sedative-hypnotic drug: …trade names), amobarbital (Amytal), and pentobarbital (Nembutal). When taken in high-enough doses, these drugs are capable of producing a deep unconsciousness that makes them useful as general anesthetics. In still higher doses, however, they depress the central nervous and respiratory systems to the point of coma, respiratory failure, and death.…

Buddhism: Pure Land: …of invoking the name Amitabha—called nembutsu in Japanese and nianfo in Chinese—became popular in China and Japan, where it was believed that the world had reached the decadent age, the so-called “latter days of the law” in which Buddhist doctrines were unclear and humans lacked the purity of heart or…

Czech literature: The 18th and 19th centuries: …Havlíček Borovský and the novelist Božena Němcová were both concerned with practical issues and did much to emancipate Czech prose from the older classical manner, bringing it nearer to everyday speech. Němcová became best known for Babička (1855; “The Grandmother”), an idealized portrayal of country life in sketches whose precise,…

Battle of Nemea, (394 bc), battle in the Corinthian War (395–387 bc) in which a coalition of Greek city-states sought to destroy the ascendancy of Sparta after its victory in the Peloponnesian War. The Spartans’ defeat of the troops from Thebes, Corinth, Athens, and Argos temporarily broke the

Nemean Games, in ancient Greece, athletic and musical competitions held in honour of Zeus, in July, at the great Temple of Zeus at Nemea, in Argolis. They occurred biennially, in the same years as the Isthmian Games, i.e., in the second and fourth years of each Olympiad. Their origin was attributed

Heracles: …(1) the slaying of the Nemean lion, whose skin he thereafter wore; (2) the slaying of the nine-headed Hydra of Lerna; (3) the capture of the elusive hind (or stag) of Arcadia; (4) the capture of the wild boar of Mount Erymanthus; (5) the cleansing, in a single day, of…

Diane Arbus was an American photographer, best known for her compelling, often disturbing, portraits of people from the edges of society. Diane Nemerov was the daughter of Gertrude Russek and David Nemerov, proprietors of a department store. Her older brother was the poet and critic Howard Nemerov.

Howard Nemerov was an American poet, novelist, and critic whose poetry, marked by irony and self-deprecatory wit, is often about nature. In 1978, Nemerov received the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov, which appeared in 1977. (Read Howard Nemerov’s

ribbon worm, any member of the invertebrate phylum Nemertea (sometimes called Nemertinea, or Rhynchocoela), which includes mainly free-living forms but also a few parasites of crustaceans, mollusks, and sea squirts. The majority of the approximately 900 known nemertean species are found in marine

ribbon worm, any member of the invertebrate phylum Nemertea (sometimes called Nemertinea, or Rhynchocoela), which includes mainly free-living forms but also a few parasites of crustaceans, mollusks, and sea squirts. The majority of the approximately 900 known nemertean species are found in marine

ribbon worm, any member of the invertebrate phylum Nemertea (sometimes called Nemertinea, or Rhynchocoela), which includes mainly free-living forms but also a few parasites of crustaceans, mollusks, and sea squirts. The majority of the approximately 900 known nemertean species are found in marine

ribbon worm, any member of the invertebrate phylum Nemertea (sometimes called Nemertinea, or Rhynchocoela), which includes mainly free-living forms but also a few parasites of crustaceans, mollusks, and sea squirts. The majority of the approximately 900 known nemertean species are found in marine

Gaafar Mohamed el-Nimeiri was a major general, commander of the armed forces, and president of Sudan (1971–85). After graduating from the Sudan Military College in 1952, Nimeiri acted as commander of the Khartoum garrison and led campaigns against rebels in southern Sudan. He joined in a number of

László Nemes is a Hungarian director whose first feature film, the Holocaust drama Saul fia (2015; Son of Saul), won an Academy Award for best foreign-language film. Nemes’s father was a film director, and his mother was a teacher. In 1989 he moved with his mother to Paris. After attending the

László Nemes is a Hungarian director whose first feature film, the Holocaust drama Saul fia (2015; Son of Saul), won an Academy Award for best foreign-language film. Nemes’s father was a film director, and his mother was a teacher. In 1989 he moved with his mother to Paris. After attending the

László Nemes is a Hungarian director whose first feature film, the Holocaust drama Saul fia (2015; Son of Saul), won an Academy Award for best foreign-language film. Nemes’s father was a film director, and his mother was a teacher. In 1989 he moved with his mother to Paris. After attending the

Marcus Aurelius Olympius Nemesianus was a Roman poet born in Carthage who wrote pastoral and didactic poetry. Of his works there survive four eclogues and an incomplete poem on hunting (Cynegetica). Two small fragments on bird catching (De aucupio) are also generally attributed to him. The four

Portugal: Literature: The novelist, essayist, and poet Vitorino Nemésio received acclaim for his novel Mau tempo no canal (1944; “Bad Weather in the Channel”; Eng. trans. Stormy Isles: An Azorean Tale).

