It seems really dirty, so why do people pick their noses and some even eat their snot? That’s a waste, isn’t it? Strangely enough, no one does this with earwax. How did that happen?
Asker: Frederick, 17 years old
Answer
Just ask a nose picker :-).
Presumably it’s because snot tastes nice and salty and earwax bitter…
By the way, nasal snot and earwax are not waste products such as stool and urine in themselves. Earwax and nasal snot both mainly serve to keep the nasal mucosa/outer ear moist and supple.
Best regards,
Koen Lake Thome
General Practitioner – Researcher
Answered by
Koen Lake Thome
General Practice, Medical Informatics
Free University of Brussels
Avenue de la Plein 2 1050 Ixelles
http://www.vub.ac.be/
Avenue de la Plein 2 1050 Ixelles
http://www.vub.ac.be/
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