Why it takes you and an elephant the same amount of time to poop (2017)

Post by Fire-Dragon-DoL » Sat, Mar 07, 2026, 6:30 AM UTC

lo_zamoyski wrote: post #52

handfuloflight wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, hold on. Are you saying from lingering smell you're able to determine that there's pathology?

It's not difficult for many conditions. Digested blood has a metallic and vile odor. Ketosis and diabetes can cause acetone-smelling breath. Kidney disease can cause ammonia body odor. Liver disease can cause a fishy, musty smell. Unhealthy diets and GI issues can cause bad odors. In the past, I have often wondered what is wrong with people given how badly they smelled in the locker room or after leaving a restroom.…

Post by Obscurity4340 » Sat, Mar 07, 2026, 1:15 PM UTC

7777332215 wrote: post #40

otikik wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely tell him. There's two options, let's see what's the worst that can happen in every circumstance: * He is indeed sick. In this case the worst that can happen is that they will die. * He isn't sick, you are just imagining things. In this case the worst that can happen is that you made a bit of a fool of yourself. Potentially embarrasing yourself in front of a fellow employee. I guess there's a small possibil…

Maybe he will get so offended you were smelling his shit and commented on it that he reports you to the top ranking officials of the organization resulting in the death penalty.

Post by Obscurity4340 » Sat, Mar 07, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC

3eb7988a1663 wrote: post #66

layman51 wrote: post #6

This reminds me of a news story from many years ago about a research study that won the Ig Nobel Prize. The research study was about how almost all mammals weighing over 3 kg take just about the same amount of time to empty their bladders when urinating.

I need to know if this is also true of aquatic animals. A blue whale is ~50x the size of an African elephant. Does that mean that a blue whale expels some 2100 gallons (~8000 liters) in 20 seconds?

Post by conductr » Sat, Mar 07, 2026, 4:01 PM UTC

Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #71

lo_zamoyski wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not difficult for many conditions. Digested blood has a metallic and vile odor. Ketosis and diabetes can cause acetone-smelling breath. Kidney disease can cause ammonia body odor. Liver disease can cause a fishy, musty smell. Unhealthy diets and GI issues can cause bad odors. In the past, I have often wondered what is wrong with people given how badly they smelled in the locker room or after leaving a restroom.…

Wait, can you expand on the ammonia odor? Is it constant? My sweat when I exercise very intensely, smells like ammonia. Probably since I was 18 (before I played waterpolo, so I can't tell). Normally it does not, only with very intense exercise (zone 4 or 5). Edit: a kagi search suggested this is normal

Post by dinfinity » Sat, Mar 07, 2026, 5:19 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #37

conductr wrote: post #12

I spent a lot of time in hospitals and got a lot of exposure to everything they do in my early adulthood, a few smells are permanently burnt into my brain including the smell of the GI wing. Fast forward a couple decades, and my dilemma right now is a coworker that I share a restroom with. It’s a low traffic restroom so I have seen and know it’s coming from him, but he has some serious GI issues. Likely he’s digestin…

There was a time when medicine put a lot of focus on the smell and consistency of bowel movements. There's probably something to it but we have better diagnostics now. That said, normal bowel movements can have a bit of an odor but it should not be strong or particularly foul-smelling. If it is, consider changing your diet or getting it checked out if that doesn't help. I found that just cutting out fast foods made t…