The Flatulence Report, commissioned by The Beano, has worked out a formula including intensity, length and social embarrassment.
The “world’s funniest fart” has been revealed by scientists in a specially commissioned study.
The Flatulence Report, for The Beano, has worked out a mathematical formula that was tested for 176 different noises ranging from low to high pitch, short to long, dry to wet and from loud to squeaking.
Components in the formula included a fart’s intensity, length, social embarrassment and the number of children present divided by the age and gender of whoever hears it.
The funniest fart came out on top in a public vote with a mean score of 8.27 out of 10 – also being described as “unfortunate” and “potentially messy”.
Scientist Dr Helen Pilcher led the research with the help of “Beano boffins” and sound specialists Bose Professional.
She said: “The funniest fart is long, loud and ever so slightly wet. This gives it the potential to cause major social embarrassment.
“The research and our formula show how funny farts are. It’s as simple as that.
“Anyone who says they’ve never farted or found a fart funny has pants that are probably on fire.”
The study found farts are likely to be found 5% funnier by men than women, with children also finding them 23% funnier than adults.
Young adults in the 18-24 age group were the least amused.
Mike Stirling, editorial director of Beano Studios, said: “We hired some genuine boffins to prove it, by helping us release the funniest fart of all time – you know, for science.”
Four of the nation's top retail stores failed to promptly pull contaminated infant formula tied to a dangerous botulism outbreak from their shelves, federal health officials said in warning letters posted Monday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent letters to leaders at Walmart, Target, Kroger and Albertsons, saying the companies continued to sell ByHeart infant formula for days or weeks, despite a Nov. 11 recall of all products in the outbreak that has sickened more than 50 babies in 19 states.
“As a participant in the supply chain, your firm should take prompt and effective action when notified of a product recall,” FDA officials said in warning letters sent to the companies on Dec. 12 and posted online Monday.
The formula was found at Target stores in 20 states “well after the recall was initiated,” one letter said. In addition, it was sold at a Target store in New Hampshire on Nov. 16, despite an electronic block on the product's sales code, the FDA noted. And at a Target store in Arkansas, single-serve packs of ByHeart formula were promoted with a “Sale!” sign and a $2 discount from Nov. 16 to Nov. 22.
Information from state and local health officials said ByHeart formula was found at Walmart stores in 21 states from Nov. 12 to Nov. 26. The formula was found in Albertsons stores in 11 states from Nov. 12 to Nov. 19, and at Kroger stores in 10 states from Nov. 12 to Nov. 19.
In addition, the companies failed to provide FDA with evidence that corrective actions have been put in place, despite multiple requests, the agency said. The companies have 15 working days to respond to the letters.
Walmart officials said in a statement that no ByHeart formula was sold after cash registers were blocked from selling the formula following the recall.
“We moved swiftly to issue a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores and clubs and online,” a company spokesperson said in an email. “We take all reports of inaction seriously and will respond to the letter.”
Albertsons officials said the company worked closely with suppliers and regulators to identify and remove the products and communicate to customers.
“ByHeart infant formula products have been removed from our store shelves,” the company said in a statement.
All of the babies in the outbreak have been hospitalized and treated with an IV medication to stop the progress of the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the outbreak to include all babies treated for botulism after consuming ByHeart formula since it was first produced in 2023.
Steven Mandernach, executive director at the Association of Food and Drug Officials, said the FDA itself was slow to distribute information about the recall with state and local food safety officials. The agency didn't fully share product lists until Nov. 14 — nearly a week after the initial recall of two lots of ByHeart formula on Nov. 8.
He said it was “disappointing” in an outbreak involving the sole source of nutrition for vulnerable infants.
“There probably wasn’t the sense of urgency to ensure the product was off the market that I would expect,” Mandernach said.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - A sign for ByHeart, a manufacturer of organic baby formula, is displayed outside a building that houses a plant for the company on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
FILE - Stephen Dexter holds a container of ByHeart baby formula, which was recently recalled by ByHeart, in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey, File)
