Navellint

Navellint,ormorecommonly bellybuttonlint or fluff,isanaccumulationoffluffyfibresin

one'snavel.

Manypeoplefindthat,atthebeginningandendoftheday,asmalllumpoffluffhasappearedin
thenavelcavity.Thereasonsforthishavebeenthesubjectofidlespeculationformanyyearsbut
in2001,Dr.KarlKruszelnickioftheUniversityofSydney,Australia,undertookasystematic
surveytodeterminetheinsandoutsofbellybuttonfluff.Hisprimaryfindingswereasfollows:

*Navellintconsistsprimarilyofstrayfibresfromone'sclothing,mixedwithsomedeadskin
cellsandstrandsofbodyhair.
*Contrarytoexpectations,navellintappearstomigrateupwardsfromunderwearratherthan
downwardsfromshirtsortops.Themigrationprocessistheresultofthefrictionaldragofbodyhair
onunderwear,whichdragsstrayfibresupintothenavel.
*Womenexperiencelessnavellintbecauseoftheirfinerandshorterbodyhairs.Conversely,
oldermenexperienceitmorebecauseoftheircoarserandmorenumeroushairs.
*Navellint'scharacteristicbluetintisduetotheexistenceofbluefibresinmostclothing.
*Theexistenceofnavellintisentirelyharmless,andrequiresnocorrectiveaction.

Dr.KruszelnickiwasawardedtheIgNobelprizeforInterdisciplinaryResearchin2002.

GrahamBarkerofPerth,WesternAustralia,isintheGuinnessBookofRecordsastherecord
holderforcollectingnavellint.Hehasbeencollectingnavellintalmosteverydayfor20years
sinceJanuary17,1984.Hecollects about3.03mgperday.ContrarytotheresearchofDr.
Kruszelnicki,hislintisinaparticularshadeofred,eventhoughherarelywearsredclothes.

asfollows recordholder
findings tobeawarded
idle becauseof
lump appeartoV1
navel contaryto
expectations
skin shade
strand eventhough
stray tocollect
subject upwards
/downwards
survey coarse
theinsand fluffy
outsof
to conversely
undertake