The Science Behind: Burping (Cover-Ishita Baghel)

The only thing more disgusting than burping is what causes it. Burping is most commonly caused by bacteria in your belly. It can also be due to fizzy drinks or extra gas.

Your intestines are a popular hangout location for billions of bacteria. They hang out there to convert undigested food into vitamin K and B. This process causes our body to release smelly gases such as methane, which make up burp....and fart.

When we walk around during the day, we inhale gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. By the end of the day, those extra gases need a way to escape. They either come out of your mouth or the other end.

What about fizzy drinks?

Beverages like soda contain a gas called carbon dioxide, which causes people to burp too. These drinks contain gases that your body doesn't like, which causes you to you know...

So now we know that we burp because the extra gas in our body likes to escape. But why does it make a sound? Can't people release their gross gas in a more quiet way?

The burp travels up our esophagus, it hits up against a closed valve-like structure called the sphincter. When it's trapped behind the sphincter muscle it builds up a lot of pressure.

When the burp is almost outside the high-pressure air makes the structures in the upper esophagus and back of the throat vibrate.

If your sphincter is opened up gently, it lowers the pressure in your esophagus and allows for less powerful vibrations. Burps like these are more likely to be on the softer and quieter side, which makes them more appropriate for public places.

A burp can be even weirder depending on the movement of your mouth and tongue. This is how some people even form words and/or songs.

Warning: Try this at home at your own risk!

When you fart, your body goes through the same process, but instead of the gas going up, it goes down.

So... a burp is basically a mouth fart?

Woah!

Until next time...

Stay Curious ;)

Love,

Sarah

Sources:

https://www.livescience.com/32404-what-makes-us-burp.html

https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/burp.html