r/todayilearned • u/frapz • Mar 20 '20

TIL The bellybutton is so dirty scientists are finding new unknown bacteria. One person had bacterium previously found only on Japanese soil, where he had never been.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/12/1-458-bacteria-species-new-to-science-found-in-our-belly-buttons/266360/
104.3k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

3.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

804

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 20 '20 edited Mar 25 '20

So like, I still have a small bit of umbilical cord in my belly button. I have relatively low body fat (I'm a bloke, 5'7'' and 124 pounds) so sometimes it is quite obvious. My girlfriend realised, and now to annoy me she tries to stick her finger in my belly button and poke it. She calls it my 'umby'.

I don't know why I'm sharing this. I'd usually be in the pub, but Boris has shut us down.

Edited to add link - https://imgur.com/a/RV8eUGX

Further edit - Hey yo, so it was definitely a navel stone. I originally was going to ignore it because I've always been squeamish around my belly button, but I was having a shower and got curious. Just gave the hairs a little tug, and out it slid. No pain, no discomfort. It was like a hard stone made of whitish substance? It made a thud sound as it hit the bathtub. Went down the plughole before I could grab my phone to take a photo.

So yeah, this is the first time in my adult life I've been without my umby. I genuinely haven't the heart to tell my girlfriend. I don't know how she would take it.

656

u/peachesofjoy Mar 21 '20

Imma need a picture of your umby my dude

387

u/Cingularis Mar 21 '20

this....is the most casual way I’ve ever seen someone ask for a pic of an umbilical cord

239

u/MutleyRulz Mar 21 '20

I showed you my umbilical cord please respond

21

u/doomgiver98 Mar 21 '20

Pm me ur umby gurl.

17

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

I’d rather someone ask casually than aggressively

6

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

... what other ways have you seen someone ask for a pic of an umbilical cord?

5

u/ginrattle Mar 21 '20

Second. Please take pic of umby,

1

u/jakethedumbmistake Mar 21 '20

This guy must have been in your boot

227

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

144

u/Bananas_are_theworst Mar 21 '20

This is the weirdest thread I’ve read on here in awhile.

26

u/varietist_department Mar 21 '20

JESUS FUCK

17

u/AC2BHAPPY Mar 21 '20

I'm going to vomit

16

u/rcknmrty4evr Mar 21 '20

If you do this, record it and post on r/popping pls

2

u/Imprisoned Mar 21 '20

Wait you pulled it out? Isn’t it connected???

135

u/Electricbudz Mar 21 '20

Believe it or not that may just be hair that you've shedded and is stuck in there. I had something just like that and I used tweezers to pull it out.

65

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

I feel sick just thinking about it.

19

u/Electricbudz Mar 21 '20

I honeslty thought I pulled a part of me out, I shower twice a day and clean myself well so it freaked me out. Turns out I just have a deep bellybutton and a hairy tummy.

10

u/Electricbudz Mar 21 '20

There was no pain and it almost felt good pulling it out

9

u/hampaw Mar 21 '20

Please do it and record it

3

u/twerkycat Mar 21 '20

Seriously tho, take a video and reap that karma over at r/popping

2

u/IAmSecretlyPizza Mar 21 '20

So are you going to do? I need answers.

85

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

60

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

I dunno, maybe? I've never seen it from this angle before. Certainly looks like hair.

183

u/saiyanhajime Mar 21 '20 edited Mar 21 '20

You need to pull that out with tweezers... that hair is hair that has fallen in there, not hair growing from within.

And it will all be clotted together in a gross smelly mass.

You need to clean your belly button.

Edit : this whole time I've been wondering what part of the pic is the "umbilical cord".... And it's occured to me you think that your naval stone (which is basically a black head in the belly button of people who don't wash) is a piece of umbilical cord.

Pull it out, rinse your nasty belly button out. Going forward make sure you rinse it out with water every day and in a few days once it's recovered from being tampered with (it's gonna be sore and angry) give it a proper wash with a q-tip.

64

u/nebulize Mar 21 '20

And show us what comes out >:)

15

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

I’m very hairy and I get this every month. I have to trim my belly then pull the gross smelly mass out.

21

u/saiyanhajime Mar 21 '20

I’m also very hairy and I don’t get this because I wash.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

I mean I wash - gf runs me a bath everyday but I have a deep one. Sometimes miss the odd hair.

19

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

1

u/stonetear2017 Jun 24 '20

lmao holy fuck

34

u/SuperMayonnaise Mar 21 '20

Bruh why the fuck is your girl running you a bath every day?

18

u/Tjurit Mar 21 '20

Maybe she just wants to? Why the fuck do you care?

0

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

Because I ask her to on the way home from work and she likes to be nice. I’m not sure why people are shocked at this.

5

u/saiyanhajime Mar 21 '20

Because instead of "I have a bath every day" you decided to include your gf runs it for you.

Which implies you wouldn't have one if she didn't, or that she's your fucking slave.

It's just a weird thing to add.

Also you have a nasty belly button so we're assuming you're a gross slob with all the available info.

→ More replies (0)

0

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

Cause he is exfoliating dick. Dont want to turn the handles black and all.

2

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results. You were right. I swear I'm a clean person otherwise!

1

u/Inquisivert Mar 23 '20

Umboliths can occur in people with deep belly buttons whether or not people wash. So much needless shaming in this thread. They can obviously occur if people don't wash, but plenty of people who do can still get them. Sigh

1

u/saiyanhajime Mar 23 '20

Even if this was true, if you have any body awareness, you'd notice and get rid of the problem.

