A hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm that typically repeats several times a minute. The sudden rush of air into the lungs that's created by each spasm causes the glottis to close, creating the "hic" noise. A bout of hiccups generally resolves by itself, although many home remedies are in circulation to shorten the duration. The medical term for hiccuping is singultus.

While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to develop often in specific situations, such as eating too quickly, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, or drinking an excess of an alcoholic beverage. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve (located in the neck regi ...

We've all heard by now that dark chocolate is the healthier chocolate, while white chocolate lacks behind in essential nutrients. Let's break down what's myth and what's real so you know exactly what's good for you next time you treat yourself to one of these snacks.

First, a discussion on cocoa.

Cocoa – chocolate's main raw ingredient – naturally contains polyphenols, namely flavan-3-ols and flavonoids, which are antioxidants constantly being studied for their potential effects in the body. The following table shows the content of phenolics and flavonoids in the three different types of chocolate. Generally, the more antioxidants you consume, the more protection your body will have from the formation of free radicals, which are unstable mol ...

February is upon us.
 
Gone are the freshly printed syllabi and daydreams of perfect scores. It's February, and that exciting back-to-school feeling has probably worn away.

Not to say that school isn't still exciting. I'm sure that for some of you, the daily routine of tasks and tests is just lovely. But I'd venture to say that many of you — most of you — have had to deal with the most dreaded assignment of all, a sure sign that fun and games are over: the group project.

Teachers assign group projects for a number of reasons. For one, it's less assignments that they have to grade, an important consideration when class sizes at large universities are in the triple digits.

But the motivation to assign group projects cannot be purely selfish on th ...

Ming the Clam, once the world's oldest animal, was killed at 507 years of age by scientists trying to determine its age in 2006.

Ming the Clam (1499–2006) is a nickname given to a specimen of the ocean quahog clam (Arctica islandica), that was excavated off the coast of Iceland in 2006 and whose age was calculated by counting annual growth lines in the shell.

Ming was the oldest individual animal ever discovered whose age could be accurately determined. The mollusc’s 507 year old life came to an end in 2006 when the British researchers – unaware of the animal’s impressive age – opened up its shell to examine it.

The clam was named Ming in reference to the Ming dynasty, during which it was born. Interestingly, the second oldest ocean quahog ...

If you're not an insect lover, this is your final chance to turn your head!

The giant Malaysian katydid (Macrolyristes corporalis) is one of the largest insects in the world, with their bodies growing to 15 cm (6 inches) long with a 25 cm (10 inch) long wingspan. Though the last thing you want to hear is that this giant insect is carnivorous, they pose absolutely no threat to humans (aside from haunting your dreams, of course).

Relatively speaking, the males of this species have the largest testes of any known animal at 14% of their body weight. If humans had the same ratio, a 91 kg (200 lb) man would have testes that weighed nearly 13 kg (28 pounds)!
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Melothria scabra is a species of cucurbitaceous vine grown for its edible fruit, known as cucamelon. Cucamelons are about the size of grapes and taste like cucumbers, they are notable for their sour aftertaste that comes from the skin.

The M. scabra plant is native to Mexico and Central America, where it is called sandíita (little watermelon). It is believed to have been a domesticated crop before western contact began.

If you happen to get your hands on these tiny melons, apparently they are terrific in stir-fries; they can be pickled just like French gherkins, eaten raw in salads or put up like Polish dill pickles. They also can be chopped and added to salsas for extra texture and flavor. ...

The Soviet-built space probe, Venera 3, was the first spacecraft to ever land on another planet back on March 1st, 1966, after being launched on November 16, 1965 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

The mission of this spacecraft was to land on the Venusian surface. The entry body contained a radio communication system, scientific instruments, electrical power sources, and medallions bearing the State Coat of Arms of the U.S.S.R.

Unfortunately, the probe crash-landed on Venus, causing its communication systems to fail before it could return any information about the planet. The spacecraft impacted on the night side of Venus, near the terminator, around -20º to 20º N, 60º to 80º E.

The Venera program, however, would go on to successfully submit data f ...