Submission by Emmett Moala
You do it. I do it. We all do it. Yep, you know what I’m talking about. Farting! Did you know termites fart so much that it contributes 20 million tons of methane to the atmosphere every year? Birds on the other hand, do the opposite! They don’t fart at all because they lack the bacteria that creates gas. You’re probably wondering how gas is made in your body. A large portion of gas is made by swallowing air when we eat and drink. But we also create gas during the digestion process. First, you eat food (everybody knows that!) Then the food travels into your small intestine where some of it gets absorbed. What doesn’t get absorbed moves to your large intestine where bacteria from your colon breaks it down. During this process, gas is created. After that happens, the gas comes out and BAM! You have a fart. Isn’t that interesting? There are a lot of interesting facts about farts. Like, did you know coral snakes fart as a defense mechanism or that beaded lacewing larvae kill termites using their farts? Thankfully, 99% of what makes up human farts is odorless. The small 1% of sulfur is what actually makes our farts stinky. And while I’ve never heard of anyone dying from a fart, ancient philosophers once believed you could actually fart out your soul! I did not make this stuff up! Well, I hope the next time you fart, you know why and how it happened and can appreciate the science of your fart. TOOT-daloo!
The Lighthouse 