Dubious medical device du jour — the prostate warmer.

Scientists are investigating the secrets of smelly cat butts — apparently anal sacs can tell you a lot about an animal.

The physics of juggling.

The peculiar bathroom habits of Westerners. Related: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe. My favorite writing on the subject is the toilet paper advice from Lord Chesterfield’s Letters to His Son.


The Origin of the Bar Foot Rail.


How Scientists Are Recreating Dinosaur Breath.

ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include 1960 instructions for building your own fallout shelter, the anniversary of Trafalgar Day, the 19th-century practice of dining and dating in cemeteries, and why sodas in outdoor vending machines don’t freeze in the winter.