> In the new study, the researchers dissected two further wombats and tested the guts’ layers of muscle and tissue, finding regions of varied thickness and stif

> In the new study, the researchers dissected two further wombats and tested the guts’ layers of muscle and tissue, finding regions of varied thickness and stiffness. They then created a 2D mathematical model to simulate how the regions expand and contract with the rhythms of digestion. The intestinal sections contract over several days, squeezing the poop as the gut pulls nutrients and water out of the feces, the team reports today in the aptly titled journal Soft Matter. The paper, Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces [1]: > Increased stiffness ratio and higher Reynolds number yield shapes that are more square. The corners arise from faster contraction in the stiff regions and relatively slower movement in the center of the soft regions. [1] https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/sm/d0sm01230k#!divAbstract https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/sm/d0sm0...