9 surprising facts about flatulence you may not know. [View all]

[Recursion]

(First off, I'm really disappointed that less than a year in, Vox is already doing buzzfeed-style stuff like this.)

Also, I have to take issue with #5. I often am disgusted by my own farts' smell.

http://www.vox.com/2014/12/4/7332411/fart-flatulence

Modern society views flatulence as a negative. This is unfortunate, because in most cases, it's the byproduct of a beautiful thing — the intricate ecosystem of bacteria living in your intestines.

"It's a complex ecology, with various organisms coexisting and thriving," Kashyap says. "When a complex carbohydrate reaches your colon, some bacteria will break it down first, and then some of their byproducts will feed other bacteria. The whole community benefits from a single carbohydrate that you consume."

What's more, you also benefit. Scientists are still unraveling the role of the microbiome in digestion, but it's known that the same bacteria that produce gas also generate vitamins and fatty acids that help maintain our colon lining, and may support our immune systems.