Here’s a bit of a riddle for you: What has the consistency of both toothpaste and dough, can absorb twice its weight in water and still remain sticky, was used by medieval artists as a binder in paint and has been hypothesized by physicians to repel insects ?

It’s earwax.

The medical term for earwax is cerumen, based on keros, the Greek word for beeswax. People have been pondering earwax since ancient times. Ancient hygiene kits including picks and spoons to remove earwax have been found in archaeological sites worldwide.

Even today, it remains a perpetual question: to remove or not to remove your earwax? The answer: Don’t do it. The general medical belief is that ears are self-cleaning, and earwax brings benefits such as lubricating the ear canal, fighting infection and acting like a sticky net to trap debris before it reaches the eardrum.…