00:00Have you always wondered why we hiccup?
00:02And more importantly, why do we only do it at the most inopportune times?
00:06Well, inside your chest, you've got a muscle called the diaphragm.
00:09Think of it as a trampoline for your lungs.
00:12Normally it bounces in a smooth, even rhythm.
00:14But sometimes, for reasons ranging from you ate too fast
00:18to the universe is messing with you personally,
00:21it suddenly freaks out and snaps downward.
00:24This causes you to inhale very quickly.
00:26And then your vocal cords slam shut like a grumpy store manager yelling,
00:31We're closed!
00:32And that creates the iconic sound.
00:35Why exactly it happens is less clear.
00:37It's been shown that babies spend about 2% to 3% of their time in the womb hiccuping.
00:42And after we're born, perhaps that trick just sticks with us.
00:45Or, now this is really weird,
00:47some studies say hiccups might be a primitive tool our amphibian ancestors used
00:52when switching between breathing air and breathing water.
00:56Always wondered.
00:57Stream it now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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