Scientists finally figured out why wombats poop cubes. Thank heavens.

[NelsonG]

Our long international nightmare is over: We finally know why wombats poop out cubes. The scientists did it. They really did it. Thank heavens. 

Wombats' odd poop has long been a curious and fun animal fact. And the answer behind it isn't as simple as "square-shaped butthole." OK, not quite that simple anyway. Basically: the Rubik's-esque scat is formed in wombats' intestines via muscle contractions and not at the point of exit. 

Researchers from Georgia Tech and the University of Tasmania published their findings this week in a journal — I shit you not — called Soft Matter. Ironically enough, the wombat feces is actually dried in the colon, which helps contractions shape it into neat little cubes. Read more...

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