How can archaeologists stand all that dust and dirt being on them all the time when they excavate an ancient site? Doesn't that get annoying sometimes?

Dr. dig responds:
Being an archaeologist is a bit like doing hard labor, but hey, I would rather get a little dirt under my nails than have an office job and go to a tanning salon to help me look like I've been out in the Egyptian sun all day long.

I actually enjoy getting a little dirty. In fact, my hobby is...gardening. I like the feel of the earth and exploring the stories clumps of dirt can tell us about our own human past. I don't think of dirt as being dirty. To me it is another world to explore. The ground is teeming with the life of plants and animals, and it provides us with a glimpse not only into our own past but the past of the planet earth itself.

So a little dirt doesn't bother me a bit. In fact, each of us eats about a pint of dirt or more in a year that we ingest from unwashed vegetables, finger licking, dropped food that we pick up and eat, and just breathing.

But if you think dirt is yukky, just visit our page of LINKS and click on the Yukky website at the bottom of the page. Get ready to be totally grossed out.