Science & Environment

[spaminator]

Woman living with seven-year infection from ex-boyfriend’s foul fart
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published May 29, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read

Christine Connell, who claims ex-boyfriends fart from seven years ago gave her E.coli, resulting in a persistent sinus infection.
Christine Connell, who claims ex-boyfriends fart from seven years ago gave her E.coli, resulting in a persistent sinus infection. Photo by Christine Connell /Instagram
A woman revealed how she has suffered from a chronic sinus infection for years after her ex-boyfriend farted at her.


Christine Connell said in a recent TikTok video that has amassed more than 441,000 views that doctors have long been baffled by the cause of the persistent infection, and tests up to now have turned up nothing.

But culture samples taken from her nose determined she had E. coli — and it’s all thanks to her gassy ex.

She joked that her ex, who she dated about seven years ago, got “the best possible breakup revenge that anyone could ever get.”

The travel content creator went on to say that “he farted terribly” while they were staying in a hotel after she had surgery, and it was so funky she “couldn’t breathe.”

But after swabs were recently taken from her sinuses, E. coli was found.

“You usually don’t get E.coli in your sinuses because E. coli is from poop,” Connell continued.

“So, how does that get in your sinuses — unless you have a boyfriend who farts disgustingly and you are forced to inhale it because you are immobile after ankle surgery.”



Connell detailed in another video that she was already in bed when her naked ex, who was standing beside the bed, turned his butt toward her and let it rip.

“That is when the fart happened. I’ve never, ever, ever smelled anything that compares to that,” she said, clarifying that he didn’t gas her on purpose — he just happened to fart in her direction on his way to bed and it got her.

E. coli are bacteria found in the intestines of some animals, and can be found in their feces, according to Health Canada.

Most strains of E. coli are harmless and even beneficial, helping with digestion, but some strains can cause illness, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and headaches.


Nowhere does it mention sinuses so Connell appears to be a special case, admitting in one video that “it’s definitely rare.”


Connell theorized that because she was recovering from ankle surgery, her immune system was “focused on healing that,” and if she was otherwise healthy, it might not have happened.

In updates to fascinated commenters’ questions, Connell said she was also tested to see if she is immunocompromised (which she is not) and if there were any other symptoms (she does not).

But in another video, Connell recounted how she was travelling with a friend who, as a joke, “farted in my face.”



Soon after, she developed pink eye, something she hadn’t had since she was a kid.

“I can’t think of how I would have gotten it besides my friend farting in my face,” Connell mused.

“So maybe I’m just susceptible to E. coli, which is weird, but again, I don’t have any immune issues according to tests so, I don’t know.”

Christine Connell on Instagram: "One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been 💧"

christinexploring on April 10, 2025: "One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been 💧".

instagram.com

TikTok - Make Your Day

TikTok - Make Your Day

TikTok - Make Your Day

E. coli (Escherichia coli) infection - Canada.ca

About E. coli, causes, symptoms, risks, treatment, prevention, surveillance information and guidance for health professionals.

canada.ca

'BEST BREAKUP REVENGE': Woman living with seven-year infection from ex-boyfriend’s foul fart

A woman revealed how she has suffered from a chronic sinus infection for years after her ex-boyfriend farted at her.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Woman living with seven-year infection from ex-boyfriend’s foul fart
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published May 29, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read

Christine Connell, who claims ex-boyfriends fart from seven years ago gave her E.coli, resulting in a persistent sinus infection.
Christine Connell, who claims ex-boyfriends fart from seven years ago gave her E.coli, resulting in a persistent sinus infection. Photo by Christine Connell /Instagram
A woman revealed how she has suffered from a chronic sinus infection for years after her ex-boyfriend farted at her.


Christine Connell said in a recent TikTok video that has amassed more than 441,000 views that doctors have long been baffled by the cause of the persistent infection, and tests up to now have turned up nothing.

But culture samples taken from her nose determined she had E. coli — and it’s all thanks to her gassy ex.

She joked that her ex, who she dated about seven years ago, got “the best possible breakup revenge that anyone could ever get.”

The travel content creator went on to say that “he farted terribly” while they were staying in a hotel after she had surgery, and it was so funky she “couldn’t breathe.”

But after swabs were recently taken from her sinuses, E. coli was found.

