Exciting Potential IgNobel Prize Research

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the research related to the time it takes for mammals to defecate and urinate, referencing the IgNobel Prize awarded for such studies. Participants explore the implications of these findings, including potential evolutionary motivations and the nature of the research itself.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that most mammals take approximately 12 seconds to defecate, linking it to a previous study about urination times.
  • Another participant expresses curiosity about the experimental methods used to study the hydrodynamics of soft matter in this context, indicating discomfort with the nature of the research.
  • A participant speculates that shorter evacuation times may be an evolutionary adaptation to reduce vulnerability to predation, suggesting that this could be a reason for the research focus.
  • A later reply reiterates the idea that shorter times for these activities could be selected for due to predation risks, indicating agreement with the previous speculation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of humor and curiosity about the research, with some agreement on the evolutionary implications of shorter evacuation times, but no consensus on the specifics of the research methods or motivations.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the obscurity of motivations behind such research, and there is a lack of detailed information about the experimental design or broader implications.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in evolutionary biology, animal behavior, or unconventional research topics may find this discussion engaging.

BillTre
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Most mammals take only 12 seconds to poop (I must be getting old (and slow)).

This exciting research follows upon last years IgNobel Prize concerned with mammals taking an average of 21 seconds to pee.
I guess that would be 33 seconds for both.
 
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:)) I wonder, what was entailed in this experiment studying the hydrodynamics of soft matter? I can handle accidentally splattering brains on my face, but this is just too gross. And I've changed at least 10.000 diapers- that's saying something!
 
If you are into potty humor, this would fly. Maybe the idea behind this is that these two activities render a mammal more vulnerable to predation, so shorter times spent evacuating are selected for. Wild, pointless guess. Motivations for research are sometimes, um, obscure.

There must be some off the wall mammalian behavior research that really panned out, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment. Any help?
 
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jim mcnamara said:
If you are into potty humor, this would fly. Maybe the idea behind this is that these two activities render a mammal more vulnerable to predation, so shorter times spent evacuating are selected for.
I think that is exactly right!
 

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