Legend has it that gases tend to make themselves known at the worst moments—noisy at funerals and smelly at parties. Beyond the embarrassment, flatulence is a surprising phenomenon that science has studied closely. From daily volume per person to specific benefits, frequency, and exact composition, the video below is a true gala of gas.
A Shameful History
Jokes about flatulence date back at least to the Bronze Age. Thousands of apps that simulate farts have appeared in official stores in recent years, and Hollywood has used this relief mechanism in dozens of its comedies. So why is talking about gas so uncomfortable? That isn’t new either. Pythagoras himself believed that the human soul resided in breath, and since flatulence was considered a form of breathing, a person could lose their soul by farting too much. Another idea suggests that Pythagoras’ followers tried to ban beans because the "great flatulence" caused by that food was "contrary to the tranquility of a mind that seeks the truth".
What’s in a Fart?
The origin of our gases is well defined. It’s a mixture of the air we swallow daily and the byproduct produced by the microbes that process food in our digestive system. The daily average ranges from 10 to 20 farts for humans, each with a volume similar to a golf ball. The unpleasant component of a fart—its sulfur base—is only 1 percent of the volume. About a quarter is oxygen and nitrogen, while the rest combines hydrogen, methane (both flammable), and carbon dioxide. Individually, the concentration isn’t very high, but if we release a liter of gas per day and there are 7 billion humans on Earth… let’s just say there’s a bit of wasted energy there.
Farts in the Animal Kingdom
Finally, don’t forget that gas and its smell help us identify conditions that aren’t obvious from external evaluation. Among herring, they are a form of communication. Coral snakes use them as a defense system, and some neuropterans paralyze their prey with pure gas before devouring it. Even so, we are far from being the world’s biggest fart producers: that privilege belongs to termites. Their gas output is so large and frequent that several sources hold termites responsible for one or two points of greenhouse gas emissions. In short: feel one coming? Let it out. It’s the most natural thing.
