A NUGGET OF TRUTH

Every living thing produces bodily waste of some sort. Every single human-being poos and yet despite this simple truth it’s surprising how little folks talk about it.

It’s true that small children naturally delight in the idea of poo, we all know they’ll make poo jokes and stories aplenty given the chance! Soon enough though us grown-ups teach them not to talk about it and to avoid the subject as much as possible. That’s a shame because really and truly we need to talk much more about poo.

Whilst poo can indeed be dangerous and yucky stuff it is also endlessly fascinating. Poo is quite literally everywhere, our planet’s thin organic (living) outer layer is practically made of poo. Life as we understand it could not exist without the incredible recycling processes that happen through the production of poo every single day.

When it comes to our own health and well-being poo is equally important. It’s surprisingly common for the seriously-ill to put off seeking help because they’re too embarrassed to talk about their bowels and their poo. Also, children who suffer in silence with encopresis (constipation) ought to know there is no guilt or shame in talking about their problem. Society should be talking to about these things freely, but sadly taboo often gets in the way.

Here’s a few fun facts to get you going.….so to speak!

Did you know that wombats do square poos? That parrot fish eat coral and poo out sand? That a revolution in the science of gut bacteria is leading to a new understanding of human biology?

Here’s what happened when BBC Earth came to visit The National Poo Museum.