biology
this week’s topic: the sneeze when something irritates the upper lining of the nasal cavity, the trigeminal nerve (transmitter of all facial sensation to the brain) sends a signal to the medulla (great and mighty controller of autonomic and involuntary functions) telling it to fill the lungs with air,
etymology
this week’s topic: etymological fun! chevron originally used to refer to rafters in a building because they looked like the hind legs of a goat (une chevre) happy same root as ‘happenstance’, ‘happen’, and ‘hapless’; means ‘lucky’ avocado yummy super-fruit; comes from aztec ‘ahuacatl’ which, of course, means ‘testicle’
history
since time immemorial, warriors have lowered the tips of their weapons to the ground to signify that they come in peace. during british colonial days and the golden age of naval combat, ships would expend all of their ammunition harmlessly into the sea to indicate the lack of hostile intent
biology
australia is home to many miraculous flora and fauna, including: cassowary about the size of a grown man; much like an ostrich; if mildly perturbed, will sprint (really quickly) at you and start kicking you with it’s super-strong legs and either break your bones or cut you open with
anatomy
the praying mantis has three simple eyes and two huge compound eyes. the simple eyes are in the middle of the front of their head and are similar to ours but don’t move around independently of the head. the compound eyes have hundreds of photoreceptors which track motion but
history
did you know that paul simon is currently married to edie brickell? how’s that for a blast from the past