Weinstein, he is considered part of the intellectual dark web. Weinstein has been criticized for making false statements about COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Weinstein, a native of Southern California, began his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. As a freshman, he wrote a letter to the school newspaper that condemned sexual harassment of strippers at a Zeta Beta Tau fraternity party. After experiencing harassment for the letter, he transferred to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he met his wife, Heather Heying, and completed an undergraduate degree in biology in 1993. Weinstein went on to earn a PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Michigan in 2009. His thesis "Evolutionary Trade-offs: Emergent Constraints and Their Adaptive Consequences" was written while working under his advisor Richard D. Alexander.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Until 2017, Weinstein was a professor of biology at Evergreen State College in Washington State. In 2002, he coauthored an article on "The Reserve-Capacity Hypothesis", which proposed that the telomeric differences between humans and laboratory mice have led scientists to underestimate the risks that new drugs pose to humans in the form of heart disease, liver dysfunction, and related organ failure.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: In March 2017, Weinstein wrote a letter to Evergreen faculty in which he objected to a suggestion pertaining to the college's decades-old tradition of observing a "Day of Absence", during which ethnic minority students and faculty would voluntarily stay away from campus to highlight their contributions to the college. An administrator had suggested that for that year white participants stay off campus, and were invited to attend an off-campus program on race issues Weinstein wrote that the change established a dangerous precedent:


title: Bret Weinstein

text: The event organizers responded that participation was voluntary and that the event did not imply that all white people should leave. "The Washington Post" reported that racial tensions had been simmering at Evergreen throughout 2017.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: In May 2017, student protests disrupted the campus and called for a number of changes to the college. The protests involved allegations of racism, intolerance and threats; brought national attention to Evergreen; and sparked further debate about free speech on college campuses. During the protests, protesters entered one of Weinstein's classes (which he had held in a public park) and confronted him, loudly accusing him of racism, demanding that he resign, and forcing the class to break up. Weinstein was advised by the Chief of Campus Police to temporarily stay away from campus for his safety.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Weinstein and his wife, Heather Heying, brought a lawsuit against the school, alleging that the college's president had not asked campus police to quell student protesters. Weinstein also said that campus police had told him that they could not protect him, and that they had encouraged him to stay off campus. Instead, Weinstein held his biology class that day in a public park. A settlement was reached in September 2017 in which Weinstein and Heying resigned and received $250,000 each, after having sought $3.8 million in damages.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Following his resignation from Evergreen, he appeared on the podcasts of Sam Harris and Joe Rogan on many occasions. He moderated two debates between Harris and Jordan Peterson. He appeared in the documentary "No Safe Spaces", which documents the Evergreen incidents. Weinstein's brother Eric coined the term "intellectual dark web" and described Bret as a member. The term refers to a group of academics and media personalities who publish and debate outside the mainstream media.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: In June 2019, Weinstein began the "DarkHorse Podcast" on his YouTube channel, which is usually co-hosted with his wife Heather. Their first guest was Andy Ngo, and guests have also included Glenn Loury, Douglas Murray, Sam Harris, John Wood Jr., Thomas Chatterton Williams and Coleman Hughes. Topics for the podcast often center on current events, science, and culture.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Weinstein was a 2019–2020 James Madison Program Visiting Fellow at Princeton University, which continued for the 2020–2021 year.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: In 2021, Weinstein and Heying's book, "A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century", was published. The book reached the New York Times Best Seller list for October 3, 2021, at No. 3 for Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction and No. 4 for Hardcover Nonfiction. The hardcover listing was marked with a dagger, indicating that some retailers had reported receiving bulk orders. Reviewing the book for "The Guardian", psychologist Stuart J. Ritchie wrote that the authors "lazily repeat false information from other pop-science books", and that overall the book was characterized by an annoying, know-it-all attitude.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Weinstein is married to Heather Heying, an evolutionary biologist who also worked at Evergreen. Heying resigned from the college along with Weinstein and took a similar position during the Day of Absence controversy.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Weinstein describes himself as politically liberal, progressive, and left-libertarian. He appeared before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on May 22, 2018, to discuss freedom of speech on college campuses. In 2020, he announced Unity 2020, a plan to nominate for the upcoming US presidential elections a pair of suitable candidates, each associated with one of both major political parties, to govern as a team.


title: Bret Weinstein

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Weinstein made several public appearances advocating the use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to prevent or treat the disease and downplaying the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. David Gorski, in "Science-Based Medicine", described Weinstein as a prominent "COVID-19 contrarian and spreader of disinformation", and "one of the foremost purveyors of COVID-19 disinformation", citing his appearances on Joe Rogan and Bill Maher. Sam Harris criticised Weinstein's advocacy, stating that he "consider[s] it dangerous". Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine, described Weinstein's position on mRNA vaccines as "totally irresponsible. It's reckless. It's sick. It's predatory. It's really sad."


title: Bret Weinstein

text: Weinstein has made erroneous claims that ivermectin can prevent or treat COVID-19, calling it "a near-perfect COVID prophylactic". There is no good evidence to support such claims. Weinstein hosted ivermectin advocate Pierre Kory on his "DarkHorse" podcast to discuss the drug, and promoted ivermectin on other podcast and television news appearances"." Weinstein took ivermectin during a livestream video and said both he and his wife had not been vaccinated because of their fears concerning COVID-19 vaccines. YouTube demonetized the couple's channels in response to their claims about ivermectin. Afterward, Weinstein and Heying moved their subsequent broadcasts to the alternative/fringe video sharing platform Odysee. In August 2021, Weinstein said he had misstated that a study had shown a 100% effective ivermectin protocol for the prevention of COVID. Weinstein considers himself a supporter of vaccines in general; he believes mRNA vaccines have promise despite what he claims are "some clear design flaws". Weinstein has falsely claimed that the spike protein produced by or contained within COVID-19 vaccines is "very dangerous" and "cytotoxic". Weinstein has said that ivermectin alone is "good enough to end the pandemic at any point" and claimed that the drug's true effectiveness against COVID-19 was being suppressed in order to push vaccines for the financial benefit of Big Pharma. He has told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that if ivermectin functioned as he thought it did, then "the debate about the vaccines would be over by definition."


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zürich (English: ETH; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich; ) is a public research university in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. Founded by the Swiss Federal Government in 1854 after the model of the École polytechnique in Paris with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the school focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Like its sister institution EPFL, it is part of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain, part of the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In the 2022 edition of "QS World University Rankings", ETH Zürich was ranked 8th in the world, placing it as the fourth-best European university after the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. In the 2021 "QS World University Rankings" by subject, it ranked 4th in the world for engineering and technology (2nd in Europe) and 1st for earth and marine science. Also, ETH ranked 11th in the world in the "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" of 2022-23.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zürich has a world-class reputation in academia and industry. there are 24,500 students from over 120 countries, of which 4,460 are pursuing doctoral degrees.


title: ETH Zurich

text: 22 Nobel laureates, 2 Fields Medalists, 3 Pritzker Prize winners, and 1 Turing Award winner have been affiliated with the Institute, including Albert Einstein and John von Neumann. It is a founding member of the IDEA League and the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and a member of the CESAER network.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich was founded on 7 February 1854 by the Swiss Confederation and began giving its first lectures on 16 October 1855 as a polytechnic institute ("eidgenössische polytechnische Schule") at various sites throughout the city of Zürich. It was initially composed of six faculties: architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, forestry, and an integrated department for the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, literature, and social and political sciences.


title: ETH Zurich

text: It is locally still known as "Polytechnikum", or simply as "Poly", derived from the original name "eidgenössische polytechnische Schule", which translates to "federal polytechnic school".


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich is a "federal" institute (i.e., under direct administration by the Swiss government), whereas the University of Zurich is a "cantonal" institution. The decision for a new federal university was heavily disputed at the time; the liberals pressed for a "federal university", while the conservative forces wanted all universities to remain under cantonal control, worried that the liberals would gain more political power than they already had. In the beginning, both universities were co-located in the buildings of the University of Zurich.


title: ETH Zurich

text: From 1905 to 1908, under the presidency of Jérôme Franel, the course program of ETH Zurich was restructured to that of a real university and ETH Zurich was granted the right to award doctorates. In 1909 the first doctorates were awarded. In 1911, it was given its current name, "Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule". In 1924, another reorganization structured the university in 12 departments. However, it now has 16 departments.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich, the EPFL, and four associated research institutes form the ""ETH Domain"" with the aim of collaborating on scientific projects.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich is ranked among the top universities in the world. Typically, popular rankings place the institution as the best university in continental Europe and ETH Zurich is consistently ranked among the top 1-5 universities in Europe, and among the top 3-10 best universities of the world.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Historically, ETH Zurich has achieved its reputation particularly in the fields of chemistry, mathematics and physics. There are 32 Nobel laureates who are associated with ETH Zurich, the most recent of whom is Richard F. Heck, awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2010. Albert Einstein is perhaps its most famous alumnus.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In the 2021 edition of the "QS World University Rankings", ETH Zurich again ranked 6th in the world, having first achieved this position in 2019, thereby overtaking the University of Cambridge and becoming the second-best European university after the University of Oxford. Also, ETH was ranked 8th in the "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" of 2020. In the 2020 "QS World University Rankings" by subject, it was ranked 4th in the world for engineering and technology (2nd in Europe, 1st in continental Europe) and 1st for earth & marine science.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In 2018, "QS World University Rankings" placed ETH Zurich at 7th overall in the world. In 2015, ETH Zurich was ranked 5th in the world in engineering, science and technology, just behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Cambridge University. In 2015, ETH Zurich also ranked 6th in the world in Natural Sciences, and in 2016 ranked 1st in the world for Earth & Marine Sciences for the second consecutive year.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In 2016, "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" placed ETH Zurich 9th overall in the world and 8th in the world in engineering & technology, just behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Cambridge University, Imperial College London and Oxford University.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In a comparison of Swiss universities by swissUP Ranking and in rankings published by CHE comparing the universities of German-speaking countries, ETH Zurich traditionally is ranked first in natural sciences, computer science and engineering sciences.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In the survey "CHE ExcellenceRanking" on the quality of Western European graduate school programs in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, ETH Zurich was assessed as one of the three institutions to have excellent programs in all the considered fields, the other two being Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, respectively. ETH Zurich had a total budget of CHF 1,897 billion in the year 2019.


