So why do this research? In a paper to be published in the Journal of Chromatography B, the Philadelphia researchers explained they thought earwax could help tell future scientists more about people’s diets, environments and physiology. They gave an example. Last year, biologists examined the earwax of a blue whale to learn about the pollutants he’d encountered, his testosterone levels and his stress levels. Of course, the whale had much more earwax than a human does: Nearly 10 inches of it.