Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for December 03, 2016
Transcript:
Your body makes extra earwax when you are afraid! When St. Anthony was exhumed in 1263, his entire body had decomposed, except for his tongue! Now it is on display in an elaborate reliquary at the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. You spell something? Scientists believe that two million years ago, the earth would have felt like rotten eggs!
therese_callahan2002 almost 8 years ago
No wonder St. Anthony’s the patron saint of lost objects.
therese_callahan2002 almost 8 years ago
Luckily, I have a lifetime supply of Q-Tips.
Radish the wordsmith almost 8 years ago
The earth smelled like sulfur dioxide.
J Short almost 8 years ago
Mind you, deviled eggs and beer were the primary staple.
tadchem almost 8 years ago
You sure that wasn’t supposed to be 2 BILLION years ago? http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130503-gunflintia-bacteria-early-earth-rotten-egg-smell/
fuzzbucket Premium Member almost 8 years ago
What was Tony drinking? Does the earth smell if there is no one there to notice?
Jogger2 almost 8 years ago
OK, what happened 2 million years ago? Now, if they had said two billion years ago, I would have believed it.
Dragonsotngue almost 8 years ago
don’t trust the supposed “age” they rate things, cause they use incredibly inaccurate time dating methodology that is only good enough to refute one thing while something else refutes it, WE cannot be certain of a specific time even say 1 million years ago let alone supposed billions of years back, why, we do not have definitive infallible scientific proof of such things, you know, same test can be repeated every time with the same results.
Vast majority of “age/time/distance” is speculation nothing more which is really not that hard to have one small bit of calculation throw everything off.
Radish the wordsmith almost 8 years ago
From Tadchem’s link;
.
In the process, the microbes formed gaseous carbon dioxide, which would have been released into the atmosphere.
Another byproduct of this biochemical process is hydrogen sulfide, which produces a stench commonly known as “the rotten egg smell,” explained Martin Brasier, a paleobiologist at Oxford University in London.
“The whole world didn’t smell of rotten eggs,” said Brasier, “but if you had a sensitive nose, it would have been very widespread indeed.”
SeaFox10 almost 8 years ago
Kind of like what parts of St. Louis smells like today! ☺
Stephen Gilberg almost 8 years ago
I’d read that early earth was covered in methane and ammonia. But I’m more curious why the body feels that cerumen is a defensive barrier.
Saucy1121 Premium Member almost 8 years ago
Earwax is secreted by a modified sweat gland. So, anything that makes you perspire heavily can increase earwax production.
Space_cat almost 8 years ago
That explains why my ears plugged up on Nov 9th!
Meh~tdology, fka Pepelaputr almost 8 years ago
Are they sure that was his “tongue”?
Pedmar Premium Member almost 8 years ago
Then it’s a good thing we’re living only a million years ago.