Jo Nesbø: Harry Hole books: In Sorgenfri (2002; “Sorrow-Free”; Nemesis) Hole investigates a bank robbery and is implicated in the death of a former girlfriend. A serial killer is at work in Marekors (2003; “Pentagram”; The Devil’s Star), this time in Oslo. Hole tracks a contract killer in Frelseren (2005; “Saviour”; The Redeemer) and…

Nemesis, in Greek religion, two divine conceptions, the first an Attic goddess, the daughter of Nyx (Night), and the second an abstraction of indignant disapproval, later personified. Nemesis the goddess (perhaps of fertility) was worshipped at Rhamnus in Attica and was very similar to Artemis (a

Philip Roth: …is at the centre of Nemesis (2010), set in Newark, New Jersey, in 1944. In 2011 Roth won the Man Booker International Prize. The following year he announced that he had retired from writing.

Nemesis: …of the drill ground (Nemesis Campestris).

James Anthony Froude: …and, with the appearance of The Nemesis of Faith in 1849, the third of his novels, which was in effect an attack on the established church, he was obliged to resign his fellowship at Exeter College. He thereafter made his living by his pen until in 1892 he returned to…

Nemesius Of Emesa was a Christian philosopher, apologist, and bishop of Emesa (now Ḥimṣ, Syria) who was the author of Peri physeōs anthrōpou (Greek: “On the Nature of Man”), the first known compendium of theological anthropology with a Christian orientation. The treatise considerably influenced

Speyer, city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. Speyer is a port on the left bank of the Rhine River at the mouth of the Speyer River, south of Ludwigshafen. An ancient Celtic settlement, about 100 bce it became a Roman military and trading town, Noviomagus, and later became

Braille: The Nemeth Code of Braille Mathematics and Scientific Notation (1965) provides for Braille representation of the many special symbols used in advanced mathematical and technical material. There are also special Braille codes or modifications for musical notation, shorthand, and, of course, many of the more common…

Hungary: Political reforms: …November 1988 a young economist, Miklós Németh, became the prime minister, and in June 1989 a quadrumvirate composed of Imre Pozsgay, Grósz, Németh, and Nyers—chaired by the latter—temporarily took over the direction of a deeply split party. In October the party congress announced the dissolution of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’…

Nanterre, town, Hauts-de-Seine département, Île-de-France région, north-central France. It is located on the east bank of a loop of the meandering Seine River and separated from Paris by the suburbs of Puteaux and Neuilly-sur-Seine. Nanterre was formerly a heavily industrialized inner-city suburb

Nanterre, town, Hauts-de-Seine département, Île-de-France région, north-central France. It is located on the east bank of a loop of the meandering Seine River and separated from Paris by the suburbs of Puteaux and Neuilly-sur-Seine. Nanterre was formerly a heavily industrialized inner-city suburb

Lake Nemi, crater lake in Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies in the outer ring of the ancient Alban crater, in the Alban Hills, east of Lake Albano and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Rome. About 3.5 miles (5.5 km) in circumference and 110 feet (34 m) deep, it is drained via a tunnel

Lake Nemi, crater lake in Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies in the outer ring of the ancient Alban crater, in the Alban Hills, east of Lake Albano and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Rome. About 3.5 miles (5.5 km) in circumference and 110 feet (34 m) deep, it is drained via a tunnel

eel: Annotated classification: Family Nemichthyidae (snipe eels) Jaws greatly extended, minute teeth. 3 genera with about 9 species. Bathypelagic (deepwater), worldwide. Family Serrivomeridae (sawtooth snipe eels) Jaws moderately extended; bladelike teeth on vomer bones. 2 genera with about 10 species. Bathypelagic, worldwide. Family

