If you were worried about the recent story about fecal matter being found in men’s beards, you can breathe easy. As it turns out, it’s not necessarily poop that was found in beards, but rather elements that are found in poop — as well as other places.
And that original scientific study? It wasn’t exactly comprehensive. The Guardian looked into it with a bit more detail and, after some digging, found out that the number of men’s beards swabbed only amounted to a “handful.”
So, even if there are “enterics” — bacteria that are found in intestines — in beards, they were only found in a few beards and they’re not necessarily found in fecal matter. Consider water, which is found all over the place, including the human body and other planets.
Going by that kind of logic, the chances of actual poop existing in your beard are the same as extraterrestrial life existing in your beard. And as for microbes and their relationship with beards, a different, real scientific study says that beards “actually reduced the likelihood of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
Rest easy, bearded masses. Your poop problems can remain relegated to your butts.
Source: The Guardian via Jezebel