“You usually don’t get E.coli in your sinuses because E. coli is from poop,” Connell continued.

“So, how does that get in your sinuses — unless you have a boyfriend who farts disgustingly and you are forced to inhale it because you are immobile after ankle surgery.”



Connell detailed in another video that she was already in bed when her naked ex, who was standing beside the bed, turned his butt toward her and let it rip.

“That is when the fart happened. I’ve never, ever, ever smelled anything that compares to that,” she said, clarifying that he didn’t gas her on purpose — he just happened to fart in her direction on his way to bed and it got her.

E. coli are bacteria found in the intestines of some animals, and can be found in their feces, according to Health Canada.

Most strains of E. coli are harmless and even beneficial, helping with digestion, but some strains can cause illness, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and headaches.


Nowhere does it mention sinuses so Connell appears to be a special case, admitting in one video that “it’s definitely rare.”


Connell theorized that because she was recovering from ankle surgery, her immune system was “focused on healing that,” and if she was otherwise healthy, it might not have happened.

In updates to fascinated commenters’ questions, Connell said she was also tested to see if she is immunocompromised (which she is not) and if there were any other symptoms (she does not).

But in another video, Connell recounted how she was travelling with a friend who, as a joke, “farted in my face.”



Soon after, she developed pink eye, something she hadn’t had since she was a kid.

“I can’t think of how I would have gotten it besides my friend farting in my face,” Connell mused.

“So maybe I’m just susceptible to E. coli, which is weird, but again, I don’t have any immune issues according to tests so, I don’t know.”
View attachment 29334

Christine Connell on Instagram: "One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been 💧"

christinexploring on April 10, 2025: "One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been 💧".

instagram.com

TikTok - Make Your Day

TikTok - Make Your Day

TikTok - Make Your Day

E. coli (Escherichia coli) infection - Canada.ca

About E. coli, causes, symptoms, risks, treatment, prevention, surveillance information and guidance for health professionals.

canada.ca

'BEST BREAKUP REVENGE': Woman living with seven-year infection from ex-boyfriend’s foul fart

A woman revealed how she has suffered from a chronic sinus infection for years after her ex-boyfriend farted at her.

torontosun.com

what happened to her stinks. perhaps she should invest in gas masks.

 

[spaminator]

Sicily’s Mount Etna erupts in fiery show of smoke and ash
It was the 14th eruptive phase in recent months

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Jun 02, 2025 • 1 minute read

Smoke rises from the crater of the Etna volcano as it erupts, on Mount Etna near Catania on June 2, 2025.
Smoke rises from the crater of the Etna volcano as it erupts, on Mount Etna near Catania on June 2, 2025. Photo by GIUSEPPE DISTEFANO /AFP
MILAN — Sicily’s Mount Etna put on a fiery show Monday, sending a cloud of smoke and ash several kilometers into the air, but officials said the activity posed no danger to the population.


The level of alert due to the volcanic activity was raised at the Catania airport, but no immediate interruptions were reported. An official update declared the ash cloud emission had ended by the afternoon.

Italy’s INGV National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the spectacle on Europe’s most active volcano was caused when part of the southeast crater collapsed, resulting in hot lava flows. It was the 14th eruptive phase in recent months.

The area of danger was confined to the summit of Etna, which was closed to tourists as a precaution, according to Stefano Branca, an INGV official in Catania.

Sicily’s president, Renato Schifani, said lava flows emitted in the eruption had not passed the natural containment area, “and posed no danger to the population.”

The event was captured in video and photos that went viral on social media. Tremors from the eruption were widely felt in the towns and villages on Mount Etna’s flanks, Italian media reported.

Video showed tourists running along a path on the flank of the vast volcano with smoke billowing some distance in the background. Excursions are popular on Etna, which is some 3,300 meters (nearly 11,000 feet) high, with a surface area of some 1,200 square kilometers (about 460 square miles.)