Arishtanemi, the 22nd of the 24 Tirthankaras (“Ford-maker,” i.e., saviour) of Jainism, a traditional religion of India. While the last two Tirthanakaras may be considered historical personages, Arishtanemi is a legendary figure. Said to have lived 84,000 years before the coming of the next

Poland: The rule of Jagiełło: Called neminem captivabimus (comparable to habeas corpus), the measure guarded against arbitrary arrest or confiscation of property and distinguished between the executive and the judiciary. The Polish example also began to affect the internal evolution of magnate-dominated Lithuania. The lesser boyars, envious of the position of…

perciform: Annotated classification: Families Nemipteridae and Lethrinidae (breams) Resemble Lutjanidae; some with wider preorbital area under which upper jaw slips; others (Nemipteridae) with molar teeth in sides of jaws and incisors or caninelike teeth at front end of jaws. About 100 species; marine, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, especially around coral…

Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko was a Russian playwright, novelist, producer, and cofounder of the famous Moscow Art Theatre. At the age of 13, Nemirovich-Danchenko was directing plays and experimenting with different stage effects. He received his formal education at Moscow State University, where

Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko was a Russian playwright, novelist, producer, and cofounder of the famous Moscow Art Theatre. At the age of 13, Nemirovich-Danchenko was directing plays and experimenting with different stage effects. He received his formal education at Moscow State University, where

Captain Nemo, fictional character, the megalomaniacal captain of the submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne’s novel Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers (1869–70; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), and also a character in the subsequent L’Île mystérieuse (1874; The Mysterious

cricket: Ground crickets (subfamily Nemobiinae, or sometimes Gryllinae), approximately 12 mm long, are commonly found in pastures and wooded areas. Their song is a series of soft, high-pitched trills. The striped ground cricket (Nemobius vittatus) has three dark stripes on its abdomen.

cricket: The striped ground cricket (Nemobius vittatus) has three dark stripes on its abdomen.

Aztec calendar: …an additional 5 days called nemontemi and considered to be very unlucky. Again as in the Mayan calendar, the Aztec ritual and civil cycles returned to the same positions relative to each other every 52 years, an event celebrated as the Binding Up of the Years, or the New Fire…

coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Nemonychidae (pine-flower snout beetles) Small group sometimes placed in Curculionidae or Attelabidae. Superfamily Dascilloidea Forecoxae projecting; abdomen with 5 visible segments; wing with radial cell short; anal cell of wing, if present, with 1 apical vein. Family Dascillidae

Nemophila, genus of annual herbs of the family Boraginaceae. The 11 species, most of which bear blue or white, bell-like blooms, are North American, mostly Pacific coast in origin. Baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii) often blooms conspicuously along the borders of moist woodlands in California.

Nemophila: Baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii) often blooms conspicuously along the borders of moist woodlands in California.

neuropteran: Annotated classification: Family Nemopteridae (thread-winged or spoon-winged lacewings) Adults delicate; head snoutlike; antennae short; posterior wings greatly elongated, ribbonlike or threadlike; often expanded distally to appear spoonlike. Larval antennae long, filiform; jaws incurved; mandibles with or without internal teeth; with or without an elongated neck formed by anterior…

Lake Nemi, crater lake in Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies in the outer ring of the ancient Alban crater, in the Alban Hills, east of Lake Albano and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Rome. About 3.5 miles (5.5 km) in circumference and 110 feet (34 m) deep, it is drained via a tunnel

goral: …of eastern Siberia; and the Himalayan goral (N. goral), which occurs over the entire Himalayan region. The first two species are vulnerable to extinction, whereas the third species is still fairly abundant. Habitat loss, as well as poaching for meat and medicinal use, are the major threats to goral survival.

Nemours, town, Seine-et-Marne département, Île-de-France région, north-central France, south of Fontainebleau and south-southeast of Paris. Called Nemoracum in Roman times, the locality, pleasantly situated on the Loing River, derived its name from the woods (Latin nemora) surrounding it. Fortified

Charles-Amédée de Savoie, duke de Nemours was the duke de Nemours, son of Henri I de Savoie and ducal successor to his short-lived brother, Louis de Savoie. Charles-Amédée married Elisabeth de Bourbon, daughter of the Duke de Vendome, in 1643. He commanded troops in the wars against the Spaniards

Charles-Emmanuel de Savoie, duke de Nemours was the duke de Nemours and the eldest son of the former duke, Jacques de Savoie. A supporter of the Holy League sponsored by the Roman Catholic Guises, he was appointed governor of Lyonnais just before he was arrested at Blois in King Henry III’s coup