title: ETH Zurich

text: For Swiss students, ETH Zurich is not selective in its undergraduate admission procedures. Like every public university in Switzerland, ETH Zurich is obliged to grant admission to every Swiss resident who took the "Matura". Applicants from foreign countries are required to take either the "reduced entrance exam" or the "comprehensive entrance exam" although some applicants from several European countries are exempt from this rule. An applicant can be admitted to ETH Zurich even without any verifiable educational records by passing the "comprehensive entrance exam".


title: ETH Zurich

text: As at all universities in Switzerland, the academic year is divided into two semesters. Examinations are often held during examination sessions which are immediately before the beginning of the next semester (only a few select courses offer an exam immediately after the semester ends). After the first year of study, bachelor students must pass a block examination of all courses taken in the first year, called the "Basisprüfung" (basis examination). If the weighted average score is not sufficient, a student is required to retake the entire "Basisprüfung" which usually means having to re-sit the whole first year.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The structure of examinations in higher academic years is similar to the "Basisprüfung", but with a higher success rate.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The regular time to reach graduation is six semesters for the Bachelor of Science degree and three or four further semesters for the Master of Science degree. The final semester is dedicated to writing a thesis.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Education at ETH Zurich generally focuses more on theoretical aspects than application and most degree programs contain a high amount of mathematical training. The main language of instruction in undergraduate (Bachelor) studies is German and for admission a proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language is required for Bachelor students. Most Master's programs and doctoral studies are in English.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich has two campuses. The main building was constructed 1858–1864 outside and right above the eastern border of the town, but nowadays it is located right in the heart of the city. As the town and university grew, ETH Zurich spread into the surrounding vineyards and later quarters. As a result, the "Zentrum" campus consists of various buildings and institutions throughout Zürich and firmly integrates the ETH Zurich in the city. The main building stands directly across the street from the University Hospital of Zurich and the University of Zurich.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Because this geographic situation substantially hindered the expansion of ETH Zurich, a new campus was built from 1964 to 1976 on the "Hönggerberg" on a northern hill in the outskirts of the city. The last major expansion project of this new campus was completed in 2003; since then, the "Hönggerberg" location houses the departments of architecture, civil engineering, biology, chemistry, materials science and physics.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The main building of ETH Zurich was built from 1858 to 1864 under Gustav Zeuner; the architect, however, was Gottfried Semper, who was a professor of architecture at ETH Zurich at the time and one of the most important architectural writers and theorists of the age. Semper worked in a neoclassical style that was unique to him; and the namesake and architect of the Semperoper in Dresden. It emphasized bold and clear massings with a detailing, such as the rusticated ground level and giant order above, that derived in part from the work of Andrea Palladio and Donato Bramante. During the construction of the University of Zurich, the south wing of the building was allocated to the University until its own new main building was constructed (1912–1914). At about the same time, Semper's ETH Zurich building was enlarged and received its impressive cupola. The university's engineering and computer science departments are located around here.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In the year of ETH Zurich's 150th anniversary, an extensive project called "Science City" for the Hönggerberg Campus was started with the goal to transform the campus into an attractive district based on the principle of sustainability. The university's science departments are located around here.


title: ETH Zurich

text: An ASVZ sports center which is accessible to all students and faculty, and includes a gym, beach volleyball court, football field, and martial-art rooms.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The ETH link is a free bus for students, affiliates and faculty linking the two campuses. During the school week, the bus runs 3 times an hour, and takes around 15 minutes. In 2020 a new, fully electric, ETH eLink was introduced.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Since 2018, an electric bike sharing system between the two campuses is also available, with yearly subscriptions subsidised by the university. There are rental stations on both campuses.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The ETH Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics (LIB) is a physics laboratory located in Science City. It specializes in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and the use of ion beam based techniques with applications in archeology, earth sciences, life sciences, material sciences and fundamental physics. An example of such application is the tracing of isotopes and the detection of rare radionuclides with radiocarbon dating and the use of techniques such as Rutherford backscattering spectrometry or elastic recoil detection. The LIB is developing the next generation of AMS machines. It is also a laboratory available for users interested in applying the techniques of ion beam analysis.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Being a public university, the heavily subsidized (by Swiss federal tax) tuition fees are CHF 730 per semester, regardless of the student's nationality.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) is a merit scholarship program for master students with excellent grades in their undergraduate program.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich has well over 100 student associations. Most notable is the VSETH ("Verband der Studierenden an der ETH") which comprises all department associations. The associations regularly organize events with varying size and popularity. Events of the neighboring University of Zurich are well-attended by ETH Zurich students and vice versa. The VSETH organizes events of greater public attention, such as the "Polyball", the "Polyparty" (does not exist any more) and the "Erstsemestrigenfest", the first two housed in the main building of ETH Zurich. Sometimes, the annual "Erstsemestrigenfest" takes place at extraordinary locations, for example the Zurich Airport. All freshmen enjoy special treatment at that event.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Some of the notable associations that are not affiliated with a specific department are the ETH Entrepreneur Club and ETH Model United Nations. Both enjoy high international standings, and are regularly awarded for excellence in their respective fields. ETH Juniors is another student organization. It forms a bridge between industry and ETH Zurich and offers many services for students and companies alike.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The Academic Sports Association of Zurich () offers more than 120 sports. The biggest annual sports event is the "SOLA-Stafette" (SOLA relay race) which consists of 14 sections over a total distance of 140 kilometers. More than 760 teams participated in the 2009 edition. The 40th edition of the SOLA, held on 4 May 2013, had 900 enrolled teams, of which 893 started and 876 were classified. In 2014 ASVZ celebrated their 75th anniversary.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In 2017, ETH Zurich board approved the creation of a "Student Project House" to encourage student projects and foster innovation. A test consisting of a "makerspace" and co-working space was established on the Hönggerberg campus, followed by a 6-story space near the ETH Zurich main building. Both locations function as a unified entity for the purpose of qualifications, staffing and decision making. While both makerspaces offer similar tools, the central one is significantly larger and also hosts a rentable auditorium, intended for pitching projects to faculty to gain funding, and a bar. Both makerspaces include workspaces for wood- and metalworking, electronics fabrication, as well as an array of 3D-printers for students to use at a little over material cost. Both also feature a shop for students to buy items such as resistors in lower quantities than ordinarily, while passing down the savings of bulk purchases. The makerspaces are managed and staffed entirely by students, who are paid in shop credit. A new space is expected to open on the Hönggerberg campus in 2024.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich promotes technology and knowledge transfer through an entrepreneurial ecosystem to foster spin-offs and start-ups.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich has three prominent competition teams that perform research in different popular fields and compete on the world stage. Most of these teams are based in the Swiss Innovation Park near Dübendorf.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The "Swiss Academic Spaceflight Initiative ARIS" () is an organisation at ETH Zurich that focuses on the development of space related technologies. The most prominent area of research is in the development of a sounding rocket that is flown yearly at the Spaceport America Cup. ARIS also dedicates its resources to the academic advancement of spaceflight and hosts projects ranging from the development of Hybrid rocket Engines to Payload research.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The "Academic Motorsports Association" () is the ETH Zurich's equivalent of a Formula One team, that develops electric and driverless sports vehicles that compete at Formula Student.


title: ETH Zurich

text: AMZ has proven to be one of the most successful teams in the Formula Student history, with in total 13 overall victories (as by September 2021) at Formula Student Events. Highlight was the double victory at the Formula Student Germany (FSG) in the Electric as well as the Driverless Category (autonomous driving car).


title: ETH Zurich

text: Furthermore, AMZ was leader of the Formula Student world ranking in 2013 - 2015, 2017 & 2018. The team also dominated the autonomous driving category since its introduction in 2017 for three years, winning all the events the team attended with the autonomous car until FSG 2021.


title: ETH Zurich

text: In 2015, and again since 2016, their car "grimsel" holds the official Guinness world record for fastest acceleration of an electric car, achieving 0-100 km/h in 1.513 seconds.


