Soft Matter January 2021 PMID 33289747

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces.

Patricia J Yang, Alexander B Lee, Miles Chan, Michael Kowalski, Kelly Qiu, Christopher Waid, Gabriel Cervantes, Benjamin Magondu, Morgan Biagioni, Larry Vogelnest, Alynn Martin, Ashley Edwards, Scott Carver, David L Hu

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Mentions

342
Peak: 14 in Feb 2021
across 7 sources since Dec 2020

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319,894
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Dec 2020 – Aug 2025

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AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions highlight the quirky nature of wombat feces, with many users referencing the article's title humorously and emphasizing its scientific significance. For example, one user noted that the research received an Ig Nobel Prize, indicating a blend of scientific credibility and lightheartedness. The tone ranges from playful to inquisitive, reflecting a mix of respect for the research and excitement about its findings.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions reflect a favorable view of the publication, with many acknowledging its significance.

InterestHigh interest

There is a strong sense of curiosity, as evidenced by users wanting to learn more about the research and its implications.

EngagementModerate engagement

While some posts show light engagement, others delve into the specifics of the research and its methodology.

ImpactHigh impact

Participants express that this research could influence both scientific understanding and practical applications.

Abstract in brief

  • The barenosed wombat is known for its unique cube-shaped feces, and researchers explored how its intestines, with varying stiffness, contribute to this shape.
  • Dissections revealed that the shape is formed in the final 17% of the intestine, where certain areas are thicker and stiffer, aiding in corner formation during digestion.
  • A mathematical model showed that contractions in stiffer intestinal regions led to square shapes, which could have implications for manufacturing and health-related fields.

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
彩恵りり
@Science_Release · X

「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces https://t.co/MVIR6ss0YD

Feb 7, 2021 · 43 likes · 9 shares · 44,811 followers View post →
ふじむらたいき
@fujifujizombi · X

【参考】 『Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces』 https://t.co/Pj0EhznMFP

Jan 25, 2023 · 25 likes · 4 shares · 21,435 followers View post →
Mastocafé
@mastocafe · X

Referências: YANG, Patricia J. et al. 2021. https://t.co/jWxwbhipfK https://t.co/8fzP2RG3Vo https://t.co/orsv6JzJEY https://t.co/bQyy1yHW96

Apr 26, 2024 · 17 likes · 3,306 followers View post →
Mark E. Hauber
@cowbirdlab · X

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces - Soft Matter why wombat poop is cubic!! https://t.co/gMGITWPARs

Jan 28, 2021 · 15 likes · 3,834 followers View post →
Soft Matter
@softmatter · X

Jan 28, 2021 · 10 likes · 1 share · 9,420 followers View post →
Dr. Stephanie
@punkrockscience.bsky.social · Bluesky

No! So the fun thing about wombat poop’s cubosity is that it’s done with controlled drying, in addition to muscular contractions. If the water content changes dramatically, they can’t do(doo) cubes. The muscle part: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/sm/d0sm01230k#!divAbstract

Jul 10, 2023 · 9 likes · 7 shares View post →

All mentions

Dirk Festerling
@DFesterling · X

RT @BennoList: @florianaigner Für die Arbeit https://t.co/iZA8FGriYh dazu wurde @pyang_tweet sogar mit dem @IgNobel Preis belohnt! Publizie…

May 10, 2024 · 1 share · 816 followers View post →
Benno List
@BennoList · X

@florianaigner Für die Arbeit https://t.co/iZA8FGriYh dazu wurde @pyang_tweet sogar mit dem @IgNobel Preis belohnt! Publiziert in „soft matter“. You’ve got to love that.

May 10, 2024 · 1 like · 1 share · 150 followers View post →
Mastocafé
@mastocafe · X

Referências: YANG, Patricia J. et al. 2021. https://t.co/jWxwbhipfK https://t.co/8fzP2RG3Vo https://t.co/orsv6JzJEY https://t.co/bQyy1yHW96

Apr 26, 2024 · 17 likes · 3,306 followers View post →
VanDerPollo
@vanderpollo.bsky.social · Bluesky

the job remained half-done until the publication by bioengineer Patricia Yang and her colleagues of the definitive paper, “Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces”, in the journal Soft Matter. A Soft Matter ho pensato "rivista adeguata al tema"

Feb 16, 2024 · 2 likes · 1 share View post →
Franziska Emmerling
@FranEmmerling · X

@jsprondel Das erinnert mich an diesen sehr schönen in Soft Matter (sic!) erschienenen Artikel zu den würfelförmigen Ausscheidungen … https://t.co/tRmPMqldbd https://t.co/JZKuOg0HHW

Feb 3, 2024 · 1 like · 2,298 followers View post →
Mollie Katie
@molliekatie · X

@AuDHDAndrew You can always say it to me!

