THE FART TRACKER

    My partner in crime, Kevin, at work introduced me to this amazing little gadget. Okay, it's not amazing, but it is a little interesting, especially, for someone who loves to fart. Scientists often hope to break ground with their research, but a group of researchers in Australia would be happy with breaking wind. 

     The team of researchers developed an ingestible electronic capsule to monitor gas levels in the human gut. When the gadget is paired with a pocket-sized receiver and a smart phone app, the pill reports "tail-wind" conditions in real time as it passes from the stomach to the colon. The researchers reported their invention this past Monday in Nature Electronics.

     The researchers are optimistic that the capsule's gas readings can help clear the air over the inner workings of our intricate insides and the multitudes of microbes they contain. Until now, collecting such data has been a challenge. Popping the electronic pill is a breeze comparison, while early human trials have already hinted that the pill can provide new information about intestinal wind patterns and gaseous turbulence from different foods. One of the researches concluded, "Our pilot trial illustrated the significant potential role for electronic-based gas sensing capsules in understanding functional aspects of the intestine and its microbiota in health and in response to dietary changes." The researchers are currently setting up a commercial company to further develop the test capsules. 

     I'm not sure if I wants something in my body and tracking the gases I've produced from the foods I eat. Why can't I just enjoy farting? I am, however, a little bit interested in the study process. So, the researchers beefed up a prototype they had previously tested in pigs. The capsule is around 26mm in length and 9.8mm in diameter. Basically, the size of a large vitamin. In the trial published this past Monday, researchers tested the capsule in six healthy people. For the first, researchers monitored the pill's intestinal trek using ultrasound and linked locations with gas profiles. Overall, it took 20 hours to get from one end to the other, spending 4.5 hours in the stomach, 2.5 hours in the small intestine, and 13 hours cruising through the colon. In that time, the pill took continuous gas measurements, revealing potentially useful information in addition to gut position. 

     There were also problems in the low-fiber scenario. The pill took a little more than three days to work its way out of the body. It spent 13 hours in the stomach, 5.5 hours in the small intestine, and whopping 54 hours in the colon. In fact, about 36 hours after taking the pill, the subject was given a high dose of fiber to try to move things along. It picked back up 12 hours after the fiber treatment, according to the pill's data. 

     Well, that's your science lesson for today. No teacher sex with students. No sex dolls. Today, we discussed something we all do, and secretly love to do, but now we can learn what it all means. It's all in THE FARTS!