Sicily’s Mount Etna erupts in fiery show of smoke and ash

The spectacle on Europe's most active volcano was caused when part of the southeast crater collapsed, resulting in hot lava flows.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Long-running experiment finds tiny particle is still acting weird: 'Huge feat in precision'
The mysterious particles called muons are considered heavier cousins to electrons

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Adithi Ramakrishnan
Published Jun 03, 2025 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 2 minute read

This image provided by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory shows the ring-shaped track that scientists used to study tiny particles called muons, July 20, 2023 in Batavia, Ill.
This image provided by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory shows the ring-shaped track that scientists used to study tiny particles called muons, July 20, 2023 in Batavia, Ill. Photo by Ryan Posteland/Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory /AP
NEW YORK — Final results from a long-running U.S.-based experiment announced Tuesday show a tiny particle continues to act strangely — but that’s still good news for the laws of physics as we know them.


“This experiment is a huge feat in precision,” said Tova Holmes, an experimental physicist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville who is not part of the collaboration.


The mysterious particles called muons are considered heavier cousins to electrons. They wobble like a top when inside a magnetic field, and scientists are studying that motion to see if it lines up with the foundational rulebook of physics called the Standard Model.

Experiments in the 1960s and 1970s seemed to indicate all was well. But tests at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the late 1990s and early 2000s produced something unexpected: the muons weren’t behaving like they should.

Decades later, an international collaboration of scientists decided to rerun the experiments with an even higher degree of precision. The team raced muons around a magnetic, ring-shaped track _ the same one used in Brookhaven’s experiment — and studied their signature wiggle at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago.


The first two sets of results — unveiled in 2021 and 2023 _ seemed to confirm the muons’ weird behavior, prompting theoretical physicists to try to reconcile the new measurements with the Standard Model.

Now, the group has completed the experiment and released a measurement of the muon’s wobble that agrees with what they found before, using more than double the amount of data compared to 2023. They submitted their results to the journal Physical Review Letters.

That said, it’s not yet closing time for our most basic understanding of what’s holding the universe together. While the muons raced around their track, other scientists found a way to more closely reconcile their behavior with the Standard Model with the help of supercomputers.


There’s still more work to be done as researchers continue to put their heads together and future experiments take a stab at measuring the muon wobble — including one at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex that’s expected to start near the end of the decade. Scientists also are still analyzing the final muon data to see if they can glean information about other mysterious entities like dark matter.

“This measurement will remain a benchmark … for many years to come,” said Marco Incagli with the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Italy.

By wrangling muons, scientists are striving to answer fundamental questions that have long puzzled humanity, said Peter Winter with Argonne National Laboratory.

“Aren’t we all curious to understand how the universe works?” said Winter.

Long-running experiment finds tiny particle is still acting weird: 'Huge feat in precision'

The mysterious particles called muons are considered heavier cousins to electrons. They wobble like a top when inside a magnetic field

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

More microplastics in glass bottles than plastic: Study
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
by Rébecca Frasquet
Published Jun 20, 2025 • 2 minute read

Drinks in glass bottles had five to 50 times more microplastic fragments than in plastic bottles.
Drinks in glass bottles had five to 50 times more microplastic fragments than in plastic bottles.
PARIS — Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France’s food safety agency Friday.


Researchers have detected thee tiny, mostly invisible pieces of plastic throughout the world, from in the air we breathe to the food we eat, as well as riddled throughout human bodies.


There is still no direct evidence that this preponderance of plastic is harmful to human health, but a burgeoning field of research is aiming to measure its spread.

Guillaume Duflos, research director at French food safety agency ANSES, told AFP the team sought to “investigate the quantity of microplastics in different types of drinks sold in France and examine the impact different containers can have”.

The researchers found an average of around 100 microplastic particles per litre in glass bottles of soft drinks, lemonade, iced tea and beer. That was five to 50 times higher than the rate detected in plastic bottles or metal cans.


“We expected the opposite result,” PhD student Iseline Chaib, who conducted the research, told AFP.

For water, both flat and sparkling, the amount of microplastic was relatively low in all cases
“We then noticed that in the glass, the particles emerging from the samples were the same shape, colour and polymer composition — so therefore the same plastic — as the paint on the outside of the caps that seal the glass bottles,” she said.

The paint on the caps also had “tiny scratches, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the caps when there were stored,” the agency said in a statement.

This could then “release particles onto the surface of the caps”, it added.

Wine fine
For water, both flat and sparkling, the amount of microplastic was relatively low in all cases, ranging from 4.5 particles per litre in glass bottles to 1.6 particles in plastic.