title: ETH Zurich

text: Swissloop is the ETH Zurich's newest competition team that is working on the development of a Hyperloop system.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The annual "Polyball" is the most prestigious public event at ETH Zurich, with a long tradition since the 1880s. At the end of November, the "Polyball" welcomes around 10,000 dancers, music-lovers and partygoers in the extensively decorated main building of ETH Zurich. This is the biggest decorated ball in Europe.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The amicable rivalry between ETH Zurich and its neighbor, the University of Zurich, has been cultivated since 1951 (Uni-Poly). There has been an annual rowing match between teams from the two institutions on the river Limmat.


title: ETH Zurich

text: There are many regular symposia and conferences at ETH Zurich, most notably the annual "Wolfgang Pauli Lectures", in honor of former ETH Zurich Professor Wolfgang Pauli. Distinct lecturers, among them 24 Nobel laureates, have held lectures of the various fields of natural sciences at this conference since 1962.


title: ETH Zurich

text: ETH Zurich has produced and attracted many famous scientists in its short history, including Albert Einstein and John von Neumann. More than twenty Nobel laureates have either studied at ETH Zurich or were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work achieved at ETH Zurich. Other alumni include scientists who were distinguished with the highest accolades such as the Fields Medal, Pritzker Prize and Turing Award, among other distinctions in their respective fields. Academic achievements aside, ETH Zurich has been alma mater to many Olympic medalists and world champions.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The Collegium Helveticum is an Institute for Advanced Study. It is jointly supported and operated by the ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts. It is dedicated to transdisciplinary research and acts as a think tank as well. Fellows are elected for five years to work together on a particular subject. For the period 2016–2020, the research focus is on "digital societies".


title: ETH Zurich

text: The ETH Zurich Foundation is a legal entity on its own (a Swiss non-profit foundation) and as such not part of the ETH Zurich. Its purpose is to raise funds to support chosen institutes, projects, faculty and students at the ETH Zurich. It receives charitable donations from companies, foundations and private individuals. It can be compared with university endowments in the USA. However, the ETH Zurich is a public university so that the funds of this foundation are much smaller than at comparable private universities.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The Military Academy is an institution for the education, training and development of career officers of the Swiss Armed Forces. The scientific part of this organization is attached to the ETH Zurich, while other parts such as training and an assessment center are under the direct management of the defense sector of the Swiss Federal Government.


title: ETH Zurich

text: The Swiss National Supercomputing Center is an autonomous organizational unit of the ETH Zurich. It is a national facility based in Lugano-Cornaredo, offering high-performance computing services for Swiss-based scientists.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American actor, comedian and singer. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in "The Music Man" (1962), Benjy Benjamin in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), Tennessee Steinmetz in "The Love Bug" (1968), and the voice of Scuttle in "The Little Mermaid" (1989).


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett was one of two children born into a Jewish family living in Brooklyn, New York. His mother Anna (née Geller) worked in the garment trades while his father Philip Hacker was a furniture upholsterer and part-time inventor. Hackett grew up across from Public School 103 on 54th Street and 14th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn, and was active in varsity football and drama club at New Utrecht High School. Hackett suffered from Bell's palsy as a child, the lingering effects of which contributed to his distinctive slurred speech and facial expression.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: While still a student, Hackett worked as a "tummler" (Yiddish for "tumult maker") entertaining guests in the Catskills Borscht Belt resorts. While there, he began performing stand-up comedy in the resort nightclubs as "Butch Hacker". He appeared first at the Golden Hotel in Hurleyville, New York, claiming later he did not get one single laugh. Following his graduation from high school in 1942, Hackett enlisted in the United States Army and served during World War II for three years in an anti-aircraft battery.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett's first job after the war was at the Pink Elephant, a Brooklyn club. It was here that he changed his name from Leonard Hacker to Buddy Hackett. He made appearances in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and continued to perform in the Catskills. He acted on Broadway, in "Lunatics and Lovers", where Max Liebman saw him and put him in two television specials.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett's movie career began in 1950 with a 10-minute "World of Sports" reel for Columbia Pictures called "King of the Pins". The film demonstrated championship bowling techniques, with expert Joe Wilman demonstrating the right way and Hackett (in pantomime) exemplifying the wrong way. There was an anecdote that, because of this appearance, Hackett received an offer to join the Three Stooges from Jules White, the head of Columbia short subject department, in 1952. Curly Howard had suffered a debilitating stroke in 1946; his older brother Shemp Howard was intended to replace him only on a temporary basis until he fully recovered, but Curly died in January 1952. It was said Hackett even joined Moe Howard and Larry Fine for a rehearsal, but turned down the offer eventually when he felt he did not fit with the act's comedy style and wanted to develop his own style as a solo act. This rumor was later dismissed as either untrue or unfounded.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett would not return to movies until 1953, after one of his nightclub routines attracted attention. With a rubber band around his head to slant his eyes, Hackett's "The Chinese Waiter" lampooned the heavy dialect, frustration, and communication problems encountered by a busy waiter in a Chinese restaurant: "No, we no "have" sprit-pea soup ... We gotta wonton, we got eh-roll ... No orda for her, juss orda for you!" The routine was such a hit that Hackett made a recording of it, and was hired to reprise it in the Universal-International musical "Walking My Baby Back Home" (1953), in which he was third-billed under Donald O'Connor and Janet Leigh.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett was an emergency replacement for the similarly built Lou Costello in 1954. Abbott and Costello were set to make a feature-length comedy "Fireman, Save My Child", featuring Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Several scenes had been shot with stunt doubles when Lou Costello was forced to withdraw due to illness. Universal-International salvaged the project by hiring Hugh O'Brian and Hackett to take over the Abbott and Costello roles with Jones and his band becoming the main attraction.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett became known to a wider audience when he appeared on television in the 1950s and '60s as a frequent guest on variety talk shows hosted by Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey, telling brash, often off-color jokes, and mugging at the camera. Hackett was a frequent guest on both the Jack Paar and the Johnny Carson versions of "The Tonight Show". According to the board game "Trivial Pursuit", Hackett has the distinction of making the most guest appearances in the history of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson". During this time, he also appeared as a panelist and mystery guest on CBS-TV's "What's My Line?" and filled in as emcee for the game show "Treasure Hunt". He made fifteen guest appearances on NBC-TV's "The Perry Como Show" between 1955 and 1961. He appeared with his roommate Lenny Bruce on the "Patrice Munsel Show" (1957-1958), calling their comedy duo the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players," 20 years before the cast of "Saturday Night Live" used the same name.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett appeared twice on ABC's "The Rifleman", starring Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford. In both episodes, "Bloodlines" (1959) and "The Clarence Bibs Story" (1961), his fellow guest star was Denver Pyle. He was cast as Daniel Malakie in "Bloodlines", the father of three boisterous brothers headed to trouble, and then as Clarence Bibs in the episode of that same name. Bibs is a handyman who after cleaning a gun accidentally kills a notorious outlaw, Longden (X Brands). Then, Longden's former partner, George Tanner (Denver Pyle), comes to town but avoids confrontation with Bibs and accepts the explanation that Wicks' death was accidental.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett starred as the title character on NBC-TV's "Stanley", a 1956–57 situation comedy which ran for 19 weeks on Monday evenings at 8:30 pm ET. The half-hour series also featured a young Carol Burnett and the voice of Paul Lynde. The Max Liebman produced program aired live before a studio audience and was one of the last sitcoms from New York to do so. "Stanley" revolved around the adventures of the titular character (Hackett) as the operator of a newsstand in a posh New York City hotel.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett appeared opposite Robert Preston in the film adaptation of "The Music Man" (1962). In "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), Hackett was paired with Mickey Rooney, with whom he had also recently made "Everything's Ducky" (1961), in which they played two sailors who smuggle a talking duck aboard a Navy ship. Children became familiar with him as lovable hippie auto mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz in Disney's "The Love Bug" (1968).


