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Why do we sometimes hiccup after eating spicy food?

     Sometimes, when we chew on a pungent spice, like, for instance, black pepper or green chillies, chemicals like cryptocapsin, capsorubin diester, violaxanthin, capsacin, capsicidin and capsicosin are released in the mouth in the form of fine sprays, along with other vitamins. These substances, which cause a burning sensation in the mouth and food pipe, enter the lungs and disrupt the normal rhythm of the diaphragm. The diaphragm then begins to contract and relax faster in order to expel the pungent air out of the lungs. While doing so, an abnormal hiccup is generated to maintain the homeostasis of the body. This can be checked by drinking water. — G.G. Saraswat, Delhi What is liposuction? Liposuction is a popular operation in plastic surgery which removes fat from certain parts of the human body (typically abdomen, thighs, buttocks) by liquefying it and removing it through a hollow needle. In some cases, more extreme measures such as abdominoplasty are needed. — Kolakaluri Sridhar via email Is there any difference between a ‘computer virus’ and a ‘computer worm’? A software virus is a parasitic program written intentionally to alter the way a computer operates without the user’s permission or knowledge. It attaches copies of itself to other files and, when activated, may damage files, cause erratic system behaviour, or display messages. ‘Worms’ are programmes that replicate without infecting other programs. They search for specific types of files and try to damage or destroy those files. A worm is structured as a complete, stand-alone program, which generally spreads via email whereas a virus is a fragment of a code embedded in a legitimate program.