Wine also contained few microplastics — even glass bottles with caps. Duflos said the reason for this discrepancy “remains to be explained.”

Soft drinks however contained around 30 microplastics per litre, lemonade 40 and beer around 60.

Because there is no reference level for a potentially toxic amount of microplastics, it was not possible to say whether these figures represent a health risk, ANSES said.

But drink manufacturers could easily reduce the amount of microplastics shed by bottle caps, it added.

The agency tested a cleaning method involving blowing the caps with air, then rinsing them with water and alcohol, which reduced contamination by 60 percent.

The study released by ANSES was published online in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis last month.

More microplastics in glass bottles than plastic: Study

Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, says a study.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

’Heat dome’ over Ontario and Quebec causing wild weather across much of Canada
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Published Jun 22, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 3 minute read

TORONTO — Blame the heat dome hanging over Ontario and Quebec for some of the strange weather hitting other parts of the country.


Environment Canada meteorologist Julien Pellerin says scorching temperatures over the eastern part of the continent are causing below-normal temperatures in other regions, which have led to warnings of wet snow and heavy rain in the West.


“If you have a heat dome on a sector, you can expect colder air in another sector, so that’s what the Prairies are currently experiencing,” Pellerin said on Sunday.

“It’s coming from the United States, a high-pressure system that doesn’t move quickly … so it brings intense heat and moist air over southern Ontario and southern Quebec and it’ll settle there for the next three days.”

The dangerous temperature levels span from southwestern Ontario towards North Bay, Sudbury and Timmins, while in Quebec the highest temperatures are expected from Montreal to Shawinigan and north up to Abitibi.

Pellerin says he expects Ontario and Quebec to hit their peak daytime highs on Monday and Tuesday with temperatures rising above 30 C, and the humidex making it feel more like 40 to 45 degrees, depending on the region.

“It won’t last very long,” he added. “By the end of Tuesday and Wednesday, we will have a transition in air mass all over Canada, especially over Quebec and Ontario.”

In the meantime, the effects of the heat dome are bringing surprises to other parts of the country.

On Saturday, Environment Canada warned that areas in British Columbia could face heavy showers, and over some of the highway summits, the possibility of wet snow.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall advisories that had been in effect in southern Alberta were all lifted by Sunday, but the region received significant precipitation. City residents were being warned to stay off the Bow River.


The Calgary Fire Department advised against boating and all other water activities on the Bow due to higher-than-normal water flow, although the city said flooding over riverbanks was not expected.

“We know that Calgarians love their rivers, yet we also know that when our waterways flow this high and fast, there’s significant risk to anyone, regardless of your watercraft or skill level,” Calgary Fire Deputy Chief Pete Steenaerts said in a news release.

Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency warned the Alberta rain could also lead to increased flows on the South Saskatchewan River between the Alberta boundary and Lake Diefenbaker.

The agency said Alberta began dumping water from reservoirs this past week to make room for the additional run-off.


It expected lake levels at Lake Diefenbaker, a large reservoir northwest of Regina that’s a popular recreation area, to rise over a metre this week as a result of the weather system.

Heat levels in Ontario and Quebec led Environment Canada to remind people to stay hydrated by drinking water before they’re thirsty, to watch for early signs of heat exhaustion and not overexert themselves.

“Be careful; you know yourself,” Pellerin said.

“Make sure you’re aware of what you’re feeling and take breaks, Make sure you have a location where you can rest with the air conditioning.”

In Quebec, schools are being urged to stay vigilant with the rising temperatures.

In a letter from the assistant deputy education minister, schools were encouraged to “put in place all the preventative measures you judge necessary to ensure everyone’s security.”

“Depending on the situation, these measures could go all the way up to closing one or more schools for the day of June 23,” said the message signed by Stephanie Vachon.

’Heat dome’ over Ontario and Quebec causing wild weather across much of Canada

Blame the heat dome hanging over Ontario and Quebec for some of the strange weather hitting other parts of the country.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Heat records at risk as Ontario, Quebec battle scorching temperatures
Environment Canada says heat wave likely to continue until Wednesday with daytime highs of up to 36 C

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Natasha Baldin
Published Jun 23, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read

Dangerously high temperatures persisted on Monday across much of Ontario and southwestern Quebec, as residents tried to keep cool under a lingering heat dome.


