Science Unlocks The Mystery Of Belly Button Lint 161
After three years of research, including examining 503 pieces of fluff from his own belly button, Georg Steinhauser has discovered a type of body hair that traps stray pieces of lint and draws them into the navel. Dr Steinhauser's observations showed that "small pieces of fluff first form in the hair and then end up in the navel at the end of the day." Chemical analysis revealed the pieces of fluff were not just made up of cotton from clothing. Wrapped up in the lint were also flecks of dead skin, fat, sweat and dust. Unfortunately, further study has failed to yield a hair or fiber that would give Dr. Steinhauser the last three years of his life back.
Stop the Presses! (Score:3, Funny)
That's right folks. You read it here first!
This week's educational film will be "Groundbreaking Discoveries of the 21st Centuty!" followed "Zinc Oxide and You".
Think like a Cavewoman (Score:2, Funny)
Whenever you read these stories that have anything to do with our prehistoric forefothers, you must not forget your foremothers, especially if sex and/or reproduction r concerned.
First, is navel lint sexy? No, take it from me, it isn't.
Is it the least it useful? It sure is, lint is great for startng fires and making nests. Just don't ask me to lay an egg in your fluffy navel. A fire, pøssily
Well, now I can sleep at night (Score:5, Funny)
Find the responsible genes (Score:3, Funny)
This must be genetic - I've never experienced this myself and I wear the same kind of clothing like everyone else. Actually, I have, but usually it's my feet eating my socks. Never my innie.
Re:Stop the Presses! (Score:5, Funny)
This is one of those guys that was navel gazing back in the 60's and figured out how to get a PHD out of it.
Re:Please listen to your readers. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Find the responsible genes (Score:5, Funny)
Wait, is it too late to retract my last statement?
Re:Stop the Presses! - Why, he's wrong (Score:2, Funny)
Gross (Score:3, Funny)
I have never observed this phenomenon on myself or anybody else...but then I wash regularly. When he says "end up in the navel at the end of the day", I think he really means "end of the week".
Re:Stop the Presses! (Score:5, Funny)
ObPCU:
samzenpus: What's he doin?
idle: He's finishing his senior thesis. Steinhauser is trying to prove the hair-free theory: a person with no belly hair does not accumulate naval lint.
samzenpus: That's his thesis?
idle: Yes! That's the beauty of college these days, slashdotter! You can major in naval lint if you know how to bullshit.
Re:Picture = horrible! (Score:2, Funny)
I dunno. Seems like you wouldn't have that much trouble at all, and, in fact, it could be quite beneficial. For instance, I made that rug your standing right now out of mine.
Beat the rush? (Score:5, Funny)
Study Ignores The Important Issue (Score:5, Funny)
ie. Why is belly button fluff predominantly blue? I believe that the anatomical feature known as a 'navel' or 'belly button' is in actual fact a previously unrecognised organ that serves a vital role in the human body.
As we all know, blood is red. Indeed the red colour of blood is integral to the role it plays in the body. I propose that the belly button is actually a chromatic lung which is capable of absorbing redness from the environment into the blood and similarly expelling excess blueness in order to maintain a healthy balance. This may be the reason that environments containing excess blueness cause people to feel cold: the blood looses redness, in turn diminishing it's oxygen carrying capacity leading to an overall reduction in the metabolism that actually serves to lower body temperature.
Interestingly, there are reports that the navel fluff of aristocrats has a reddish hue, leading to speculation that they are in fact a distinct species. This has yet to be demonstrated under laboratory conditions and remains a controversial area of research.
Re:I have mod points (Score:5, Funny)
You can't, you already replied to it, indicating you have interest in the topic. :)
Re:Wow, new hygiene lows (Score:1, Funny)
I am thin, with 6-pack abs, I shower every day
I think you're on the wrong website...
ObJoke (Score:5, Funny)
Skim the headline and move along ... two seconds.
Post about it being a waste of time, twice ... two minutes.
Thrill other slashdotters with the hypocrisy of it all .... priceless!
Re:Think like a Caveplant (Score:3, Funny)
I was thinking more along these lines:
Special hair...
Drawing debris into the intestinal area...
Sounds a lot like a primitive sea creature, or even a carnivorous plant.
I wonder if there's any shared evolution/genes here.
Re:Stop the Presses! (Score:5, Funny)
No, the study is on navel lint, the lint that accumulates in the navel. Naval lint would be the lint that accumulates on warships, or on members of the Navy. For instance, if you take the wetsuit of a SEAL and put it in the drier, and then clean out the lint trap, the result will be naval lint. Now, if you clean out the belly button of an Admiral, the result is naval navel lint. Or perhaps navel naval lint.