Thursday links

Happy first day of Fall! Autumnal equinox science, links, videos, quotes, poems, Vivaldi.

How to Survive an Alligator Attack.

A Nazi’s Documentary Photographs of the Forced Removal of Polish Jews, 1940.

Here’s What's Happening When You Hiccup.

The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape.

Australia's Biggest Dog Has No Clue How Big He Actually Is.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include vintage mugshots, how a rogue 1950s drone fiasco ended with rockets fired at southern California, Talk Like a Pirate Day, Dr. Samuel Johnson's birthday (and a collection of his excellent insults). and the creative Amazon reviews of Stronger Together, Hillary Clinton's and Tim Kaine's new book.

Here’s What's Happening When You Hiccup

In this short TED-Ed video, John Cameron explains exactly what’s going on in your body when you find yourself with a case of the hiccups, and summarizes a few theories regarding the seemingly pointless phenomenon’s origins - some scientists think it might help nursing babies keep milk out of their lungs (only mammals hiccup), while others think hiccups got their start millions of years ago, before animals even made the transition from water to land.

The longest recorded case of hiccups lasted for 68 years … and was caused by a falling hog. While that level of severity is extremely uncommon, most of us are no stranger to an occasional case of the hiccups. But what causes these ‘hics’ in the first place? John Cameron takes us into the diaphragm to find out.

via Laughing Squid

Monday links

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties!

Unusual Suspects: A Collection of Vintage Mugshots.

Is The Sea Really Blue?

Yesterday was the birthday of Dr. Samuel Johnson: here's a selection of his excellent insults and Scotland-bashing quotes.

The Amazon reviews of Stronger Together, Hillary Clinton's and Tim Kaine's new book, are a hoot.

The Battle of Palmdale. How A Rogue 1950s Drone Fiasco Ended With 208 Rockets Fired At Southern California.

ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the night of the flaming ballerinas, how many fireflies it would take to match the brightness of the sun, a self-testing scientist who determines which body part hurts the most when stung by a bee, and the choosing of a designated survivor (while most government officials are at the State of the Union address, one member of the Cabinet is flown to a secure location in the event that the Capitol is attacked and the entire government is wiped out).