title: Buddy Hackett

text: He appeared many times on the game show "Hollywood Squares" in the late 1960s and 1970s. In one episode, Hackett (who was Jewish) was asked which country had the highest ratio of doctors to populace; he answered Israel, or in his words, "The country with the most Jews." Despite the audience roaring with laughter (and Hackett's own belief that the actual answer was Sweden), the answer turned out to be correct. Hackett's regular guest shots on "Jack Paar's Tonight Show" in the early 1960s were rewarded with a coveted appearance on Paar's final "Tonight" program on March 29, 1962.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: In 1978, Hackett delivered a dramatic performance as Lou Costello in the television movie "Bud and Lou" opposite Harvey Korman as Bud Abbott. The film told the story of Abbott and Costello, and he and Korman did a rendition of the team's famous "Who's on First?" routine.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: In 1979, Hackett was the voice of the groundhog "Pardon Me Pete", and the narrator of the Rankin/Bass Christmas special "Jack Frost" (1979). He starred in the 1980 film "Hey Babe!". That same year, he hosted a syndicated revival of the 1950–61 Groucho Marx quiz show "You Bet Your Life" which lasted for one year.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett appeared regularly in TV ads for Tuscan Dairy popsicles and yogurt throughout the 1970s, but his most famous television campaign was for Lay's potato chips ("Nobody can eat just one!") which ran from 1968 to 1971; Hackett had succeeded Bert Lahr as Lay's spokesman. He guest-starred in the "Space Rangers" episode, "To Be Or Not To Be", as has-been comedian Lenny Hacker, a parody of his stage persona. The character's name was Hackett's own real name. He also appeared on the television series "The Love Boat" in 1979 (Season 3, Episode 3), playing the part of a cab driver, Mickey, who accepted an offer to join his jilted passenger (Arlene Golonka) on a three-day cruise. In 1987, Hackett appeared on "Murder, She Wrote" (Season 3, Episode 18). He also appeared in "LA Law" as a friend of Secretary Roxanne helping her by doing free TV infomercials.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Hackett was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: In April 1998, Hackett guest starred in an episode of "LateLine" called "Buddy Hackett". The episode focused on a news broadcast paying tribute to Hackett following his death, only to discover that the report of his death was a mistake. Robert Reich and Dick Gephardt also appeared in the episode, paying tribute to Hackett.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: In his final years, Hackett had a recurring spot called "Tuesdays with Buddy" on "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" in which he shared stories of his career and delivered some of his comedic routines.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: In 1999 he appeared in 13 episodes of Fox's "Action" TV series as a security guard and chauffeur named Lonnie Dragon.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: On June 12, 1955, Hackett married Sherry Cohen. They lived in Leonia, New Jersey, in the late 1950s. In August 1958, they bought the house previously owned by deceased crime boss Albert Anastasia in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After renovations, they moved in and lived there through most of the 1960s. In 2003, Hackett and his wife established the Singita Animal Sanctuary in California's San Fernando Valley.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: Hackett's son, Sandy, followed his father into the comedy world, and for years opened for his father before his performances. Sandy created a one-man stage show about his father after his death.


title: Buddy Hackett

text: In the early 1990s, Hackett was diagnosed with severe heart disease, but steadfastly refused to consider bypass surgery. His heart disease was the primary cause of his death on June 30, 2003, at his beach house in Malibu, California, at the age of 78. His son, comedian Sandy Hackett, said his father had been suffering from diabetes for several years and suffered a stroke nearly a week before his death, which may have contributed to his demise. Two days later, on July 2, 2003, he was cremated and his ashes were given to family and friends.


title: Sundarbans

text: Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal. It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, land used for agricultural purpose, mudflats and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and channels. Sundarbans is home to the world's largest area of mangrove forests. Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, viz. Sundarbans West (Bangladesh), Sundarbans South (Bangladesh), Sundarbans East (Bangladesh) and Sundarbans National Park (India).


title: Sundarbans

text: Despite these protections, the Indian Sundarbans were considered endangered in a 2020 assessment under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems framework. The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of about , of which forests in Bangladesh's Khulna Division extend over and in West Bengal, they extend over across the South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts. The most abundant tree species are sundri ("Heritiera fomes") and gewa ("Excoecaria agallocha"). The forests provide habitat to 453 fauna wildlife, including 290 bird, 120 fish, 42 mammal, 35 reptile and eight amphibian species. Despite a total ban on all killing or capture of wildlife other than fish and some invertebrates, it appears that there is a consistent pattern of depleted biodiversity or loss of species in the 20th century, and that the ecological quality of the forest is declining.


title: Sundarbans

text: Despite preservation commitments from both governments, the Sundarbans are under threat from both natural and human-made causes. In 2007, the landfall of Cyclone Sidr damaged around 40% of the Sundarbans. The forest is also suffering from increased salinity due to rising sea levels due to climate change and reduced freshwater supply. In May 2009 Cyclone Aila devastated the Sundarbans with massive casualties. At least 100,000 people were affected by this cyclone. The proposed coal-fired Rampal power station situated north of the Sundarbans at Rampal Upazila of Bagerhat District in Khulna, Bangladesh, is anticipated to further damage this unique mangrove forest according to a 2016 report by UNESCO. Climate change is expected to both continue to negatively effect both natural systems and human populations in the region, resulting in further ecosystem degradation and climate migration. Experts examining the region recommend further focus on mangrove restoration and management and advocating for adaptation of human populations, through processes like managed retreat and investments in resilient infrastructure.


title: Sundarbans

text: The literal meaning of Sundarbans () is "beautiful forest". Alternatively, it was proposed that the name is a corruption of "Samudraban", "Shomudrobôn" ("Sea Forest"), or "Chandra-bandhe", the name of a tribe. However, the likely origin of the word is "Sundari" or "Sundri", the local name of the mangrove species "Heritiera fomes" abundant in the area.


title: Sundarbans

text: The history of human settlement in the Sundarbans area can be traced back to Mauryan era (4th-2nd century BCE). A ruin of an abandoned city was found in the Baghmara Forest Block that is attributed to Chand Sadagar, a pre-Mauryan semi-historical figure in Bengali folklore. Archaeological excavation at Kapilmuni, Paikgacha Upazilla, north of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, revealed ruins of urban settlement dating back to the early middle ages. During the Mughal period, forest tracts were leased out by the local rulers for establishing settlements. In 1757, The British East India Company obtained proprietary rights over Sundarbans from the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II and completed mapping the area in 1764. However, systematic forest management started a century later. The first Forest Management Division to have jurisdiction over the Sundarbans was established in 1869. In 1875 a large portion of the mangrove forests was declared as reserved forests under the Indian Forest Act of 1865 (Act VIII of 1865). The remaining portions of the forests were declared a reserve forest the following year and the forest, which was so far administered by the civil administration district, was placed under the control of the Forest Department. A Forest Division, which is the basic forest management and administration unit, was created in 1879 with the headquarters in Khulna, Bangladesh. The first management plan was written for the period 1893–1898.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarban forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the super confluence of the Hooghly, Padma (both are distributaries of Ganges), Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers across southern Bangladesh. The seasonally flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests on the coastal fringe. The forest covers of which about are in Bangladesh. The Indian part of Sundarbans is estimated to be about , of which about is occupied by water bodies in the forms of river, canals and creeks of width varying from a few metres to several kilometres.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The interconnected network of waterways makes almost every corner of the forest accessible by boat. The area is known for the Bengal tiger ("Panthera tigris"), as well as numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes. The fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use for centuries, and the ecoregion has been mostly converted to intensive agriculture, with few enclaves of forest remaining. The remaining forests, taken together with the Sundarbans mangroves, are important habitat for the endangered tiger. Additionally, the Mangroves species present in the Sundarban area serve a crucial function as a protective barrier for the millions of inhabitants in and around Khulna and Mongla against the floods that result from the cyclones. It also protects from Tsunami and soil erosion for the coastal population.


title: Sundarbans

text: The mangrove-dominated Ganges Delta – the Sundarbans – is a complex ecosystem comprising one of the three largest single tracts of mangrove forests of the world. The larger part is situated in Bangladesh, a smaller portion of it lies in India. The Indian part of the forest is estimated to be about 40 percent, while the Bangladeshi part is 60 percent. To the south the forest meets the Bay of Bengal; to the east it is bordered by the Baleswar River and to the north there is a sharp interface with intensively cultivated land. The natural drainage in the upstream areas, other than the main river channels, is everywhere impeded by extensive embankments and polders. The Sundarbans was originally measured (about 200 years ago) to be of about . Now it has dwindled into about one-third of its original size. The total land area today is , including exposed sandbars with a total area of ; the remaining water area of encompasses rivers, small streams and canals. Rivers in the Sundarbans are meeting places of salt water and freshwater. Thus, it is a region of transition between the freshwater of the rivers originating from the Ganges and the saline water of the Bay of Bengal.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans along the Bay of Bengal has evolved over the millennia through natural deposition of upstream sediments accompanied by intertidal segregation. The physiography is dominated by deltaic formations that include innumerable drainage lines associated with surface and subaqueous levees, splays and tidal flats. There are also marginal marshes above mean tide level, tidal sandbars and islands with their networks of tidal channels, subaqueous distal bars and proto-delta clays and silt sediments. The Sundarbans' floor varies from above sea level.


title: Sundarbans

text: Biotic factors here play a significant role in physical coastal evolution, and for wildlife a variety of habitats have developed which include beaches, estuaries, permanent and semi-permanent swamps, tidal flats, tidal creeks, coastal dunes, back dunes and levees. The mangrove vegetation itself assists in the formation of new landmass and the intertidal vegetation plays a significant role in swamp morphology. The activities of mangrove fauna in the intertidal mudflats develop micromorphological features that trap and hold sediments to create a substratum for mangrove seeds. The morphology and evolution of the eolian dunes is controlled by an abundance of xerophytic and halophytic plants. Creepers, grasses and sedges stabilise sand dunes and uncompacted sediments. The Sunderbans mudflats (Banerjee, 1998) are found at the estuary and on the deltaic islands where low velocity of river and tidal current occurs. The flats are exposed in low tides and submerged in high tides, thus being changed morphologically even in one tidal cycle. The tides are so large that approximately one third of the land disappears and reappears every day. The interior parts of the mudflats serve as a perfect home for mangroves.


title: Sundarbans

text: Sundarbans features two ecoregions — "Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests" (IM0162) and "Sundarbans mangroves" (IM1406).


