Barista hospitalised after holding in farts for two years

An Irish barista was hospitalised because she refused to fart around her boyfriend for two years. Cara Clarke was at work last week when she developed “extreme stomach pain” and was rushed to hospital. The 19-year-old was told she had an infection and would have to have her appendix removed before it burst, reported The Irish Mirror. She said the infection was caused by her reluctance to break wind around her partner and vowed to “let it out from now on”. In January, an influencer was hospitalised for the opposite reason: farting too much.

Mushrooms ‘talk to one another’

A professor has found that mushrooms talk to one another, reported The Guardian. Mathematical analysis of the electrical signals fungi send to each other has identified patterns that have a strong resemblance to human speech, said Professor Andrew Adamatzky at the University of the West of England. But Dan Bebber, an associate professor of biosciences at the University of Exeter, said the theory is “overenthusiastic” and there needs to be “far more research and testing of critical hypotheses before we see ‘Fungus’ on Google Translate”.

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Dogs manipulate us with facial muscles

Dogs have mastered facial expressions to manipulate us, according to new research. A study at the Duquesne University in Pittsburgh found that there are several differences in the facial muscles of dogs and wolves. The research suggests the eyes of dogs have in effect been humanised, explained The Times. “They’re communicating with us and are able to make facial expressions just like us,” said Anne Burrows, the author of the study. “They want to grab our attention with a facial expression.”