Our phones, the very objects that touch our cheeks, are dirtier than toilet seats! Most people sweat about 26 gallons in bed! Does that repulse you? Science says we tend to find disgusting things funny unless they cause us any harm. The world is a balance of the disgusting and the amazing. These facts show you the less-than-pleasant side of the globe. Here's a list of some surprising, yet safe-to-view-at-work, yet disgusting facts you may never have heard before.
1. Women's farts tend to smell much worse than men's farts. This is because women's farts contain more hydrogen sulfide.
Americans fart approximately 2.3 billion times a day, and the average fart lasts about two seconds. Flatulence researcher Dr. Michael Levitt found in his research that women's farts smell stronger due to significantly higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and a greater odor density compared to the same volume of men's farts. High sulfur diets worsen fart odor because hydrogen sulfide is produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Women's farts average about 90 cubic centimeters, which is less than men's, which average about 125 cubic centimeters. Therefore, in reality, farts may smell equally bad every time they exhale, since men's farts are larger. Theoretically, women's farts smell stronger, but only if the natural volume of men's farts is equal to that of women's.
Regarding gas frequency, men fart more often than women, possibly because they eat faster. On average, the human intestine processes about 10 liters of gas per day, including gases such as methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen. Nitrogen and oxygen come from the air we swallow, and the other three gases are formed in our intestines. (1, 2)
2. Eating boogers is actually good for kids. According to a study, children who ate their own boogers had stronger immune systems.
A study conducted jointly by MIT and Harvard University found that nasal mucus (snot) may protect against HIV, stomach ulcers, and respiratory infections. Snot contains salivary mucins, which form a barrier against cavity-causing bacteria and are beneficial for the health of growing children.
Professor Friedrich Bischinger, an Australian lung specialist, believes that consuming nasal mucus is "a completely natural activity" and "an excellent way to strengthen the body's immune system." In the gut, this bacteria acts as a medicine, so he believes that instead of scolding children, parents should encourage them to eat what they pick out of their noses. Research is underway to create "synthetic mucus" that could be used to make toothpaste or chewing gum, given its medicinal properties. (1, 2)
3. Since spiders can't chew, they turn the insect's insides into a watery liquid, injecting venom into their bodies. Then they simply suck it all up.
Spiders use their fangs to inject venom into their prey, as they cannot chew and feed only on liquid food. The venom turns the insect's insides into a watery substance, which the spiders can suck out. Often, the insect appears normal on the outside, but its body is empty. Web-spinning spiders, which we see all around us, wrap their prey in webbing and crush its body with their teeth. Afterwards, they pour digestive juices onto their prey's body, which liquefies it. When only a liquid mass remains, web-spinning spiders also suck out their prey. (source)
4. Of your total body weight, four pounds are made up of the trillions of microorganisms that live in your gut.
Our gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that support the immune system and provide nutrition. In some people, these microorganisms outnumber cells, weighing up to two kilograms—roughly the same as the brain. The gut microbiome, which contains bacteria, viruses, and fungi, is crucial for human health. These microorganisms live on the skin and can be found in the cecum, a part of the large intestine. The microorganisms that inhabit the cecum are called the gut microbiome. An imbalance of healthy and unhealthy microbes in our body is called "gut dysbiosis" and can contribute to weight gain. (1, 2)
5. Whale vomit sells for up to $150,000. When the vomit pieces mature, they are called "ambergris" and acquire a musky, sweet scent. This material is in high demand among luxury perfume makers.
Produced in the bile ducts of sperm whales, whale vomit helps whales expel difficult-to-swallow objects. This substance is also excreted by the whale, but scientists say larger, more difficult-to-pass pieces are actually whale vomit. This substance can float in the ocean for a long time. After being expelled, the pieces emit an unpleasant odor. Only after some time do they acquire a pleasant aroma due to the reaction of salt and sun on these gray pieces floating in the sea or ocean.
High-end perfume companies seek to use ambergris because it prolongs the scent's longevity on the skin and adds a refined touch. This is precisely what makes it such a valuable commodity. A six-pound piece of ambergris has sold for $150,000. Such pieces are also sold at auction, with starting bids reaching around $10,000. (source)
6. Eye irritation and redness in the pool are not caused by chlorine in the water. They are caused by chloramines, which form when urine and sweat dissolve in chlorine.
