Farts are funny and sometimes smelly. But are they a legitimate topic of research?
More than 40% of people worldwide are estimated to suffer from some kind of functional gut disorder, such as acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.
So, yes, freelance science writer Claire Ainsworth thinks so. Ainsworth recently sat down with Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong to talk about two teams of scientists studying intestinal gases, who she profiled in an article in New Scientist.
"Gases are so cool because they kind of let us eavesdrop on the conversations that are going on within this ecosystem and how that relates to our health," Ainsworth says.
If scientists can find a cost-effective way to take standardized measurements of the gasses swirling around people's guts, that picture might one day get a whole lot clearer. And understanding our gut microbiome through a fart-shaped window may help treat these conditions at the source.
Check out Claire's full reporting for New Scientist.
Have another bodily function you want us to explore or just want to report to us about a funny time you passed gas? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.
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