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We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.

For years, doctors have debated the purpose of the appendix, a narrow pouch extending from the cecum of the large intestine. Many believe that it is a vestigial remnant of some previous organ or structure and that it no longer has a purpose in human anatomy. Recently, investigators at Duke University Medical School published a study suggesting that the appendix actually protects the human body from the effects of diseases like cholera and dysentery. According to their research, the pouch shelters important intestinal bacteria that can repopulate the digestive system even after it is completely wiped out by disease.

In 1770, Wolfgang von Kempelen unveiled his Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton. Dressed in a cloak and turban and seated behind a chessboard, the mannequin played chess and executed complex mathematical puzzles. The Turk performed before numerous world leaders before it was revealed to be a hoax; the cabinet beneath the chessboard, which housed the internal mechanism, actually hid a chess master who secretly operated the machine. Which French Emperor was defeated by von Kempelen's Turk?

Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf, currently locked in a power struggle with opposition leaders following his recent presidential election win, has already survived a number of assassination attempts. Yesterday, a helicopter escorting the embattled president crashed in Kashmir, raising new concerns for his safety. According to an army spokesman, the accident resulted from a technical malfunction and not foul play. Musharraf was not on board when the helicopter attempted its ill-fated emergency landing. Four people were killed and five others injured after the aircraft hit the ground and exploded in flames.

DEFINITION: (verb) To have complicating consequences or outgrowths. SYNONYMS: complexify. USAGE: The problem merely ramified after the unsuccessful meeting.

In 1994, N Korea signed the “Agreed Framework,” consenting to freeze its plutonium production program; however, it covertly continued to pursue nuclear technology. On October 3, 2006, N Korea announced its intention to detonate a nuclear device. The nuclear test was conducted six days later, but its explosive force was so small that many question whether the test was truly successful. The UN Security Council responded days later, adopting Resolution 1718, which imposed what sanctions on N Korea?

Hypertrichosis, commonly known as “Werewolf syndrome,” is an extremely rare condition that results in the excess growth of body hair. The syndrome can be generalized across the body or localized to a specific area and ranges from mild to severe. Hypertrichosis is believed to result from genetic factors and is rarely found in its severe form. Those who are strongly affected often display excessive, animal-like hair on the face and body. How many people are currently living with the condition?

DEFINITION: (noun) A feeling of ill will arousing active hostility. SYNONYMS: bad blood, animosity. USAGE: Dorothea had observed the animus with which Will's part in the painful story had been recalled more than once.

Arthur Wynne is generally credited with the 1913 invention of the modern crossword puzzle, which gained widespread popularity following the publication of Simon and Schuster's crossword book in 1924. Players solve these puzzles by inserting words corresponding to numbered clues into a grid of horizontal and vertical squares. When all of the intersecting answers have been filled in, the puzzle is complete. How do the designs of North American, British, and Japanese puzzles traditionally differ?

Between 1995 and 2004, the Naegleria fowleri amoeba led to the deaths of 23 people in the US. This year, American health officials noted a record spike, with 6 cases spanning 3 US States. The killer amoeba thrives in warm environments, and experts suspect that rising global temperatures played a role in this year's exceptionally high death toll. Naegleria fowleri is often found in fresh water, where it feeds off algae and bacteria in the sediment. It invades a swimmer's central nervous system via the nose and climbs along nerve fibers through the floor of the cranium to enter the brain. Victims generally die within 2 weeks of initial exposure.