Henri I de Savoie, duc de Nemours was the duke de Nemours, brother and successor of the former duke, Charles-Emmanuel. Henri had helped the Roman Catholic Savoyards to capture Saluzzo (1588) and had fought for the Holy League in Daupiné, of which he became governor in 1591. Becoming duc de Nemours

Henri II de Savoie, duc de Nemours was the younger brother of Charles-Amédée de Savoie, whom he succeeded as duke in 1652. Henri had been trained for the church and was named archbishop of Reims in 1651. He was relieved of his vows in order to succeed his childless brother and eventually, on May

Jacques d’Armagnac, duc de Nemours was a peer of France who engaged in conspiracies against Louis XI. He was the first of the great dukes of Nemours. In 1404 the duchy of Nemours had been granted to Charles III of Navarre; but, upon his death in 1425, the succession was intermittently contested

Jacques de Savoie, duke de Nemours was a noted soldier and courtier during the French wars of religion. He won a military reputation in the French royal service on the eastern frontier and in Piedmont in the 1550s and against the Huguenots and their German allies in the 1560s. His amorous exploits

Louis d’Armagnac, duc de Nemours was the third son of Jacques d’Armagnac, duc de Nemours, and last of the ducal House of Armagnac. The duchy of Nemours and all other honours forfeited by his father were restored to Louis’s elder brother, Jean d’Armagnac, by acts of 1484 and 1492. Louis inherited

Louis-Charles-Philippe-Raphaël d’Orléans, duc de Nemours was the second son of King Louis-Philippe. After the abdication of his father in 1848, he tried until 1871 to unite exiled royalists and restore the monarchy. A colonel of cavalry from 1826, Nemours was elected king of the Belgians in 1831,

Marie d’Orleans-Longueville, duchesse de Nemours was the sovereign princess of Neuchâtel (from 1699), best known for her Mémoires (1709). The daughter of Henri II d’Orleans, duc de Longueville, and his first wife, Louise de Bourbon-Soissons, Marie lost her mother at age 12 and in 1642 came under

Pierre-Samuel du Pont was a French economist whose numerous writings were mainly devoted to spreading the tenets of the physiocratic school and whose adherence to those doctrines largely explains his conduct during his long political career. An early work on free trade, De l’ Exportation et de

Henry IV: Heir presumptive to the throne.: …from the succession by the Treaty of Nemours (1585) between Henry III and the Holy League headed by the Duke de Guise, Henry of Navarre fought the War of the Three Henrys mainly in southwestern France. In this crucial episode in which the very independence of France was at stake,…

Olympic Games: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., 1996: Aleksey Nemov (Russia) was the standout in the men’s gymnastics competition. His six medals, including two gold, were the most won at the 1996 Games.

Nimrod, legendary biblical figure of the book of Genesis. Nimrod is described in Genesis 10:8–12 as “the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The only other references to Nimrod in the Bible are in Micah 5:6, where Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, and in

Nemrut Dağ, mountaintop in the Taurus Mountains near Adıyaman, Turkey, that is the site of the enormous 1st-century-BCE mausoleum of Antiochus I of Commagene. The site, featuring the heads of the huge statues that originally surrounded the tumulus at the peak, was inscribed as the Nemrut Dağ World

Lake Van: …a lava flow from the Nemrut volcano extended for nearly 37 miles (60 km) across the southwestern end of the basin, blocking westward drainage to the Murat River and thereby transforming the depression into a lake basin without outlet.

Nemrut Dağ, mountaintop in the Taurus Mountains near Adıyaman, Turkey, that is the site of the enormous 1st-century-BCE mausoleum of Antiochus I of Commagene. The site, featuring the heads of the huge statues that originally surrounded the tumulus at the peak, was inscribed as the Nemrut Dağ World

Nemrut Dağ, mountaintop in the Taurus Mountains near Adıyaman, Turkey, that is the site of the enormous 1st-century-BCE mausoleum of Antiochus I of Commagene. The site, featuring the heads of the huge statues that originally surrounded the tumulus at the peak, was inscribed as the Nemrut Dağ World

microelectromechanical system: …metre) for devices known as nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). At these scales the frequency of oscillation for structures increases (from megahertz up to gigahertz frequencies), offering new design possibilities (such as for noise filters); however, the devices become increasingly sensitive to any defects arising from their fabrication.