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of Bangladesh. It represents the brackish swamp forests that lie behind the "Sundarbans Mangroves", where the salinity is more pronounced. The freshwater ecoregion is an area where the water is only slightly brackish and becomes quite fresh during the rainy season, when the freshwater plumes from the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers push the intruding salt water out and bring a deposit of silt.


title: Sundarbans

text: It covers of the vast Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, extending from the northern part of Khulna District and finishing at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal with scattered portions extending into India's West Bengal state. The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie between the upland Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests and the brackish-water Sundarbans mangroves bordering the Bay of Bengal.


title: Sundarbans

text: A victim of large-scale clearing and settlement to support one of the densest human populations in Asia, this ecoregion is under a great threat of extinction. Hundreds of years of habitation and exploitation have exacted a heavy toll on this ecoregion's habitat and biodiversity. There are two protected areas – Narendrapur (110 km) and Ata Danga Baor (20 km) that cover a mere 130 km of the ecoregion. Habitat loss in this ecoregion is so extensive, and the remaining habitat is so fragmented, that it is difficult to ascertain the composition of the original vegetation of this ecoregion. According to Champion and Seth (1968), the freshwater swamp forests are characterised by "Heritiera minor", "Xylocarpus molluccensis", "Bruguiera conjugata", "Sonneratia apetala", "Avicennia officinalis", and "Sonneratia caseolaris", with "Pandanus tectorius", "Hibiscus tiliaceus", and "Nipa fruticans" along the fringing banks.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans Mangroves ecoregion on the coast forms the seaward fringe of the delta and is the world's largest mangrove ecosystem, with of an area covered. The dominant mangrove species "Heritiera fomes" is locally known as "sundri" or "sundari". Mangrove forests are not home to a great variety of plants. They have a thick canopy, and the undergrowth is mostly seedlings of the mangrove trees. Besides the "sundari", other tree species in the forest include "Avicennia", "Xylocarpus mekongensis", "Xylocarpus granatum", "Sonneratia apetala", "Bruguiera gymnorhiza", "Ceriops decandra", "Aegiceras corniculatum", "Rhizophora mucronata", and "Nypa fruticans" palms.


title: Sundarbans

text: Twenty-six of the fifty broad mangrove species found in the world grow well in the Sundarbans. The commonly identifiable vegetation types in the dense Sundarbans mangrove forests are salt water mixed forest, mangrove scrub, brackish water mixed forest, littoral forest, wet forest and wet alluvial grass forests. The Bangladesh mangrove vegetation of the Sundarbans differs greatly from other non-deltaic coastal mangrove forests and upland forests associations. Unlike the former, the Rhizophoraceae are of minor importance.


title: Sundarbans

text: Ecological succession is generally defined as the successive occupation of a site by different plant communities. In an accreting mudflats the outer community along the sequence represents the pioneer community which is gradually replaced by the next community representing the seral stages and finally by a climax community typical of the climatic zone. Robert Scott Troup suggested that succession began in the newly accreted land created by fresh deposits of eroded soil. The pioneer vegetation on these newly accreted sites is "Sonneratia", followed by "Avicennia" and "Nypa". As the ground is elevated as a result of soil deposition, other trees make their appearance. The most prevalent, though one of the late species to appear, is "Excoecaria". As the level of land rises through accretion and the land is only occasionally flooded by tides, "Heritiera fomes" begins to appear.


title: Sundarbans

text: A total of 245 genera and 334 plant species were recorded by David Prain in 1903. While most of the mangroves in other parts of the world are characterised by members of the Rhizophoraceae, Avicenneaceae or Combretaceae, the mangroves of Bangladesh are dominated by the Malvaceae and Euphorbiaceae.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans flora is characterised by the abundance of sundari ("Heritiera fomes"), gewa ("Excoecaria agallocha"), goran ("Ceriops decandra") and keora ("Sonneratia apetala") all of which occur prominently throughout the area. The characteristic tree of the forest is the "sundari" ("Heritiera littoralis"), from which the name of the forest had probably been derived. It yields a hard wood, used for building houses and making boats, furniture and other things. New forest accretions is often conspicuously dominated by keora ("Sonneratia apetala") and tidal forests. It is an indicator species for newly accreted mudbanks and is an important species for wildlife, especially spotted deer ("Axis axis"). There is abundance of or ("Xylocarpus granatum") and ("Bruguiera gymnorhiza") though distribution is discontinuous. Among palms, "Poresia coaractata", "Myriostachya wightiana" and golpata ("Nypa fruticans"), and among grasses spear grass ("Imperata cylindrica") and khagra ("Phragmites karka") are well distributed.


title: Sundarbans

text: The varieties of the forests that exist in Sundarbans include mangrove scrub, littoral forest, saltwater mixed forest, brackish water mixed forest and swamp forest. Besides the forest, there are extensive areas of brackish water and freshwater marshes, intertidal mudflats, sandflats, sand dunes with typical dune vegetation, open grassland on sandy soils and raised areas supporting a variety of terrestrial shrubs and trees. Since Prain's report there have been considerable changes in the status of various mangrove species and taxonomic revision of the man-grove flora. However, very little exploration of the botanical nature of the Sundarbans has been made to keep up with these changes. Differences in vegetation have been explained in terms of freshwater and low salinity influences in the Northeast and variations in drainage and siltation. The Sundarbans has been classified as a moist tropical forest demonstrating a whole mosaic of seres, comprising primary colonisation on new accretions to more mature beach forests. Historically vegetation types have been recognised in broad correlation with varying degrees of water salinity, freshwater flushing and physiography.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans provides a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat. According to the 2015 tiger census in Bangladesh, and the 2011 tiger census in India, the Sundarbans have about 180 tigers (106 in Bangladesh and 74 in India). Earlier estimates, based on counting unique pugmarks, were much higher. The more recent counts have used camera traps, an improved methodology that yields more accurate results. Tiger attacks were historically common in the area, and are still frequent in the Sundarbans, with around 40 people killed in 2000–2010.


title: Sundarbans

text: Most importantly, mangroves are a transition from the marine to freshwater and terrestrial systems, and provide critical habitat for numerous species of small fish, crabs, shrimps and other crustaceans that adapt to feed and shelter, and reproduce among the tangled mass of roots, known as pneumatophores, which grow upward from the anaerobic mud to get the supply of oxygen.


title: Sundarbans

text: A 1991 study has revealed that the Indian part of the Sundarbans supports diverse biological resources including at least 150 species of commercially important fish, 270 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 35 reptiles and 8 amphibian species, although new ones are being discovered. This represents a significant proportion of the species present in Bangladesh (i.e. about 30% of the reptiles, 37% the birds and 34% of the mammals) and includes many species which are now extinct elsewhere in the country. Two amphibians, 14 reptiles, 25 aves and five mammals are endangered. The Sundarbans is an important wintering area for migrant water birds and is an area suitable for watching and studying avifauna.


title: Sundarbans

text: The management of wildlife is restricted to, firstly, the protection of fauna from poaching, and, secondly, designation of some areas as wildlife sanctuaries where no extraction of forest produce is allowed and where the wildlife face few disturbances. Although the fauna of Bangladesh have diminished in recent times and the Sundarbans has not been spared from this decline, the mangrove forest retains several good wildlife habitats and their associated fauna. Of these, the tiger and dolphin are target species for planning wildlife management and tourism development. There are high profile and vulnerable mammals living in two contrasting environments, and their statuses and management are strong indicators of the general condition and management of wildlife. Some species are protected by legislation, notably by the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order, 1973 (P.O. 23 of 1973).


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans are an important habitat for the Bengal tiger ("Panthera tigris"). The forest also provides habitat for small wild cats such as the jungle cat ("Felis chaus"), fishing cat ("Prionailurus viverrinus"), and leopard cat ("P. bengalensis").


title: Sundarbans

text: Several predators dwell in the labyrinth of channels, branches, and roots that poke up into the air. This is the only mangrove ecoregion that harbors the Indo-Pacific region's largest terrestrial predator, the Bengal tiger. Unlike in other habitats, tigers live here and swim among the mangrove islands, where they hunt scarce prey such as the chital deer ("Axis axis"), Indian muntjacs ("Muntiacus muntjak"), wild boar ("Sus scrofa"), and Rhesus macaque ("Macaca mulatta"). It is estimated that there are now 180 Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area. The tigers are known to attack and kill humans who venture into the forest, with around 40 deaths recorded in 2000–2010.


title: Sundarbans

text: Forest inventories reveal a decline in standing volume of the two main commercial mangrove species – sundari ("Heritiera" spp.) and gewa ("Excoecaria agallocha") — by 40% and 45% respectively between 1959 and 1983. Despite a total ban on all killing or capture of wildlife other than fish and some invertebrates, it appears that there is a consistent pattern of depleted biodiversity or loss of species (notably at least six mammals and one important reptile) in the 20th century, and that the "ecological quality of the original mangrove forest is declining".


title: Sundarbans

text: The endangered species that live within the Sundarbans and extinct species that used to be include the Bengal tiger, estuarine crocodile, northern river terrapin ("Batagur baska"), olive ridley sea turtle, Gangetic dolphin, ground turtles, hawksbill sea turtles and king crabs (horse shoe). The Sundarbans hold globally important numbers of the critically endangered masked finfoot and are important wintering sites for the spoon-billed sandpiper and the Indian skimmer. Some species such as hog deer ("Axis porcinus"), water buffalos ("Bubalus bubalis"), barasingha or swamp deer ("Cervus duvauceli"), Javan rhinoceros ("Rhinoceros sondaicus"), Indian rhinoceros ("Rhinoceros unicornis") and the mugger crocodile ("Crocodylus palustris") started to become extinct in the Sundarbans towards the middle of the 20th century, because of extensive poaching and hunting by the British and locals. There are other threatened mammal species, such as the capped langur ("Semnopithecus pileatus"), smooth-coated otter ("Lutrogale perspicillata"), Asian small-clawed otter ("Aonyx cinerea") and large Indian civet ("Viverra zibetha").


