Tonsil Stones: Small But Fascinating

Have you ever searched the internet for videos of someone popping pimples, draining cysts, or even removing tonsils? It’s amazing how these things can hold our interest! Let me inform you if you’re not familiar with tonsil stones; they’re actually pretty fascinating!

What Do Tonsil Stones Mean?

Hard white or yellow growths on the tonsils are called tonsil stones. These are the tissue flaps at the back of your throat that fight infections. When debris and materials, including food particles, calcium, germs, and fungi, become lodged in the tonsillar crypts—tiny spaces within the tonsils—tonsil stones are the result.

Signs and Easy Fixes

Though more prevalent than you would imagine, tonsil stones don’t always result in symptoms. When they do, though, they may cause unpleasant side effects like sore throats, coughing, earaches, and poor breath. The good news is that getting rid of them is simple!

You can try a few other approaches. The stones may be easier to remove if you gargle with salt water. Alternatively, you can carefully remove them using a cotton swab or other soft tool. An intense cough can even work sometimes!

Would You Like to See?

It can be really gruesome, so beware if you’re feeling bold and want to see what a tonsil stone looks like. But have a look at the video below if you’re game. This video, which has millions of views, shows someone really extracting a tonsil stone!

Tell About Your Experience

Have you already had a tonsil stone? Tell us in the comments if that’s the case. Tell us about your experience, please! If you enjoyed reading this article, you may find more fascinating reading by clicking on the links below.

Uncovering the Mysteries of the Lake in Oklahoma

Residents of Oklahoma found a mysterious hard sac-like ‘egg’ hanging from the tree roots at the lake, but scientists are now calming the locals, who immediately jumped to conclusions of alien proportions, by explaining that it’s an ancient creature

These creatures have found the right space and environment, so its likely they'll be around a lot this summer

These creatures have found the right space and environment, so its likely they’ll be around a lot this summer.

Locals in Oklahoma discovered large, jelly-like sacs with a hard exterior hanging from tree roots; they immediately thought the answer was extraterrestrial. Or at least not good news.

But scientists, reassuring the public, have said that the locals in the area got a rare treat – the glimpse of the reproductive system of an ancient animal that’s been around since before the dinosaurs.

Immediately, locals put it up online, and spectators began commenting on the extraterrestrial-looking eggs. But scientists say that the creatures were simple bryozoans. They’ve been around for hundreds of millions of years, before the first dinosaurs roamed the planet. The animals may actually be good news for the lake.

a egg sac looking creature

These bizarre creatures are actually hundreds of tiny bryozoans.

egg sac looking creature

Officials reassured the public that the animals are absolutely supposed to be there 

Bryozoans clone themselves into large masses to filter tiny particles out of the water for food, cleaning up the lake. The critters normally reside in ponds and lakes. This time, it was found in McGee Creek Reservoir, located on the southwest edge of the Ouachita Mountain Range.

Bryozoan clumps aren’t an egg or just one animal at all. They form this hard shell as they are hundreds of creatures banded together. The pods, known as zooids, are each a fraction of a millimeter long. They lack any respiratory or circulatory systems, but their central nerve ganglion allows the animal to respond to stimuli.

floating pod-like creatures below the surface of the water

These pods are hanging from tree roots, and actually help clean the lake

The tiny invertebrates possess both male and female reproductive organs, allowing them to self-clone and spread through clumps of cells on the organism known as statoblasts.

Each statoblast can reproduce asexually. They do this by breaking off from a colony, allowing the animal to reproduce rapidly if the space and the weather are suitable. The animals eat phytoplankton and bacteria lurking in water.

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Fossil records suggest they may have evolved from an ancient marine worm. Their grandparents, ancient bryozoans, date back as far as 470 million years. For perspective, dinosaurs came around 245 million years ago.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) shared the photos on social media. “What is that??? If you’re out boating somewhere like McGee Creek Reservoir you may notice these strange jelly-like balls hanging from submerged tree limbs,” begins the post.

“These are Bryozoans, and they’ll likely show up in large numbers this summer. Don’t be alarmed these microorganisms are native and are of no danger to you or wildlife. In fact, they are an indicator of good environmental quality and clear water!”

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