Shakespeare immortalized particular bear. (Reader discretion for disturbing “descriptions of horses with apes tied to their backs set upon by dogs.”)

At least some bears — perhaps the fiercest, longest-enduring ones — were given names: “George Stone,” “Ned Whiting,” and the most famous, “Sackerson.” … Sackerson actually gets his own place in Shakespeare’s plays, having been written into Merry Wives of Windsor. Slender says “I have seen Sackerson loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain” (Act I Scene 1) 

Where does taste come from? Why do some people love licorice while other people hate it? Why do people like what they like in general? One case study on these questions: (why do) i hate chocolate

The story of a weird spasming disorder, codified thanks to Reddit. An intrepid doctor tries an experimental procedure (involving botox!) on one patient who presented with loud gurgling noises, chest and abdominal pain/distention, excessive flatulence, and inability to belch. This cures the patient, who documents it on Reddit, and causes a flood of people with the same symptoms asking for the same procedure. This turns into a de facto clinical trial of over 50 people, and the issue (and cure) become well-documented. Inability to Belch and Associated Symptoms Due to Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction: Diagnosis and Treatment (h/t Alex P.)

In November 2015, we encountered a desperate patient who described the severe, daily constellation of symptoms listed in Table 1. He had seen numerous doctors and undergone many tests, yet without a diagnosis or any relief. … All of the patient’s symptoms disappeared after cricopharyngeus muscle (CPM) injection of botulinum toxin (BT). Without the knowledge of the authors, that initial patient posted his experience to the Internet (Reddit). Additional patients self-presented when their Internet searches stumbled upon Reddit. After diagnosing and successfully treating these additional patients, the author searched the literature and found 3 case reports describing elements of this disorder, but using other terminology. 

Can humans learn a new sense? Mikhail Samin says yes! “I made an app that uses headphones to make the user hear a sound that comes from the direction of north. … You quickly learn to anticipate the direction the sound will come from. As the feeling of the direction in which north is gets stronger, you can decrease the frequency of the sounds. And you acquire a sense of the direction of north that persists even when the app is off!” Currently available for iOS and Android at contact.ms/compass/

“Edward Bellamy once imagined that music on demand would be ‘the limit of human felicity.’ A modern apartment is full of things that once drew the same kind of awe.” For those who seem to think that technology hasn’t given us anything. — Ordinary Abundance

In June, we shared Talia’s Prove You Are Worthy to Post About Diets. ExFatLoss saw that link and stepped up to the plate: My answers to “Prove You Are Worthy to Post About Diets”