Boris Nemtsov was a leading figure in the opposition movement for free-market economics and democratic social reforms in postcommunist Russia. After the rise of Vladimir Putin to the country’s presidency, Nemtsov became one of Putin’s most visible and outspoken critics within Russia’s political

Boris Nemtsov was a leading figure in the opposition movement for free-market economics and democratic social reforms in postcommunist Russia. After the rise of Vladimir Putin to the country’s presidency, Nemtsov became one of Putin’s most visible and outspoken critics within Russia’s political

Albania: Relief: The North Albanian Alps, an extension of the Dinaric Alps, cover the northern part of the country. With elevations approaching 8,900 feet (2,700 metres), this is the most rugged part of the country. It is heavily forested and sparsely populated.

Neman River, river in Belarus and Lithuania. The Neman River is 582 miles (937 km) long and drains about 38,000 square miles (98,000 square km). It rises near Minsk in the Minsk Upland and flows west through a broad, swampy basin; it then turns north into Lithuania, cutting through terminal

Bernardas Brazdžionis was a leading Lithuanian poet, editor, critic, and—under his pseudonym—author of popular children’s books. Brazdžionis studied Lithuanian language and literature at the University of Kaunas (1929–34) and showed originality with his third collection of verse, Amžinas žydas

Mnevis, in ancient Egyptian religion, sacred bull deity worshipped at Heliopolis. As one of several sacred bulls in Egypt, he was most closely associated with the sun god Re-Atum. Although not attested with certainty until the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 bce), the Mnevis bull may be that which is

Nemuro, city, eastern Hokkaido, Japan. It was founded as a post town in 1869 by a resident commissioner with 130 administrative staff members and their families. In 1880 it gained municipal status as a machi (township). Hanasaki, its port on the northern shore of Nemuro Peninsula, was the main base

Nen River, river in northeastern China. The Nen River is the principal tributary of the Sungari (Songhua) River, which is itself a tributary of the Amur River. The Nen rises in the area where the Da Hinggan and Xiao Hinggan ranges come together in northern Heilongjiang province and the Inner

Nen River, river in northeastern China. The Nen River is the principal tributary of the Sungari (Songhua) River, which is itself a tributary of the Amur River. The Nen rises in the area where the Da Hinggan and Xiao Hinggan ranges come together in northern Heilongjiang province and the Inner

Nen River, river in northeastern China. The Nen River is the principal tributary of the Sungari (Songhua) River, which is itself a tributary of the Amur River. The Nen rises in the area where the Da Hinggan and Xiao Hinggan ranges come together in northern Heilongjiang province and the Inner

River Nen, river rising in the East Midlands, England, flowing 90 miles (145 km) from limestone uplands in a generally northeastward course to The Wash, a shallow North Sea inlet. It flows past Northampton and Oundle to Peterborough in a broad valley. Thence its course is almost level for 30 miles

Matija Nenadović was a Serbian priest and patriot, the first diplomatic agent of his country in modern times. He is often called Prota Matija, because, as a boy of 16, he was made a priest and, a few years later, became archpriest (prota) of Valjevo. His father, Aleksa Nenadović, was a local

Santa Cruz Islands: The main islands are Nendö (also called Ndeni Island or Santa Cruz Island), Utupua, Vanikolo, and Tinakula. Nendö is 25 miles (40 km) long and 14 miles (22 km) wide, with heavily wooded slopes rising to 1,800 feet (550 metres). The Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira tried…

nene, (Branta sandvicensis), endangered species of goose of the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes) and the official state bird of Hawaii. The nene is a relative of the Canada goose that evolved in the Hawaiian Islands into a nonmigratory, nonaquatic species with shortened wings and half-webbed

River Nen, river rising in the East Midlands, England, flowing 90 miles (145 km) from limestone uplands in a generally northeastward course to The Wash, a shallow North Sea inlet. It flows past Northampton and Oundle to Peterborough in a broad valley. Thence its course is almost level for 30 miles

Innu: The northern Innu, or Naskapi, lived on the vast Labrador plateau of grasslands and tundra, hunted caribou for both food and skins to cover their wickiups, and supplemented their diet with fish and small game. The name Montagnais is French, meaning “mountaineers”; Naskapi is an indigenous name thought to…