title: Sundarbans

text: The physical development processes along the coast are influenced by a multitude of factors, comprising wave motions, micro and macro-tidal cycles and long shore currents typical to the coastal tract. The shore currents vary greatly along with the monsoon. These are also affected by cyclonic action. Erosion and accretion through these forces maintains varying levels, as yet not properly measured, of physiographic change whilst the mangrove vegetation itself provides a remarkable stability to the entire system. During each monsoon season almost all the Bengal Delta is submerged, much of it for half a year. The sediment of the lower delta plain is primarily advected inland by monsoonal coastal setup and cyclonic events. One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea levels caused mostly by subsidence in the region and partly by climate change.


title: Sundarbans

text: In many of the Bangladesh's mangrove wetlands, freshwater reaching the mangroves was considerably reduced from the 1970s because of diversion of freshwater in the upstream area by neighbouring India through the use of the Farakka Barrage bordering Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Also, the Bengal Basin is slowly tilting towards the east because of neo-tectonic movement, forcing greater freshwater input to the Bangladesh Sundarbans. As a result, the salinity of the Bangladesh Sundarbans is much lower than that of the Indian side. A 1990 study noted that there "is no evidence that environmental degradation in the Himalayas or a 'greenhouse' induced rise in sea level have aggravated floods in Bangladesh"; however, a 2007 report by UNESCO, "Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage" has stated that an anthropogenic rise in sea level (likely by the end of the 21st century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), combined with other forms of anthropogenic stress on the Sundarbans, could lead to the destruction of 75 percent of the Sundarbans mangroves. Already, Lohachara Island and New Moore Island/South Talpatti Island have disappeared under the sea, and Ghoramara Island is half submerged.


title: Sundarbans

text: In a study conducted in 2012, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found out that the Sunderban coast was retreating up to in a year. Agricultural activities had destroyed around of mangroves within three decades (1975–2010). Shrimp cultivation had destroyed another .


title: Sundarbans

text: Researches from the School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, estimated the annual rise in sea level to be in 2010. It had doubled from recorded in 2000. The rising sea levels had also submerged around of forest areas. This, coupled with an around rise in surface water temperatures and increased levels of salinity have posed a problem for the survival of the indigenous flora and fauna. The Sundari trees are exceptionally sensitive to salinity and are being threatened with extinction.


title: Sundarbans

text: Loss of the mangrove forest will result in the loss of the protective biological shield against cyclones and tsunamis. This may put the surrounding coastal communities at high risk. Moreover, the submergence of land mass have rendered up to 6,000 families homeless and around 70,000 people are immediately threatened with the same. This is causing the flight of human capital to the mainland, about 13% in the decade of 2000–2010.


title: Sundarbans

text: A 2015 ethnographic study, conducted by a team of researchers from Heiderberg university in Germany, found a crisis brewing in the Sunderbans. The study contended that poor planning on the part of the India and Bangladesh governments coupled with natural ecological changes were forcing the flight of human capital from the region


title: Sundarbans

text: According to a report created by UNESCO, the landfall of Cyclone Sidr damaged around 40% of Sundarbans in 2007.


title: Sundarbans

text: In August 2010, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) where they designated to implement the coal-fired Rampal power station by 2016. The proposed project, on an area of over 1,834 acres of land, is situated north of the Sundarbans. This project violates the environmental impact assessment guidelines for coal-based thermal power plants. Environmental activists contend that the proposed location of the Rampal Station would violate provisions of the Ramsar Convention. The government of Bangladesh rejected the allegations that the coal-based power plant would adversely affect the world's largest mangrove forest.


title: Sundarbans

text: On 9 December 2014 an oil-tanker named "Southern Star VII", carrying of furnace oil, was sunk in the Sela river of Sundarbans after it had been hit by a cargo vessel. The oil spread over area after the clash, as of 17 December. The slick spread to a second river and a network of canals in the Sundarbans and blackened the shoreline. The event was very threatening to trees, plankton, vast populations of small fishes and dolphins. The event occurred at a protected Sundarbans mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins. Until 15 December 2014 only of oil from the area were cleaned up by local residents, Bangladesh Navy and the government of Bangladesh. Some reports indicated that the event killed some wildlife. On 13 December 2014, a dead Irrawaddy dolphin was seen floating on the Harintana-Tembulbunia channel of the Sela River.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans plays an important role in the economy of the southwestern region of Bangladesh as well as in the national economy. It is the single largest source of forest produce in the country. The forest provides raw materials for wood-based industries. In addition to traditional forest produce like timber, fuelwood, pulpwood etc., large-scale harvest of non-wood forest products such as thatching materials, honey, beeswax, fish, crustacean and mollusc resources of the forest takes place regularly. The vegetated tidal lands of the Sundarbans function as an essential habitat, produces nutrients and purifies water. The forest also traps nutrient and sediment, acts as a storm barrier, shore stabiliser and energy storage unit. Last but not the least, the Sunderbans provides an aesthetic attraction for local and foreign tourists. The water houseboat in the Sundarbans is also a recent attraction among the tourists.


title: Sundarbans

text: The forest has immense protective and productive functions. Constituting 51% of the total reserved forest estate of Bangladesh, it contributes about 41% of total forest revenue and accounts for about 45% of all timber and fuel wood output of the country. A number of industries (e.g., newsprint mill, match factory, hardboard, boat building, furniture making) are based on raw materials obtained from the Sundarbans ecosystem. Non-timber forest products and plantations help generate considerable employment and income opportunities for at least half a million poor coastal people. It provides natural protection to life and properties of the coastal population in cyclone-prone Bangladesh.


title: Sundarbans

text: Part of the Sundarbans is shielded from tidal inflow by leaves and there one finds villages and agriculture. During the monsoon season, the low lying agricultural lands are waterlogged and the summer crop ("kharif crop") is therefore mainly deepwater rice or floating rice. In the dry winter season the land is normally uncropped and used for cattle grazing. However, the lands near the villages are irrigated from ponds that were filled up during monsoon, and vegetable crops ("Rabi crops") can be grown here.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans has a population of over 4 million but much of it is mostly free of permanent human habitation. Despite human habitations and a century of economic exploitation of the forest well into the late 1940s, the Sundarbans retained a forest closure of about 70% according to the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) of the United Kingdom in 1980.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans area is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and the population is increasing. As a result, half of this ecoregion's mangrove forests have been cut down to supply fuelwood and other natural resources. Despite the intense and large-scale exploitation, this still is one of the largest contiguous areas of mangroves in the world. Another threat comes from deforestation and water diversion from the rivers inland, which causes far more silt to be brought to the estuary, clogging up the waterways.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Directorate of Forest is responsible for the administration and management of Sundarban National Park in West Bengal. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife & Bio-Diversity & ex-officio Chief Wildlife Warden, West Bengal is the senior most executive officer looking over the administration of the park. The Chief Conservator of Forests (South) & Director, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve is the administrative head of the park at the local level and is assisted by a Deputy Field Director and an Assistant Field Director. The park area is divided into two ranges, overseen by range forest officers. Each range is further sub-divided into beats. The park also has floating watch stations and camps to protect the property from poachers.


title: Sundarbans

text: The park receives financial aid from the State Government as well as the Ministry of Environment and Forests under various Plan and Non-Plan Budgets. Additional funding is received under the Project Tiger from the Central Government. In 2001, a grant of US$20,000 was received as a preparatory assistance for promotion between India and Bangladesh from the World Heritage Fund.


title: Sundarbans

text: A new Khulna Forest Circle was created in Bangladesh back in 1993 to preserve the forest, and Chief Conservators of Forests have been posted since. The direct administrative head of the Division is the Divisional Forest Officer, based at Khulna, who has a number of professional, subprofessional and support staff and logistic supports for the implementation of necessary management and administrative activities. The basic unit of management is the compartment. There are 55 compartments in four Forest Ranges and these are clearly demarcated mainly by natural features such as rivers, canals and creeks.


title: Sundarbans

text: Recently West Bengal Cabinet has approved a new district in South 24 Parganas and proposed district was named Sundarban.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Bangladesh part of the forest lies under two forest divisions, and four administrative ranges viz Chandpai (Khulna District), Sarankhola (Khulna), and Burigoalini (Satkhira District) and has sixteen forest stations. It is further divided into fifty-five compartments and nine blocks. There are three wildlife sanctuaries established in 1977 under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order, 1973 (P.O. 23 of 1973). The West Bengal part of the forest lies under the district of South & North 24 Parganas.


title: Sundarbans

text: Protected areas cover 15% of the Sundarbans mangroves including Sundarbans National Park and Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary, in West Bengal, Sundarbans East, Sundarbans South and Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuaries in Bangladesh.


