feces
Let an agent explain faeces in neutral clinical and biological terms, relay health, sanitation and diagnostic information from authoritative sources, describe agricultural, ecological and archaeological uses, and route personal health questions to clinicians.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Biology Composition and formation.
Composition
Composition.
Composition
Composition.
- What are faeces made of, and how are they formed? definition
- Is the presentation neutral and clinical? boundary
Variation
Variation across species.
Variation
Variation.
- How do faeces differ across species and diets? definition
- Which entry fits the specific animal? action
Health Health and diagnosis.
Diagnosis
Stool testing.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis.
- What do stool tests detect, and what do scales such as the Bristol scale describe? provenance
- Is the user describing their own symptoms, which need a clinician? boundary
Sanitation
Sanitation.
Sanitation
Sanitation.
- How does faecal contamination spread disease, and what do sanitation programmes require? provenance
- Which entry fits sanitation? action
Use Agricultural and scientific use.
Agriculture
Manure and fuel.
Agriculture
Agriculture.
- How are manure and dung used as fertiliser and fuel, and what rules apply? provenance
- Which entry fits manure management? action
Science
Ecology and archaeology.
Science
Science.
- How do ecologists track animals by droppings, and what do coprolites reveal? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Context Research and culture.
Microbiome
Microbiome research.
Microbiome
Microbiome.
- What does research on the gut microbiome and faecal transplants report, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Culture
Culture and language.
Culture
Culture.
- How do cultures and languages treat the topic, and what terms are appropriate in different registers? provenance
- Is the register appropriate? boundary
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.MAT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- dendrobates tinctorius feces, Ailurus fulgens feces, bird faeces, sheep feces, Impala feces, chicken droppings, Wombat feces, sheep dung, Elephant dung, whale feces, human feces, dog feces
What it is Filled
Solid or semi-solid waste discharged from the digestive tract of humans and animals, consisting of undigested food, bacteria, water, shed cells and bile pigments; faeces are examined in medicine to diagnose disease, are a route of infection when sanitation fails, are used as fertiliser and fuel in agriculture, and are studied in ecology and archaeology, where animal droppings and preserved coprolites reveal diet and behaviour.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain faeces in neutral clinical and biological terms, relay health, sanitation and diagnostic information from authoritative sources, describe agricultural, ecological and archaeological uses, and route personal health questions to clinicians.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Digestive waste
- Rich in bacteria
- Diagnostic value
- Sanitation significance
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Diagnose a person's illness from a description or image of their faeces.
- Handle faeces or samples without hygiene measures that stop the spread of infection.
- Allow sewage or manure to reach drinking water, food or watercourses.
- Mock or shame a person for incontinence, illness or sanitation conditions.
Only with a human decision
- Collecting or sharing a person's stool sample or test result.
- Applying manure or sludge to land used for food.
May
- Describe faeces in neutral clinical, ecological or archaeological terms.
- Explain sanitation measures that keep faeces away from water and food.
- Advise a person to seek medical care when they describe changes in their stool.
Moral aspects Filled
- Poor sanitation spreads disease that kills children; access to toilets is a matter of dignity.
- Bowel problems are private; discussion must protect privacy and avoid shame.
Who is affected
- Patients
- Communities without sanitation
- Carers and sanitation workers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns it; sanitation and public health authorities regulate its disposal.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q103907951 - registry parent class
- Q112826975 - registry parent class
- Q1383944 - registry parent class
related
- excrement - in registry terms
- body substance - in registry terms
- digestive system - the source
- manure - in agriculture
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.feces
- Wikidata: Q496 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q496)
- MeSH: D005243 feces
Direct properties required Filled
- water content, human: about 75 percent
- bacterial share of dry mass: about 25-50 percent
Recognition required Filled
- Waste from the digestive tract
- Species-specific forms and composition
- Urine is liquid waste from the kidneys; vomit is from the stomach
- Varies by species and diet; typically brown from bile pigments in humans, with forms from pellets to pats in animals.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain composition and function
- relay health and sanitation information
- describe agricultural and scientific uses
- route personal questions to clinicians
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Faecal-oral transmission of disease
- Water pollution from manure
- Agents giving personal medical advice
- Non-neutral or humorous presentation where clinical is needed
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Sanitation and wastewater standards
- Manure management and nutrient regulations
- Clinical laboratory standards for stool testing
- Faecal microbiota transplant regulation
Context of use required Filled
- Elimination of waste; secondary uses as fertiliser, fuel and evidence.
- human faeces
- livestock manure such as sheep and chicken droppings
- wildlife droppings used in tracking such as impala and red panda
- bird faeces and guano
- amphibian and other animal faeces
- coprolites in palaeontology and archaeology
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q496: feces - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Feces - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should manure and coprolite be separate entries?
- How should sanitation and clinical standards be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming species-specific faeces; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q496/spec.json