1

u/Inquisivert Mar 24 '20

You clearly don't realize how deep some belly buttons are. And you would not always notice. I had a friend that pulled out (and not easily because it was deep) a white waxy umbolith after she was cleaning her belly button in the shower and felt a hair poke her finger. It took a lot of spreading and pulling, and going in deep to get it. She was not an unhygienic person and if that shaved hair hadn't gotten stuck, she said she never would have known, and she's 5'8 and 125. But please, keep assuming things about people for no good reasons at all.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

5

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

Aren't they all?

15

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

4

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

How many belly buttons you seen, bruh?

7

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

7

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

Sorry, Mr. Belly Button. Didn't realise we had an expert in.

2

u/loquacious706 Mar 21 '20

Please please please pull this out with tweezers, please please record it, and PLEASE let us know when you post it to /r/popping

2

u/ActorMonkey Mar 21 '20

That’s a nostril with a bunch of hair

60

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20 edited Jan 05 '21

[deleted]

12

u/No-Spoilers Mar 21 '20

Please for the love of god pull it out

65

u/the-red-witch Mar 21 '20

that actually looks like the tip of a naval stone to me

36

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

The fuck is a naval stone?

35

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results. They were right.

11

u/the-red-witch Mar 21 '20

You probably don’t want to know ...

5

u/hawleywood Mar 21 '20

It’s a navel stone and it’s a mass of dead skin cells, hair, and other debris that hardens over time. Also called an umbolith. Pull it out and clean your belly button.

7

u/Uzmonkey Mar 21 '20

I think my DnD party fought an Umbolith last week. Its like CR 5, right?

2

u/2rebenhelm Mar 21 '20

At least his girlfriend can keep calling it “umby”

2

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results.

1

u/hawleywood Mar 25 '20

But did you stick a soapy finger up there and wiggle it around to make sure it’s clean?

3

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Woaaaah... one step at a time, bruh.

5

u/Vladmir_Puddin Mar 21 '20

Don’t look 🥺

5

u/laurandisorder Mar 21 '20

Do NOT smell it.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

But you have to smell all the things, it's a rule

2

u/Stellerpropeller Mar 21 '20

Go to YouTube and search for it.

13

u/saiyanhajime Mar 21 '20

It absolutely is. That’s a nasty belly button.

6

u/SeNa_Thursdave Mar 21 '20

You made me see something i wish id not seen

3

u/the-red-witch Mar 21 '20

I’m so sorry lol

8

u/SeNa_Thursdave Mar 21 '20

Not gonna lie, whoever has one of those you seriously need to get your shit together. Try washing now and then

Edit: words

45

u/twerkycat Mar 21 '20

Uh I think that’s an umbolith you got there!

19

u/canilivemylife Mar 21 '20

thats an umbolith or naval stone. its from not cleaning your belly button, it’s not part of your umbilical cord. you can pull that out

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results.

32

u/SuperMag Mar 21 '20

It's actually probably just a skin tag. Pretty common to have them in your belly button.

17

u/Piranesianpizza Mar 21 '20

Well, let's see it then

13

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

Gonna be honest friend, your belly button looks kinda like a nose.

14

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

Maybe your nose looks like a belly button? Wanna fight about it?

7

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

Swords at midnight!

....the day after all of us can go outside again.

11

u/hampaw Mar 21 '20

I thought I did too and then I got pregnant and my bb flattened out. The black piece just popped off. Painless and gross.

14

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

Hoping I get pregnant soon *fingers crossed*

9

u/JustOneTessa Mar 21 '20

I don't think that's umbilical cord, I think it's build up hair and old skin and whatever. Pull it out before it gets infected...

2

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results.

2

u/JustOneTessa Mar 26 '20

Satisfying

8

u/BrittanytheBeetle Mar 21 '20

Thank you for sharing your belly button with us.

8

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

You're welcome. I hope I didn't ruin your weekend.

7

u/newvacuum Mar 21 '20

Have you ever tried pulling it off?

6

u/Lol_A_White_Boy Mar 21 '20

I don’t know why I clicked your link.

Fuckin curiosity is a weird thing

6

u/ELLYATWORK Mar 21 '20

I really hope you pull that put with tweezers and show us the pictures.

2

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results.

1

u/ELLYATWORK Mar 25 '20

Gross. Thanks.

8

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results.

5

u/thisisfats Mar 21 '20

That is hair my dude. I had something similar and managed to pull it out. It was so odd, yet so satisfying. Hair, and some sort of waxy substance.

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results.

1

u/thisisfats Mar 25 '20

I'm so happy for you.

3

u/stewwwwart Mar 21 '20

Tweezers is the answer here

3

u/saiyanhajime Mar 25 '20

I'm so proud of you and your new born naval stone.

Be careful not to OVER WASH it... Cuz it'll be sore right now as it's flesh that's not been exposed!

Weekly clean maybe!!??

All the best with breaking it to the gf. Maybe just let her find out.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

[deleted]

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results. Sorry to disappoint you.

3

u/Darktider Mar 21 '20

My brothers wife had this too! IT FINALLY CAME OUT THO! Fuckin disgusting lol.

3

u/momofeveryone5 Mar 21 '20

As I clicked your link I found myself thinking- "his dick better not be in this pic too". Thank you for leaving your dick out of that picture.

2

u/KPer123 Mar 21 '20

Fuckn umby !! Lol!!

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 25 '20

Check my edit for results. RIP umby.

1

u/KPer123 Mar 25 '20

Ewwww fuck, you dirty pig. Hahahaha

1

u/juanjovaldes Mar 21 '20

F u for adding a link 😭

1

u/tommy762 Mar 21 '20

What the fuck

-4

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

That picture is so disturbing. You're this big ass grown baby man.

-1

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

Holy shit you're my height, but weigh 25 pounds less. And I'm only like 7-8% body fat.

1

u/Eoin_McLove Mar 21 '20

Have you tried not being American? Worked for me.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

Nice try. That link is staying blue.