Nenets, ethnolinguistic group inhabiting northwestern Russia, from the White Sea on the west to the base of the Taymyr Peninsula on the east and from the Sayan Mountains on the south to the Arctic Ocean on the north. At present the Nenets are the largest group speaking Samoyedic, a branch of the

Nenets, autonomous okrug (district), northeastern European Russia. The okrug extends along the coast of the Barents Sea, from Mezen Bay to Baydarata Bay. The surface is a level plain, broken by the northern ends of the Timan Hills and the Urals. In the east the okrug is underlain by part of the

Samoyedic languages: …North Samoyedic subgroup consists of Nenets (Yurak), Enets (Yenisey), and Nganasan (Tavgi). The South Samoyedic subgroup comprises Selkup and the practically extinct Kamas language. None of these languages was written before 1930, and they are currently used only occasionally for educational purposes in some elementary schools.

chronology: Japanese: …regency (ad 593–621) bears a nengō (nien-hao, or reign-year title), although not a strictly authorized one. It was at this time that the Chinese luni-solar calendar system was adopted. The first official nengō was Taika, which was adopted by the imperial court in 645. Since 701, when the second title,…

Maré Island, southernmost of the Loyalty Islands, a raised coralline limestone and volcanic group in the French overseas country of New Caledonia, southwestern Pacific Ocean. Maré is the highest of the group, rising to 453 feet (138 metres) above sea level, and is 22 miles (35 km) long and 18 miles

Heilongjiang: Climate: Nenjiang, in the northern Northeast Plain, has mean temperatures of −16 °F (−27 °C) in January and 70 °F (21 °C) in July. The mean annual precipitation is 20 inches (510 mm), most of which falls from June to September.

choral music: The Italian madrigal: …extreme is the Neapolitan composer Pomponio Nenna, whose striking and original harmonies must have made an indelible impression on his pupil Gesualdo. But whereas Gesualdo’s chromaticism is often wayward and illogical, that of Nenna tends toward reason and reality. Several of the master’s madrigals can be usefully compared with those…

Pietro Nenni was a journalist and politician who was leader of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), twice foreign minister, and several times vice-premier of Italy. The son of a peasant, Nenni first became a journalist. When Italy invaded Libya in September 1911, Nenni organized a strike against the

Pietro Nenni was a journalist and politician who was leader of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), twice foreign minister, and several times vice-premier of Italy. The son of a peasant, Nenni first became a journalist. When Italy invaded Libya in September 1911, Nenni organized a strike against the

Nennius was a Welsh antiquary who between 796 and about 830 compiled or revised the Historia Brittonum, a miscellaneous collection of historical and topographical information including a description of the inhabitants and invaders of Britain and providing the earliest-known reference to the British

Nenets, ethnolinguistic group inhabiting northwestern Russia, from the White Sea on the west to the base of the Taymyr Peninsula on the east and from the Sayan Mountains on the south to the Arctic Ocean on the north. At present the Nenets are the largest group speaking Samoyedic, a branch of the

Earth impact hazard: Objects that pose a threat: …comets in short-period orbits—together called near-Earth objects (NEOs)—and those long-period comets that make their closest approach to the Sun inside Earth’s orbit. Short-period comets complete their orbits in less than 200 years and so likely have been observed before; they generally approach along the plane of the solar system, near…

Pathet Lao: …a legal political wing, the Lao Patriotic Front (Neo Lao Hak Xat), was founded and participated in several coalition governments. In the 1960s and early ’70s the Pathet Lao fought a civil war against the U.S.-backed Vientiane regime, winning effective control in the north and east. In the spring of…

Erykah Badu: …an American rhythm-and-blues singer whose neo-soul vocals elicited comparisons to jazz legend Billie Holiday.

planetary defense: …to launch a space telescope, Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor, in 2026 to detect many more such asteroids.

cuneiform: Spread and development of cuneiform: The Neo-Assyrian period was the great era of Assyrian power, and the writing culminated in the extensive records from the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (c. 650 bce).

Ashurnasirpal II: …to the establishment of the New Assyrian empire. Although, by his own testimony, he was a brilliant general and administrator, he is perhaps best known for the brutal frankness with which he described the atrocities committed on his captives. The details of his reign are known almost entirely from his…

civic republicanism: …first, often referred to as neo-Athenian republicanism, is inspired by the civic humanism of the ancient Greeks. This version of civic republicanism holds that individuals can best realize their essential social nature in a democratic society characterized by active participation in political life. From an institutional perspective, democratic participation, fostered…