Sell your poop, save lives. No, seriously.
Just because it's called "number two" doesn't mean it's not important.
I think we can all agree that poop is pretty gross.
But a Massachusetts nonprofit called OpenBiome is just dying to get their hands on yours.
Disgusting? Kinda. Weird? Definitely.
Important? You bet.
But to understand why OpenBiome wants your poop, we need to talk about something called "C diff."
It's not Good & Plentys ... it's bacteria! Image by Sanofi Pasteur/Flickr.
C diff (Clostridium difficile) sounds an awful lot like a rapper from the '90s, but it's actually a strain of bacteria that lives in all of our stomachs. Usually, it's pretty chill and gets along great with all the other bacteria living in our guts. But our bodies are an incredibly delicate ecosystem — just look at what happens when your body temperature goes up a few degrees. If something upsets your internal balance, the consequences can be dire.
So when that C diff bacteria starts to outnumber the rest of its bacteria buddies, look out.
The most common symptoms are severe diarrhea and intense abdominal pain, which don't sound that bad until you realize over half a million people in the United States suffer from a C diff infection every year — and about 1 in 30 of them die as a result.
Even worse? C diff is a particularly unwieldy bacteria to treat. Antibiotic treatment tends to just wipe out even more of the good bacteria in our guts, allowing the C diff infection to grow stronger and stronger.
GIFs from MinuteEarth.
This is where your poop comes into play. Yes, yours!
The founders of OpenBiome, James Burgess and Mark Smith, opened their doors after watching a close friend suffer through a brutal seven-month battle with Clostridium difficile.
James Burgess and Mark Smith. Photos from OpenBiome.org.
Fortunately, that friend turned out OK in the end.
Because a poop transplant saved their friend's life.
Yep. That's right. A fecal microbiota transplantation, or FMT. Think of it as a blood transfusion, only, you know, with poop.
Ever since their friend's ordeal, Burgess and Smith have dedicated their lives to improving access to and the effectiveness of these "poop transplants." And they need poop donors like you and me to make it all happen.
Here's how FMT works:
When it comes to your basic case of diarrhea, a doctor might recommend some probiotics, like yogurt or other dairy products. But these simple treatments just don't offer enough good bacteria to overpower the growing C diff in an infected patient's gut.
In an FMT, someone with healthy bacteria (or normal poop) donates a sample to be given to the C diff patient — usually through one of the two horrible ways noted in the video below (nanogastric tube or fecal enema).
OpenBiome, however, has pioneered a frozen capsule method that's far less invasive.
From there, it (usually) doesn't take long for the transplanted bacterial community to become dominant, which stabilizes the patient's digestive system and makes the diarrhea go away. Hooray!
It all hinges on donations from healthy folks like yourself. And OpenBiome is willing to make it worth your while.Bet you never thought someone would be willing to pay you up to $40 for a sample of your poo, but that's exactly what Burgess and Smith are proposing. If you're up for donating five times a week, you could wind up pocketing nearly $13,000 per year!
Now the bad news. It's REALLY tough to get approved to be a donor. For starters, you have to be near one of OpenBiome's Massachusetts collection centers to donate. You also have to be between the ages of 18 and 50 and able to make at least four donations a week, which may or may not be a problem for you.
But if you can, join the program and donate your healthy waste to people who need it.
This kind of icky science has a hard time gaining support (because you know, ICK!) even though it's currently saving lives in more than 290 hospitals in 45 states and five countries.
If you can't give a sample, at least spread the word about the amazing work OpenBiome is doing.
One way or another, they need people to start giving a crap. Literally.
And don't forget to check out the video below from MinuteEarth for more on how FMTs work.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."