Earwax Science Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pigment ingredient

The 14th century treatise "De Arte Illuminandi" is probably the earliest reference to the use of earwax in making pigments. It was used as a binding medium. Another reference is the article "Earmarks of History: cerumen and mediaeval art" by N L Petrakis (2000). Historic uses also include lip balm, waxed thread, salve for minor wounds and in traditional medicine.

Answer: No

Although 'wax' is part of the word, earwax is mostly dead skin. There are some long-chain fatty acids, cholesterol and various other chemicals, some of which help bind it. In a candle, the lit wick melts wax which is drawn up the wick by capillary action.

In an earwax-made candle, the keratin from the skin cells does not melt and instead would spread the flame across the surface so that the whole candle would end up being lit. Not that I've tried.

Answer: Blue whale

Some species of baleen whales build up an earwax plug over the course of their lifetime. The colour of the earwax plug varies between light bands, associated with periods of feeding, and dark bands when migrating. For a blue whale (and trees), one year equates to one dark and one light band. Scientists have been using this technique of aging whales since the 1950s, collecting them from whaling stations. Since commercial whaling was paused from the 1985/1986 season, new samples tend to come from ship strikes.

The earwax plug helps the whale to hear. Water is much denser than air which would result in an acoustic impedance mismatch at their interface. The earwax, being of similar density to seawater, allows water-transmitted sound waves to be picked up by the inner ear.

Answer: Cerumen

The name is derived from the Latin 'cera', meaning 'wax'. Swiss anatomist Gaspard Bauhin is credited with coming up with the medical term. Cerumen has several important functions in humans including protection against dirt, moisturising and lubrication, antimicrobial activity and sound transmission.

Answer: Epithelial migration

Epithelial migration is the main method for earwax removal in humans, with assistance from jaw movement such as chewing. The movement averages 150 micrometres per day in a normal ear. New cells from the umbo move from the centre of the tympanic membrane (or eardrum) outwards taking the cerumen with it.

The nature of the waxy earwax also changes over time with a gradual hardening and flaking. In some animals, cilia (small hairs) play a role in cleaning as does the shape of the ear.

Answer: True

It turns out that the gene ABCC11 determines what kind of earwax you have - either wet (dominant) or dry (recessive). Regional differences in populations can be used to help trace migration patterns. The wet type of earwax is also associated with armpit odour, particularly when sweating.

There are many factors contributing to body odour and this gene contributes a genetic component. It is theorised that the mutation, which emerged 44,000 years ago, is a cold climate adaptation which helps with body heat retention due to less sweat gland activity.

Answer: Maple syrup urine disease

All the listed conditions are tested for in the UK. The rare inherited metabolic disorder known as maple syrup urine disease is a serious condition. It results in the production of the compound sotolon which can be noticed in earwax from about 12 hours after birth, as well as in the baby's urine. Sotolone is a butanolide lactone which smells of fenugreek or curry at high concentrations. Lower concentrations produce aroma flavours of maple syrup or caramel.

It is a compound that passes through the body unchanged so eating sotolon-containing foods will probably induce the smell. Newborn screening does not rely on detection by smell.

Answer: Pollutants

The earwax plug created by the blue whale is a kind of time capsule which records the pollutants encountered by the whale and as well as hormone responses at particular times of its life such as on reaching sexual maturity. Studying plugs dating from 1870 to 2016 from several whale species, the highest levels of cortisol were recorded for the 1920s and 1930s period when Northern Hemisphere whaling was at its height.

Some inorganic chemicals banned in the 1960s and 1970s are still present years later, according to more recent plug samples.

Answer: Ménière's disease

Research has found that those with Ménière's disease have lower levels of three fatty acids in their earwax. This has the potential to lead to a quicker diagnosis for a disease that is normally partly diagnosed by elimination of other potential causes. Ménière's disease affects the inner ear and is experienced through episodes of vertigo, fluctuating hearing and tinnitus.

It is not clear what causes the disease although there may be a genetic element.

Answer: Earwax is lipid-rich

Blood testing is a common procedure but it tends to be largely on water-soluble compounds. Earwax is a lipid-rich substance so fat-soluble compounds can be tested. This should increase the range of detectable diseases, although research into medical testing applications using earwax is relatively new at the time of writing.

As the composition of earwax reflects the body's metabolism, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and some cancers are potential targets. For example, there are 27 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cerumen that can act as a fingerprint for three types of cancer (lymphoma, carcinoma, leukaemia). Who knows? Perhaps testing your earwax to detect pre-cancerous abnormalities may become the norm in the future.