One test during the study involved analysis of the man's faeces and this revealed the presence of polio.

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Burning biomass fuel sources such as wood, sunflower husks or animal faeces is part of the government's plans to get 15% of the UK's energy from renewable sources by 2020.

BBC: Drax shares boosted by biomass news

Toxoplasmosis can be found in raw meat, cat faeces and soil where they have defecated and unpasteurised goat's milk.

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So Dr Wildt's group is, for example, using a test-tube assay to measure hormone patterns in the faeces of endangered clouded leopards, and correlating these to behaviour under stress with a view to improving reproductive efficiency.

ECONOMIST: Endangered species