ABCC11

Exactly like an instruction manual.

Just like the instructions inside your DNA determine your eye color or your height, a specific gene called ABCC11 determines the consistency of your cerumen.

Oh, I've heard of this.

It comes in two different varieties, right? Wet and dry.

We journeyed into a tiny hidden tunnel right inside our own heads.

We broke down the chemistry of cerumen, this custom-brewed acidic potion made of sebum oil, ceruminous sweat, and hard keratin.

We explored how the ABCC11 gene dictates wet or dry blueprints.

Yeah.

And here's the thing that makes this whole story worth telling.

There's a gene called ABCC11.

One variant determines two things at once, whether your earwax is wet or dry, and whether your body makes the compounds those armpit bacteria feed on.

The non-functional version is extremely common across East Asia.