Chlorine isn't to blame for red eyes after swimming in a pool. Redness and burning eyes are a sign that the pool isn't clean. Burning eyes are caused by chloramines, which form when chlorine reacts with human urine and sweat. Chloramine is a compound formed from nitrogen in urine and chlorine in the water. The stronger the chemical smell in a pool, the more unsanitary it is. When chlorine begins to fight urine, dirt, and sweat, it can no longer combat microbes in the water, making the water extremely unhealthy. Unsanitary pools often contain a parasite that causes diarrhea— cryptosporidia , which may be resistant to chlorine. (source)
7. In a matter of minutes, an adult hagfish can turn a five-gallon bucket of water into a thick, slime-like substance.
The hagfish is a unique creature that, when disturbed, secretes proteins that, upon contact with saltwater, turn into a slimy, clear, sticky substance rich in fibrous structures called "intermediate filaments." In minutes, it can fill a five-gallon bucket with this substance. This slimy substance allows it to escape by making itself slippery to predators. The hagfish can intelligently prevent choking on this substance by curling its body into a knot and spitting it out its nostril. Companies like Benthic Labs are attempting to synthesize this substance to create new supermaterials, such as biodegradable polymers.
Every October, Hagfish Day is celebrated, despite the fact that many consider hagfish disgusting. The purpose of this day is to find beauty in the mundane. These eel-like creatures live in cold water and can survive at depths of up to 1,650 meters, going for months without food. They use thin tentacles around their mouths to find food. There are 76 species of jawless, boneless hagfish, 121 of which are critically endangered. (source)
8. Fecal bacteriotherapy: A procedure in which bacteria from the feces of one person are transferred to another.
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), or fecal bacteriotherapy, is the transplantation of stool from a healthy donor to a recipient to restore the recipient's colonic microflora. Bacteria from the stool of a healthy person can be transplanted in four ways: colonoscopy, enema, orogastric tube, and as a capsule containing lyophilized samples. The efficacy of this therapy ranges from 85% to 90% in treating infections. Clostridium difficile Colonic leukemia (CDI), which is an epidemic in North America and Europe, causes inflammation of the lining of the colon. Traditional antibiotic treatment carries the risk of developing antibiotic resistance, and according to a 2009 study, FMT has proven more effective in treating CDI.
When fresh stool is collected from the donor, it is diluted 2-2.5 times with saline, sterile water, or 4% milk. Some labs use a blender, while others use a mortar and pestle. Blending is not recommended due to the risk of contamination and aerosolization of the stool. The stool is then transferred to a container for administration and, depending on the transplant method, used. If it is planned for later use, it is diluted with 10% glycerin. (source)
9. Many of us have small mites living in our eyelashes and eyebrows that feed on skin cells and sebum.
There are over 48,000 species of mites worldwide, and two of them feed, sleep, crawl, and mate on our faces and other parts of the body. They live on hair follicles and feed on the sebum our bodies secrete. Even more frightening is the fact that they crawl on the skin at night. These mites have been found in almost every ethnic group studied, with DNA analysis proving more conclusive than visual examinations. "It may be concluded that wherever there are humans, there will be hair mites...," wrote mite specialist William Nutting in 1976. It's difficult to say whether everyone has them, as different studies have yielded varying results. A 1908 study found them in 97 out of 1,000 people. A 1972 French study found that young people have only a 4% chance of being infested with hair mites, but older people certainly have them.
In 1841, German dermatologist Gustav Simon, while examining acne lesions under a microscope, noticed a worm-like object with legs and a head. He removed it, placed it between two glass slides, and observed it moving. A year later, Richard Owen, a biologist, paleontologist, and comparative anatomist, gave this worm-like object a name: Demodex – a word derived from the Greek words "demo," meaning "fat," and "dex," meaning "driller." Thus, Demodex – is a worm that penetrates fatty tissue. Two types of mites are found on human skin. Demodex : Demodex folliculorum и Demodex brevis. (1,2)
10. You are probably less like a human and more like a microbe.
Only 45% of the total number of cells in the body are human cells. The remaining half is our microbiome. The human body contains trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and archaea. Professor Sarkis Mazmanian, a microbiologist at the California Institute of Technology, believes that what makes us human is the mixture of our DNA and the DNA of our gut microbes. Another professor, Rob Knight of the University of California, San Diego, told the BBC, "You're more microbe than human.".
We first encounter microbes in the womb, and as we grow, our microbiome becomes increasingly diverse. Over millions of years, humans have evolved to live surrounded by microbes. There are over 1,000 species of bacteria, each with its own role. They directly influence functions such as digesting breast milk, digesting fiber, helping regulate the immune system, maintaining brain health, and more. Unhealthy bacteria can lead to disease, but only healthy bacteria are beneficial. (1,2)