Do You Belong To the Stomach Club?

[CG6468]

Check your belly button - or not.

MNN.COM›Health›
Fitness & Well-Being
What's in your navel? Hundreds and hundreds of types of bacteria

Scientists from the Belly Button Biodiversity project go navel-gazing and discover 662 new species of bacteria.
By John PlattWed, Jul 06 2011 at 12:45 PM EST

When scientists talk about biodiversity hotspots, they're usually discussing places like Madagascar, New Zealand or New Caledonia. But new research proves that one of the richest biodiversity hotspots is much closer: your belly button.
 
Scientists for the Belly Button Biodiversity project have done a little navel-gazing, studying the belly buttons of 95 volunteers and counting. So far they have turned up 1,400 different bacterial strains, 662 of which appear to be new to science.
 
"We're probably the only ones studying human belly buttons on such a large scale," project leader Jiri Hulcr, a post-doctoral candidate at North Carolina State University, told msnbc.com.

Belly Button Checkup

[Chris_]

The contents of my belly button could jump-start life on Mars. 

[CG6468]

The contents of my belly button could jump-start life on Mars.

WAY too much information, Chris!

[Tucker]

I'm saving all the lint to stuff a pillow.

[docstew]

I'm saving all the lint to stuff a pillow.

A stinky, stinky pillow... for when the MIL visits and needs a pillow in the guest room?

[Tucker]

A stinky, stinky pillow... for when the MIL visits and needs a pillow in the guest room?

Any liberal.