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Genes be crazy (piefed.cdn.blahaj.zone)
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[-] cybervseas@lemmy.world 188 points 3 days ago

I'm tired of microblog screenshots that self-censor 😕

Also that's cool. I'm pretty sure I cannot smell ants. But it's also possible there are ants everywhere I go, so I can't discern what part of the background smells are the ants.

[-] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I was watching "deep dives" on Youtube yesterday and was getting confused by all the censoring. Even the word "sex" was censored, and like... what? Not just SA (which I understand censoring), but sex itself? In a video ostensibly designed for an adult (or at least teenage) audience?

It's hard to follow a story when words get censored that you don't expect to get censored. In my mind I think something much worse is being said, and have to pause and rewind to ensure I understood correctly. The best part is, the creator wasn't even from the US, land of the Puritans. I expect Europeans not to be afraid of sex, but I guess this is what Youtube is doing to the world?

[-] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago

That degree of censorship usually implies the content is dual posted to TikTok in my experience

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[-] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago

STOP FUCKING POSTING CENSORED SHIT

[-] vivalapivo@lemmy.today 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah, right? As if they were censoring only the victims' personal info

[-] Lemminary@lemmy.world 119 points 3 days ago

Whatever, keep your ant-smelling superpower, I'm not jealous. At least cilantro doesn't taste like soap to me! :P

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago

We need a study on if that’s the divide. If you can smell ants you also think cilantro tastes like soap

[-] lengau@midwest.social 36 points 3 days ago

Cilantro: tastes like soap

Can smell ants: no

Sorry, I'm a counterpoint. I got the worst of both.

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago

But do ants taste like soap or cilantro

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[-] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago

I'm with you. Can't smell ants, but cilantro is soapy.

There are lots of little genetic quirks out there. I experience Arnold's Reflex, that is, I cough when I stick a cotton swab in my left ear canal. (Only my left. My right doesn't react.) There's also the Photic Sneeze Reflex, which is where you sneeze when looking at light. I don't have that, but around 35% of the population does.

I'm sure there are countless more little things like this that people just haven't talked about/gathered enough data on yet.

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[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 3 days ago

Can smell ants, love cilantro, can't smell stinkbugs.

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[-] Monument@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 3 days ago

I can’t smell ants, and cilantro tastes soapy. However, I do have dry earwax and my armpits don’t smell. (Which is just spurious information to your hypothesis.)

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[-] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 58 points 3 days ago

That's the most useless censoring of the word "Fuck" I have ever seen 😅

[-] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 29 points 3 days ago
[-] mysticalone@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

Why did you censor a small mushroom?

[-] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago

That mushroom is average-sized my good sir.

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[-] childOfMagenta@jlai.lu 24 points 3 days ago

Are we talking formic acid from crushed ants or just there is an ant around and they can smell it?

[-] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Not just crushed ants, I smell it when they're scared and running, but undamaged, as well. Calm ants though, they don't smell to me. I always assumed it was a warning chemical to other ants, or a deterrent for predators with more sensitive sniffers than I.

[-] AlboTheGuy@feddit.nl 4 points 2 days ago

Exactly, ants literally spray formic acid at anything that threatens them

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 7 points 3 days ago

I smell it either way but it's stronger when they're crushed.

[-] kandoh@reddthat.com 10 points 2 days ago

That's true of most animals

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[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 68 points 3 days ago

I had no idea it was a genetic thing that not everyone has. It's pretty awesome that after fifty years slogging through life, I still run across cool new shit like this

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[-] tamal3@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

Does everyone agree that ladybugs smell terrible??!

[-] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yes, beetles in general don't smell great to me. They leave a fecal-like scent on my fingers when I hold them (Which I've always assumed is some sort of musk and not actual feces). I can smell ants too, but it's only when they're scared: They seem to release a chemical that smells to me like Windex the moment they realize they're possibly in danger. I didn't know that made me special, but I do know that others might not be able to smell it as I've had conversations about this with people who didn't know wtf I was talking about. I've heard that it might be formic acid? Not sure.

Funny because I don't normally have a very sensitive nose. And I'm not a super-taster, cilantro tastes like cilantro to me (Fresh and herbally).

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[-] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 52 points 3 days ago

Wow that's really weird because i thought ants were supposed to be everywhere - at least in summertime when you go outside. If they smell that bad then it must be unbearable just walking around places in the city.

[-] starik@lemmy.zip 32 points 3 days ago

I can only smell them if I sniff a crushed one up close. It’s been a long time - I don’t step on bugs on purpose.

[-] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 30 points 3 days ago

I don't think they're talking about the dead/distressed ant smell. To the best of my knowledge, everyone can smell that. They're talking about a general smell of ants

[-] LeapSecond@lemmy.zip 28 points 3 days ago

Wait, everyone can smell dead ants? Pretty sure I can't

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[-] jaybone@lemmy.zip 32 points 3 days ago

I think I can hear ants. People probably think I’m crazy. Like if you bend down and get your face really close to their trail. It’s like a buzzing sound. Like static on an old TV. Creepy as fuck.

[-] 9blb@feddit.org 18 points 3 days ago

Could it just be the reflections of ambient noise you also get when you hold your ear close to any surface? The old "If you hold a seashell to your ear, you can hear the ocean" kind of thing.

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[-] Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 21 points 3 days ago

I never knew about this. Is this the same gene which makes people like/dislike bitter foods?

Years ago at a place I worked at, food manufacturers, the R&D team did a taste workshop. 5 cups of flavours, salt, bitter, water, umami, sweet. The bitter one just tasted of water to me. They called it "bitter blind"

[-] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 38 points 3 days ago

Probably makes you easier to poison. I will keep that in mind.

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[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 36 points 3 days ago
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[-] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

Some people can smell ants. Some people can smell Parkinson's disease.

I don't think I can smell either of those but I can smell B.O.

[-] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 22 points 3 days ago

It smells so weird and strong. I'm surprised not everyone can smell this. I wonder how common this is?

[-] notthebees@reddthat.com 2 points 2 hours ago

I'm not exactly sure. My sense of smell has been shot since I got covid. It feels so weird. Some smells don't exist, some are much stronger, some remained the same.

One good example is burning anything while cooking.

I can just feel it though. If I'm itchy while in my kitchen, 9/10 it's ants (ground floor old apartment)

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[-] sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz 17 points 3 days ago

Is this like how some people can smell if a dude jorked it that day?

[-] radiouser@crazypeople.online 17 points 3 days ago

no wonder why people avoid me.

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this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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