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Where Did The Anus Come From? : Short Wave The anus is an evolutionary marvel. But how and when did this organ evolve into what it is today? Today on Short Wave, Maddie gets to the bottom of these questions with The Atlantic's science writer Katherine Wu.

For more of Katherine's reporting, check out 'The Body's Most Embarrassing Organ Is an Evolutionary Marvel' from The Atlantic.

If you have stories ideas or comments — email us at ShortWave@NPR.org.

Short Wave

Behold! The Anus: An Evolutionary Marvel

Behold! The Anus: An Evolutionary Marvel

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Sea cucumbers have one of the more interesting — and multifunctional — anuses in the animal kingdom. Comstock Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Comstock Images/Getty Images

Sea cucumbers have one of the more interesting — and multifunctional — anuses in the animal kingdom.

Comstock Images/Getty Images

The anus is an evolutionary marvel. But how and when did this organ evolve into what it is today? Today on Short Wave, Maddie tries to get to the bottom of these questions with The Atlantic's science writer Katherine Wu.

For more of Katherine's reporting, check out 'The Body's Most Embarrassing Organ Is an Evolutionary Marvel' from The Atlantic.

If you have stories ideas or comments — email us at ShortWave@NPR.org.

This episode was produced by Thomas Lu, edited by Viet Le, and fact-checked by Indi Khera. The audio engineer for this episode was Marcia Caldwell.