Strange Body Facts

Booger Eating

Based on 'Why You Shouldn't Eat Your Boogers & Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body'


Ever wonder if it's safe to pick your nose or what people did before toilet paper was invented? We explore these and 6 other fascinating questions about your body from Francesca Gould's Why You Shouldn't Eat Your Boogers & Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body.

What did people use to wipe their bums before toilet paper was invented?

Before modern toilet paper was introduced by Joseph Gayetty in 1857, Americans were stuck using corn cobs or mussel shells. Wealthy Romans used a salt-water soaked sponge tied to the end of a stick to get a clean behind, while the Vikings were fans of leftover sheeps' wool. Coconut shells were the bottom cleansers for Hawaiians, the French used bidets and the Japanese used wooden sticks.

Is it safe to drink your own urine?

Since urine is 95 percent water mixed in with some salt, vitamins, hormones and disease-fighting antibodies, it probably won't do you much harm. However, our kidneys work to remove toxins from the body, so it follows that drinking the product from the kidneys would reintroduce these waste products in to our bodies.

Is eating boogers bad for you?

Lung specialist, Dr. Friedrich Bischinger, has been quoted as saying "With the finger, you can get to places you just can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner. And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the immune system." However, many doctors disagree. Our fingers are covered in germs and bacteria from touching things like doorknobs, restrooms and phones. If you then use that germ-covered finger to pick your nose, you risk transferring all those germs in to you body. So, if you want to reduce your germ intake, keep that finger to yourself.


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Do bugs live in eyelashes?

You may have guessed the answer is yes. By the time you are an adult, microscopic, wormlike mites called demodex mites, have made a home in the roots of our eyelashes. If you pull out an eyelash and check under a microscope or magnifying glass you may get a glimpse of these tiny creatures.

Is it possible for a spider to live inside your ear?

It's not a common occurrence, but small spiders sometimes make a home in your ear. For example, a Greek woman in Athens complained of headaches and a sharp pain in her ear when riding around on her motorbike. Upon examination, her doctor uncovered a spider's web and then a spider. He added that the spider probably enjoyed its stay in her ear because the temperature was ideal for it.

Why do certain people attract mosquitoes?

The mosquito is usually attracted to a person by scent and temperature, but sometimes also by looks. Just like gentlemen, mosquitoes prefer blonds. It's possible that blonds are simply more noticeable to mosquitoes than brunettes.

What are eyebrows for?

They are certainly expressive, but they also serve to help keep water out of our eyes when we're sweating or walking through the rain. It's especially important to keep sweat out of your eyes because the salt in your sweat can make your eyes sting. In the 1700s, upper-class men and women would shave their natural eyebrows off and glue on fake ones -- made from mouse skin -- on to their brows.

How do astronauts poo in space?

Buzz Aldrin became the first man to poo on the moon in 1969. He collected his waste in a bag, but because of zero gravity, the contents would often escape during the disposal process and fly around the shuttle. To curb this issue, astronauts ate very little fiber to prevent them from pooing very often. Modern astronaut toilets work like a vacuum cleaner. In order to use the toilet the astronauts must strap themselves to the toilet seat and then turn on a powerful fan. A suction hole then slides open and the poo is sucked away to be stored, and then disposed.