Jan 28, 2024 · 1,892 followers View post →
Mista98berk
@mista98berk · X

@tatiann69922625 @cpouj Au sujet des régimes, maintenant que j’y pense, on pourrait peut-être fabriquer des petites briques en excréments de wombat. Ça doit avoir une utilité, ça

Dec 4, 2023 · 1 like · 1,731 followers View post →
séjo
@fukuroshit · X

@nanashimumei_en Wombat poop is square (Yang et al., 2021). Yang, P. J., Lee, A. B., Chan, M., Kowalski, M., Qiu, K., Waid, C., … Hu, D. L. (2021). Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces. Soft Matter, 17, 475–488. doi:10.1039/D0SM01230K

Nov 15, 2023 · 12 followers View post →
Jakkarōpu
@SisssBooomBaaah · X

@SandyHorne61 References: https://t.co/QSkLBe8Oc5 https://t.co/Yb0olKFGcj

Oct 22, 2023 · 218 followers View post →
Dr. Stephanie
@punkrockscience.bsky.social · Bluesky

No! So the fun thing about wombat poop’s cubosity is that it’s done with controlled drying, in addition to muscular contractions. If the water content changes dramatically, they can’t do(doo) cubes. The muscle part: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/sm/d0sm01230k#!divAbstract

Jul 10, 2023 · 9 likes · 7 shares View post →
哲学研究之犬
@Phronesisdog · X

RT @fujifujizombi: 【参考】 『Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces』 https://t.co/Pj0EhznMFP

Feb 2, 2023 · 4 shares · 120 followers View post →
ロストボール回収屋になる赤身さん
@akami0610 · X

RT @fujifujizombi: 【参考】 『Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces』 https://t.co/Pj0EhznMFP

Jan 26, 2023 · 4 shares · 442 followers View post →
ゼラニウムの墓守
@geranium_grave · X

RT @fujifujizombi: 【参考】 『Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces』 https://t.co/Pj0EhznMFP

Jan 26, 2023 · 4 shares · 388 followers View post →
ふじむらたいき
@fujifujizombi · X

【参考】 『Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces』 https://t.co/Pj0EhznMFP

Jan 25, 2023 · 25 likes · 4 shares · 21,435 followers View post →
Biologandocomabau
@bauzanatto · X

Fontes: YANG, Patricia J. et al. Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces. Soft Matter, v. 17, n. 3, p. 475-488, 2021. Disponível em: https://t.co/vDT54IHbgI . https://t.co/pDdeFDMwrs https://t.co/w3rPrbAaMG

Nov 16, 2022 · 178 followers View post →
Juan Junoy
@JuanJunoy · X

La respuesta se basa en un curioso artículo de Patricia Yang et al.(2021) "Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces", en la revista SOFT MATTER. Y la respuesta la tienes aquí, aunque el título del trabajo ya ayuda. https://t.co/EIZ970Ha6V

Aug 26, 2022 · 3,053 followers View post →
Juan Junoy
@JuanJunoy · X

@jv_catalan @811Feanor La respuesta se basa en un curioso artículo de Patricia Yang et al.(2021) "Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces", en la revista SOFT MATTER que por fin explicaba el misterio de las heces cúbicas. #MapiRTVE15 @La1_tve @Jandro @MapiTVE

Aug 26, 2022 · 3,053 followers View post →
C David de Santana
@Davidefishes · X

RT @LockdownScience: To find out more about this week’s science, check out: Wombat poo cubes: https://t.co/CLyYb5GdF0 Tiny chameleons: htt…

Feb 11, 2021 · 1 share · 1,444 followers View post →
Lockdown Science Podcast
@LockdownScience · X

To find out more about this week’s science, check out: Wombat poo cubes: https://t.co/CLyYb5GdF0 Tiny chameleons: https://t.co/f9RK10ZfvM by @MarkScherz High-flying bats: https://t.co/BEYmbY31gI by @teague_o Electric eels: https://t.co/4Vl5s8Uu0A by @Davidefishes

Feb 11, 2021 · 2 likes · 1 share · 117 followers View post →
あんと。
@gentoo_antoo26 · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 8, 2021 · 9 shares · 935 followers View post →
fe
@zeljezo · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 677 followers View post →
研究室の小さな助手
@youjo_tec · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 2,409 followers View post →
栄坂
@EISAKADOU · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 466 followers View post →
イス
@mitukubi_zumej · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 54 followers View post →
V8議長 ep.9
@Hetare_Gi · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 900 followers View post →
wrongwrong
@wrongwrong16337 · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 375 followers View post →
弧竜
@satinasi · X

RT @Science_Release: 「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-unifor…

Feb 7, 2021 · 9 shares · 1,633 followers View post →
彩恵りり
@Science_Release · X

「ウォンバット」の糞がなぜ直方体や立方体をしているのかについて、体内の腸の特殊な構造と蠕動運動が形状を整える事を発見したよ!これまで部分的にしか解明されていなかった点を解明したんだよ! Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces https://t.co/MVIR6ss0YD

Feb 7, 2021 · 43 likes · 9 shares · 44,811 followers View post →
B i y o t e k n o l o j i
@Biyoteknolojitr · X

Bilim insanları vombatların neden küp şeklinde dışkıladığını sonunda çözdü.