title: Sundarbans

text: In May 2019, the local authorities in Bangladesh killed 4 tiger poachers in a shootout in the Sunderbans mangrove area where currently 114 tigers dwell.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarban National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, India. It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta, and adjacent to the Sundarbans Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. The delta is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile. The present Sundarbans National Park was declared as the core area of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977. On 4 May 1984 it was declared a National Park.


title: Sundarbans

text: Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bangladesh. The region supports mangroves, including: sparse stands of Gewa ("Excoecaria agallocha") and dense stands of Goran ("Ceriops tagal"), with discontinuous patches of Hantal palm ("Phoenix paludosa") on drier ground, river banks and levees. The fauna of the sanctuary is very diverse with some 40 species of mammals, 260 species of birds and 35 species of reptiles. The greatest of these being the Bengal tiger of which an estimated 350 remain in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Other large mammals are wild boar, chital horin (spotted deer), Indian otter and macaque monkey. Five species of marine turtles frequent the coastal zone and two endangered reptiles are present – the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.


title: Sundarbans

text: Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuary extends over an area of in Bangladesh. Sundari trees ("Heritiera fomes") dominate the flora, interspersed with Gewa ("Excoecaria agallocha") and Passur ("Xylocarpus mekongensis") with Kankra ("Bruguiera gymnorhiza") occurring in areas subject to more frequent flooding. There is an understory of Shingra ("Cynometra ramiflora") where, soils are drier and Amur ("Aglaia cucullata") in wetter areas and Goran ("Ceriops decandra") in more saline places. Nypa palm ("Nypa fruticans") is widespread along drainage lines.


title: Sundarbans

text: Sundarbans South Wildlife Sanctuary extends over an area of in Bangladesh. There is evidently the greatest seasonal variation in salinity levels and possibly represents an area of relatively longer duration of moderate salinity where Gewa ("Excoecaria agallocha") is the dominant woody species. It is often mixed with Sundri, which is able to displace in circumstances such as artificially opened canopies where Sundri does not regenerate as effectively. It is also frequently associated with a dense understory of Goran ("Ceriops tagal") and sometimes Passur.


title: Sundarbans

text: Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary is a area in the northern part of the Sundarbans delta in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India. It is mainly mangrove scrub, forest and swamp. It was set up as a sanctuary in 1976. It is home to a rich population of different species of wildlife, such as water fowl, heron, pelican, spotted deer, rhesus macaques, wild boar, tigers, water monitor lizards, fishing cats, otters, olive ridley turtles, crocodiles, batagur terrapins, and migratory birds.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sundarbans is celebrated through numerous Bengali folk songs and dances, often centred around the folk heroes, gods and goddesses specific to the Sunderbans (like Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai) and to the Lower Gangetic Delta (like Manasa and Chand Sadagar). The Bengali folk epic Manasamangal mentions "Netidhopani" and has some passages set in the Sundarbans during the heroine Behula's quest to bring her husband "Lakhindar" back to life.


title: Sundarbans

text: The area provides the setting for several novels by Emilio Salgari, (e.g. "The Mystery of the Black Jungle"). "Sundarbaney Arjan Sardar", a novel by Shibshankar Mitra, and "Padma Nadir Majhi", a novel by Manik Bandopadhyay, are based on the rigors of lives of villagers and fishermen living in the Sunderbans region, and are woven into the Bengali psyche to a great extent. Part of the plot of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize winning novel, "Midnight's Children" is set in the Sundarbans. This forest is adopted as the setting of Kunal Basu's short story "The Japanese Wife" and the subsequent film adaptation. Most of the plot of an internationally acclaimed novelist, Amitav Ghosh's 2004 novel, "The Hungry Tide", is set in the Sundarbans. The plot centres on a headstrong American cetologist who arrives to study a rare species of river dolphin, enlisting a local fisherman and translator to aid her. The book also mentions two accounts of the Bonbibi story of "Dukhey's Redemption". Manik Bandopadhyay's "Padma Nadir Majhi" was made into a movie by Goutam Ghose.


title: Sundarbans

text: The Sunderbans has been the subject of a detailed and well-researched scholarly work on Bonbibi (a 'forest goddess' venerated by Hindus), on the relation between the islanders and tigers and on conservation and how it is perceived by the inhabitants of the Sundarbans, as well as numerous non-fiction books, including "The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans" by Sy Montegomery for a young audience, which was shortlisted for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award. In "Up The Country", Emily Eden discusses her travels through the Sunderbans. Numerous documentary movies have been made about the Sunderbans, including the 2003 IMAX production "Shining Bright" about the Bengal tiger. The acclaimed BBC TV series "Ganges" documents the lives of villagers, especially honey collectors, in the Sundarbans.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: Kim Jae-wook (born April 2, 1983) is a South Korean model and actor. He is best known for his roles in the hit series "Coffee Prince" (2007), comedy film "Antique" (2008), mystery drama "Who Are You?" (2013), thriller "Voice" (2017), "The Guest" (2018), "Her Private Life" (2019) and Crazy Love (2022). He is fluent in Japanese, and played the role of Sō Takeyuki, the Japanese husband of Princess Deokhye, in the film "The Last Princess".


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: Kim was born in Seoul, and grew up in Tokyo, Japan until he was seven years old before returning to South Korea. His father worked as a journalist and was transferred to Japan as a foreign correspondent. He started out performing in a band, and began modelling at age 17. Due to the time he spent in Japan, he can speak fluent Japanese.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In 2002, Kim debuted as the member of an indie band in the MBC drama "Ruler of Your Own World". After this first role, he concentrated on his modeling career for 5 years. In 2007, he auditioned for and won the role of No Sun-ki in the 2007 hit drama series "Coffee Prince". The role shot him to fame in both South Korea and several Asian countries. He later appeared in the 2008 drama "The Kingdom of The Winds", and served as the ambassador of goodwill for the 9th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) in May 2008.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: Kim then starred in his first film, "Antique", based on the manga "Antique Bakery", which was invited to the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. He played a gay chef working at a bakery. He won the Best New Actor award at the 16th Korean Entertainment Awards. In October 2009, he formed a modern rock band named Walrus, where he served as guitarist and vocal. The name of the group came from the Beatles single "I am the Walrus".


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: Kim got his first leading role in Bee TV's South Korean-Japanese drama "Give Me Your Memory: Pygmalion's Love", which aired in March 2010. The same year, he starred in the melodrama television series "Bad Guy", and featured in the romantic comedy series "Marry Me, Mary!".


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: Before enlisting to military service in 2011, he played in rock musical, Hedwig And the Angry Inch, from May 14 until June 19, 2011.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: After finishing his mandatory military service, Kim made his comeback in the 2013 television series "Who Are You?", playing the dead boyfriend of So Yi-hyun's character. In 2014, Kim was featured in KBS' period action drama "Inspiring Generation" as Kim Hyun-joong's rival, but quit after episode 8 due to unavoidable circumstances.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In 2015, Kim was cast for the lead role in the fantasy comedy film "Plank Constant", playing a script writer with weird sexual fantasies.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: The following year, Kim took on the role of a Japanese nobleman who marries Son Ye-jin's character Princess Deokhye in the period film "The Last Princess". The same year, Kim took a leading role in the film "Two Rooms, Two Nights" as a popular movie director who tries to maintain secretive romantic relationships with both: his current girl friend and ex-girl friend.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In January 2017, Kim starred in romance film "Another way (2017)", playing the role of a police officer who finds Seo Yea-ji's character online and forms a suicide pact. He then played the antagonist in OCN's hit thriller drama "Voice", earning acclaim for his performance as a serial killer. In July the same year, Kim was cast as in the romance drama "Temperature of Love", playing a rich businessman.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In 2018, Kim was cast in the musical "Amadeus" in triple casting, alongside Jo Jung-suk and Kim Sung-kyu. Kim's Japanese film "Butterfly Sleep" was released in Japan in May 2018. The same year, he was cast in OCN's supernatural thriller "The Guest".


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In 2019, Kim was cast as the main lead in the romantic comedy drama "Her Private Life" alongside Park Min-young. The show marks Kim's first time as a primary lead in a romantic comedy.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In 2020, Kim created "My Margiela", a 5-episode video series on the Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In 2022, Kim stars alongside Krystal Jung in KBS2 television series "Crazy Love", playing a maths instructor and CEO of a top math institute.


title: Kim Jae-wook

text: In May 2011, along with fashion models Jang Yoon-ju, Ji Hyun-jung, Han Hye-jin and Song Kyung-ah, he co-authored "Top Model", a book based on their experiences in the industry. He then enlisted for mandatory military service on July 5, 2011 for 21 months of active duty after five weeks of basic military training. In June 2015, Kim signed an exclusive contract with management agency Better ENT. In June 2017, he left Better ENT and signed with new management agency Management SOOP.


title: Tri-state area

text: Tri-state area is an informal term in the United States which can be used for any of several populated areas associated with a particular town or metropolis that, with adjacent suburbs, lies across three states. Some of these involve a state boundary tripoint. Other tri-state areas have a more diffuse population that shares a connected economy and geography—especially with respect to geology, botany, or climate. The term "tri-state area" is often present in radio, television commercials and some movies.


title: Tri-state area

text: The Quincy, Evansville, and Huntington–Ashland areas are noteworthy for the states included all being separated by rivers.


title: Tri-state area

text: Of the 62 points in the United States where three and only three states meet (each of which may be associated with its own tri-state area), 35 are on dry land and 27 are in water. Of the 27 points on water, 3 of them are in the Great Lakes, and thus have no land nearby.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct is the tenth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released as a double album on November 18, 2016, by their own label Blackened Recordings. It is their first studio album in eight years following "Death Magnetic" (2008), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in the band's career. It is also their first studio album released through Blackened. "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" was produced by Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed "Death Magnetic".