Environment Canada said the heat wave that began Sunday will likely continue until Wednesday, with daytime highs of up to 36 C and humidex values between 42 and 46 C.


New heat records may be set across the province on Monday, said Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson.

Toronto’s current heat record for June 23 is 32.8 C and it was set in 1983, Coulson said. The daytime high in the city on Monday was expected to reach 36 C.

Cities including Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa were also at risk of breaking temperature records, he added, noting that 18 other locations in Ontario set new heat records on Sunday.

Following a relatively cool spring, Coulson said this heat dome is “almost a worse scenario” since people are not yet acclimatized to high heat and humidex readings “well above normal for this time of year.”


Amid the sweltering conditions, thousands of people in parts of central and eastern Ontario were without power after severe weekend thunderstorms.

Hydro One says its power restoration crews were “out in full force” and expected to make significant progress on Monday but warned that some of the affected customers may be without electricity until Tuesday.


“Given the extreme heat forecasted for the next few days, customers are encouraged to visit their municipality or township’s website for information on cooling centres,” Hydro One said on its website.

In Toronto, more than 500 cooling spaces have opened and the city said some outdoor pools will stay open until nearly midnight on Monday. However, the city temporarily closed some pools on Sunday, citing the need to ensure “staff health and safety” when temperatures reach a certain threshold.


Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the city is working to avoid further pool closures by deploying additional lifeguards and medical staff to pool sites.

“Pools need to be open during a heat wave. That’s obvious to us all,” Chow said in a social media post. “We’re fixing it now.”

The Toronto District School Board, meanwhile, warned of “uncomfortable conditions” in its schools due to the extreme heat, advising students to wear light clothing, hats, sunscreen and to drink lots of water.

“Across the TDSB, while some schools are fully air conditioned and some are partially air conditioned, others have no air conditioning and the extreme heat will result in uncomfortable conditions,” the school board said in an email to parents on Sunday.


The email said closing schools due to extreme heat “is not an action typically taken by TDSB or other school boards across the province.”

However, several French-language schools in the province, including some in Toronto, were closed Monday due to a lack of air conditioning, the Viamonde School Board said on its website.


Meanwhile in Quebec, the Montreal school services centre, which represents French schools in the city, said the local public health department did not recommend shutting down classes. Instead, activities would be adjusted according to the heat, it said.

In Old Montreal, Beverly Iron and David Mudge of London said they changed their vacation plans due to the heat. After the temperature climbed to 34 C, with a humidex of 45 C, the pair opted out of a long walk in favour of sitting under the trees overlooking the St. Lawrence River with a couple of vanilla ice cream cones.


“It’s hit us hard,” Iron said.

Next to a nearby fountain and artificial lake in Montreal, B.C. couple Peter and Cindy Martin were watching their West Highland white terrier, Fergus, roll happily in the grass after a quick swim. The couple said they felt comfortable after drinking plenty of water, but had worried about their pet.

“He was just panting, he was hot,” Peter Martin said, noting with a smile that the no swimming signs “don’t show any dogs not swimming.”

Some Ontarians are trying to beat the heat by heading to beaches such as those at Sibbald Point Provincial Park, on the shore of Lake Simcoe roughly 70 km north of Toronto.

Dmytro Allot, who moved to Canada two years ago from Ukraine, said this is his first time experiencing extreme heat in Canada.


“Sometimes we had this weather (in Ukraine), but it’s not normal for us to have such a high temperature,” Allot said.

Carter Carino, who drove an hour from Toronto to get to Sibbald Point, said he came armed with five bags of ice and Gatorade to stay cool.

“I just wanted to hang out at the beach, trying to stay hydrated, get a lot of electrolytes in,” he said.

Public health officials are encouraging everyone in the heat zone to drink plenty of water and be on alert for early signs of heat exhaustion.

Overnight lows are forecast to stay between 22 to 25 C, with the humidex above 30 C until the expected midweek cool down.

–With files from Morgan Lowrie and Vanessa Tiberio.

Heat records at risk as Ontario, Quebec battle scorching temperatures

Environment Canada said the heat wave that began Sunday will likely continue until Wednesday, with daytime highs of up to 36 C .

torontosun.com