Unusual breathing

This is most likely not the piece of news you were expecting today... But believe us, you’ll want to hear this. Other than the – somewhat awkward but true – structural similarities between the anus and the mouth, or their equal importance to the organism, news studies suggest that buttholes can also help animals breathe. Yes, you read that right. A team of scholars in Japan has found that pigs can absorb oxygen through their anus, and could even survive without breathing through their lungs!

• In order to see if mammals would be able to breathe through their anus the way loaches do, in oxygen-deprived conditions, the team from Nagoya University Graduate School and Kyodo University’s Department of Respiratory Surgery first analyzed mice, and now, pigs, which are closer to humans in physiology and genetic makeup. 

The study has implications for treating patients who suffer respiratory failure. And we’re sure you had no idea that was where this news was heading! Regular procedures usually carry the risk of bleeding and blood clots, and it’s not always possible to get your hands on a ventilator, so this may be a viable alternative.

• The researchers’ first attempts were made via mucosal removal. But in order to make that more comfortable for patients, they tried delivering oxygen in liquid form. After injecting it into the mice’s and the pigs’ rectums, the scientists found oxygen levels were improved. 

The tests don’t fully replicate what happens with a critically ill patient during respiratory failure, so added factors could complicate the anal ventilation method when tried on humans.

The plan is to start human clinical trials as early as this year to prove its real-life efficacy, first by testing healthy volunteers in a hospital and then, patients with respiratory conditions.