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: This was Metallica's sixth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the US "Billboard" 200, selling 291,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, and topping the charts in 57 countries. The number one ranking marked the second time in history that any band of any genre would have six consecutive albums debut at number one, following only Dave Matthews Band. "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" received generally positive reviews from critics, and in 2020 Lars Ulrich ranked it as his favorite Metallica album.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: In October 2011, bassist Robert Trujillo said that the band had returned to the studio to begin writing new material. He said: "The writing process for the new Metallica album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during most of next year." In an interview with "Classic Rock" on January 8, 2013, Lars Ulrich said regarding the album, "What we're doing now certainly sounds like a continuation [of "Death Magnetic"]". He also said, "I love Rick [Rubin]. We all love Rick. We're in touch with Rick constantly. We'll see where it goes. It would stun me if the record came out in 2013." In a July 2013 interview, Ulrich told "Ultimate Guitar", "2014 will be all about making a new Metallica record"; he said the album would most likely be released during 2015. Trujillo and Kirk Hammett later confirmed the band's intention to enter the studio.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: In March 2014, Metallica began a tour called "Metallica By Request", in which fans requested songs for the band to perform, and a new song, titled "Lords of Summer", was written for the concerts and released as a "first take" demo in March 2014. A Black Friday exclusive single featuring the "First Pass Version" and a live version limited to 4,000 copies was released later that year on vinyl. In March 2015, Ulrich told "Rolling Stone" that twenty songs had been written for the album, and that he hoped some of them could be played at their shows later in the year. In October 2015, the band unveiled a new website with an introduction from Ulrich containing footage from the studio of the band working on new material. In November, Hammett said that the album was expected to be released in late 2016 or early 2017.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: On February 6, 2016, during their "The Night Before" show at AT&T Park prior to Super Bowl 50, James Hetfield said that the band was nearing the end of the recording process, and Ulrich said that the album would be released soon. This was compounded by the band playing a new riff at the show, which ended up being from the song "Murder One". Ulrich further elaborated in March 2016 when he said that the band hoped to finish production of the album during the spring. "I think [2016] will be a pretty in-your-face year, at least the back half of it... hopefully we should be able to knock that on the head (finishing the album) this spring, I would guess". In March 2016, Hammett said that the band had worked with Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed "Death Magnetic", as producer on the new album. "The title 'producer' itself is a bit ambiguous. It differs from person to person. You can call Rick Rubin a producer, but he's not the [same] type of producer as Bob Rock, who is there for every note. At the same time, Rick Rubin gets stuff done. Greg Fidelman is a different type of producer in that he's with the engineer always looking to try and move the project forward."


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: In April 2016, during the week leading up to Record Store Day, for which the band was its ambassador for 2016, Ulrich told "Billboard" that the band's expanded role within the music industry had played a part in the amount of time that it had taken to write and record the album. "The way we do things now is very different than the way we did things back in the days of "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride the Lightning". Nowadays we like to do so many different things." Ulrich was also optimistic that production of the album had almost reached its completion. "Unless something radical happens it would be difficult for me to believe that it won't come out in 2016." In May 2016, Ulrich said in an interview with "Metal Forces" that the album would be released in the summer of 2016, and that details for the new album would be finalized in the next month. "If the record doesn't come out this year then it won't be because it's not done... it will be because there's some sort of cosmic reason that it would be smarter to hold onto it until next year. But the record "will" be done this summer". Recording of the album was completed in June 2016 once the recording for the song "Hardwired" was finished.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: The lyrics follow a general theme of nihilism and pessimism. The title, "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct", came from an utterance Hetfield heard. "Somebody said to me the other day, and it stuck with me, 'Hardwired... Hardwired to Self-Destruct'. So it's like no matter what you do in your life you're really trying to not go down that path that you're maybe hard-wired to do." This theme unites disparate topics such as the dangers of fame on "Moth Into Flame" and cosmicism in "Dream No More".


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" marks the first studio album by the band not to feature songwriting contributions from Hammett since he joined the band in 1983 prior to the recording of "Kill 'Em All". In 2014, Hammett had lost his phone at Copenhagen Airport, which contained almost 250 riff ideas. Since Hammett did not back up the data, it affected his creative input for the new album and he "had to start at zero again while [Hetfield and Ulrich] had material for songs." Trujillo's sole writing credit on the album was the introduction to "ManUNkind", which he later said was written as a tribute to former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. Regarding lyrical themes, "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" bemoans the music industry on "Moth Into Flame" and subjects such as drug addiction and overdose on "Hardwired." Familiar lyrics dealing with the H. P. Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos are explored on "Dream No More", and "Murder One" serves as a tribute to the late Motörhead frontman Lemmy, who died in December 2015; the song was named after the bassist's favorite amplifier.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: In a live Facebook event on August 18, 2016, Lars Ulrich said the album would be released in November 2016, and would contain twelve tracks. According to the announcement on the band's website, the CD version of the album would contain two discs with six tracks each, and that the album would contain nearly eighty minutes of new music. Metallica released the first single from the album, "Hardwired", that same day; those who pre-ordered the album through the band's official website received an instant download of the song. The album artwork, created by Herring & Herring, and the music video for "Hardwired" were also released. On September 15, 2016, the band announced that they had updated the track list for the deluxe edition of the album. In place of the thirteen "Riff Origins" songs that the band had initially included on the third disc, the band included "Ronnie Rising Medley", which the band had recorded for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album "Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life" in 2014, covers of Deep Purple's "When a Blind Man Cries" and Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow", and remastered versions of the nine songs performed live at Record Store Day on April 16, 2016, along with a live version of "Hardwired".


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: On September 26, 2016, the band released the second single from the album, "Moth into Flame", along with a music video. The album's third single, "Atlas, Rise!", was released on October 31, 2016, with a music video composed of footage from the album's recording process. Ulrich also told "The Straits Times" that same day that the band would be filming music videos for all twelve tracks on the album, using YouTube as their platform. "Now that YouTube is the world's biggest television station, we figured we may as well knock a video out for every song... the practicality of shooting twelve music videos is kind of crazy, especially when you're trying to promote your record, and you're all over the place, and trying to make sure it doesn't leak. It's crazy but, at the same time, fun." On November 12, 2016, a local Walmart started selling the album in advance of the official release date of November 18. On November 16, the music videos for all nine remaining tracks (along with "Lords of Summer") were released. The Italian city of Matera appears in the music video for "Spit Out the Bone".


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: Metallica promoted "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" with the WorldWired Tour, which began in Puerto Rico on October 26, 2016, and concluded in Mannheim on August 25, 2019.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" received generally positive reviews. The album received an average score of 73/100 from 29 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". At AnyDecentMusic?, that collates critical reviews from more than 50 media sources, the album scored 6.8 points out of 10, based on 27 reviews.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said although the album featured all of Metallica's core music elements, he thought the band did not sound as ferocious as it did in its '80s heyday. David Anthony of "The A.V. Club" had a mixed impression, saying "77 minutes of endless thrashing gets tiring" and thought the songs would benefit from leaner songwriting. He did, however, praise the album's first three singles, saying they were some of the best songs the band has written since the 1980s. Writing for "Rolling Stone", David Fricke said "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" reminded him of "...And Justice for All" and "Metallica", having the "jagged apocalypse" of the first and the "focused brawn" of the second. "Pitchfork"s Zoe Camp also felt that the album was "an attempt to revisit their early days", similar to "Death Magnetic", but adding that "the only difference is that this time they sound like they’re actually trying, and maybe even having a bit of fun". Greg Kot of "The Chicago Tribune" opined that "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" was not comparable to Metallica's finest work, and predicted the album will be quickly forgotten as its promotional tour is done. Dom Lawson of "The Guardian" had an opposite opinion, declaring "Hardwired..." Metallica's "finest record in 25 years". He criticized the second disc for not being on the same level as the first, and stopped short of calling the album a classic.


title: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

text: Sputnikmusic's Trey Spencer wrote that, performance-wise, Hetfield's voice sounded reinvigorated, but complained on Ulrich's drumming for not "breaking a sweat" on most of the tracks. He concluded that Metallica was not attempting to recapture its trademark sound, but made this album "just for the love of playing". Stephen Dalton of "Classic Rock" said Metallica were still competent with the biggest pop stars in a climate where rock music was declining. Dalton liked the album's cover art, but his opinion on the music was "more mixed". Adrien Begrand of "PopMatters" complimented the band's concise songwriting and wise selection of songs for not including ballads and long instrumentals. He observed that Metallica was having fun again and made a record that will please old and new fans. Neil McCormick of "The Daily Telegraph" felt the album was "80 minutes of in-your-face shouty rage with absolutely no let-up", and that "if it was half as long, it would have been twice as effective".