Feb 6, 2021 · 2,828 followers View post →
Dave Thompson
@DrDaveT · X

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces - now published in Soft Matter https://t.co/KjzWuPgzVP

Feb 5, 2021 · 1 like · 547 followers View post →
Royal Society of Chemistry
@RoySocChem · X

RT @softmatter: Check out this video where David Hu, Patricia Yang & Scott Carver dive deeper into the hows and the whys of cubic wombat po…

Feb 5, 2021 · 1 share · 155,521 followers View post →
Rosalind Elliott
@Rozmelliott · X

RT @Stephen8McK: Q - Why is wombat poo square? A - Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat faeces https://t.co/WgF…

Jan 31, 2021 · 1 share · 392 followers View post →
A/Prof. Stephen McKeever
@Stephen8McK · X

Q - Why is wombat poo square? A - Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat faeces https://t.co/WgFcvpooUN https://t.co/c5lTAB12iZ

Jan 31, 2021 · 6 likes · 1 share · 1,786 followers View post →
David L. Hu
@drdavidhu · X

RT @jonoscotland: What a load of... Thanks to @RoySocChem for the afternoon #HomeSchooling idea...

Jan 30, 2021 · 2 shares · 1,894 followers View post →
Mike Mantala
@mabmantala · X

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces - now published in Soft Matter https://t.co/dbpONj8dzj

Jan 29, 2021 · 91 followers View post →
The Goldup Lab
@GoldupLab · X

@softmatter More cool work from Hu, Yang and co-workers. "Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces" Soft Matter, 2021,17, 475-488. Also the authors of “Duration of urination does not change with body size” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 2014, 111, 11932. Yay science!! https://t.co/XuFkAXexMu

Jan 29, 2021 · 2 likes · 2,225 followers View post →
The Goldup Lab
@GoldupLab · X

RT @softmatter:

Jan 29, 2021 · 1 share · 2,225 followers View post →
LibKey
@libkey_io · X

@softmatter Access the paywalled article from your library: https://t.co/qaGgKHpmXP Promote scholarly access to content by simply adding https://t.co/SXSePSX5De in front of any DOI

Jan 29, 2021 · 555 followers View post →
Soft Matter
@softmatter · X

Check out this video where David Hu, Patricia Yang & Scott Carver dive deeper into the hows and the whys of cubic wombat poo as published in their latest Soft Matter article https://t.co/QSoT1L6Guo https://t.co/t1hMBnEJ4e

Jan 29, 2021 · 3 likes · 1 share · 9,420 followers View post →
Soft Matter
@softmatter · X

RT @jonoscotland: What a load of... Thanks to @RoySocChem for the afternoon #HomeSchooling idea...

Jan 29, 2021 · 2 shares · 9,420 followers View post →
Jonathan Henderson
@jonoscotland · X

What a load of... Thanks to @RoySocChem for the afternoon #HomeSchooling idea...

Jan 29, 2021 · 3 likes · 2 shares · 196 followers View post →
Mark E. Hauber
@cowbirdlab · X

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces - Soft Matter why wombat poop is cubic!! https://t.co/gMGITWPARs

Jan 28, 2021 · 15 likes · 3,834 followers View post →
Soft Matter
@softmatter · X

Jan 28, 2021 · 10 likes · 1 share · 9,420 followers View post →
Dr. Kyle Anthony Baldwin
@Kyle_A_Baldwin · X

Solving the poobik's cube: How wombat guts cut perfect corners. https://t.co/3Y82xi07y0 https://t.co/xj3fiVMyht

Jan 28, 2021 · 4 likes · 77 followers View post →
Dr. Kyle Anthony Baldwin
@Kyle_A_Baldwin · X

@AdamShellard "Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces" Or, as I would title it... Solving the poobix cube: How wombat guts cut perfect corners. https://t.co/3Y82xi07y0

Dec 27, 2020 · 3 likes · 77 followers View post →
marsupialpapers
@marsup_papers · X

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces. https://t.co/pvNl1HGxLx

Dec 9, 2020 · 149 followers View post →