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The wombat is the only known animal that produces cube-shaped droppings — up to a hundred neat little cubes a night.

Animal biology

NatureScience

Why it matters

The idea in context

Scientists who studied wombat intestines found that the last stretch has stiff and stretchy patches that mould the drying waste into cubes. The shape has a purpose: wombats stack their droppings on rocks and logs to mark territory, and cubes do not roll away. The finding earned a share of the 2019 Ig Nobel Prize, which honours research that makes you laugh, then think.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Vombat, küp biçiminde dışkı üreten bilinen tek hayvandır — bir gecede yüz kadar düzgün küçük küp.
Hayvan biyolojisi

Vombat bağırsaklarını inceleyen bilim insanları, son bölümde, kuruyan atığı küplere şekillendiren sert ve esnek bölgeler buldu. Bu biçimin bir amacı var: Vombatlar bölge işaretlemek için dışkılarını kayalara ve kütüklere yığar, küpler de yuvarlanıp gitmez. Bu buluş, önce güldüren sonra düşündüren araştırmaları ödüllendiren 2019 Ig Nobel Ödülü'nün bir bölümünü kazandı.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Background reading: WombatAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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