You probably just flush your urine down the toilet, but some European alchemists used it in their experiments, and in the process made a scientific discovery that helped modernize the world.
There are people out there who use urine to whiten their teeth. I can tell you how it works. Only you can decide whether you think it's worth it.
According to the folks at the American Chemical Society's Reactions channel: Yes. In a pool, though? That's a different story.
Urine doesn't look particularly spectacular when it's sprinkled over a toilet seat, but in the 19th century, it was proof that organic life was truly special. Until a scientist came along and destroyed everyone's pee-based delusions of grandeur.
We're accustomed to seeing urine as yellow, or, if we're extremely hydrated, clear. That doesn't mean that pee can't have all kinds of colors. Let's explore the biochemistry of making one's pee all the colors of the rainbow.
The first day of summer is fast approaching – will you be prepared for suntanning, swimming, and swarms of bugs? Here's our handy guide to surviving the sultriest of seasons, with SCIENCE.
There's a widely held belief that urine, except in cases of kidney or urinary tract infections, is sterile. It's a myth that won't go away — but a recent study linking bacteria to the bladders of healthy women should finally put this tired notion to rest.
Fact: Fin whales produce an average of 974 liters of urine each day. Let's put this in perspective. That's 487 2-liter bottles of Coke. If you had that much gas (257 gallons) you could completely fill twenty 2014 Ford Focuses, and still have a bit leftover.
Researchers from the University of Alberta have shown that urine is a far more complex concoction than we ever imagined. The new comprehensive study chronicles the presence of over 3,000 chemicals in human urine — which is 30 times more than previously known.
A new study shows that stem cells extracted from urine can be turned into rudimentary tooth-like structures. Oh, and the researchers did so by growing the teeth inside the kidneys of mice.
Athletes often insert a number of superstitious rituals into their everyday routine. One of the more bizarre rituals came to light in the past decade thanks to former Major League Baseball Moises Alou, who admitted to urinating on his hands to toughen his skin and eliminate calluses. While Alou is retired, the ritual…
Back in the day, the medical analysis of urine relied on, well, a doctor's five senses and superstition. But sometimes physicians needed a little extra help in divining the ramifications of some dubious tinkle.
The Chinese soft-shelled turtle looks like someone glued the snout of a pig onto the face of a fish, with the texture of a scrotum for good measure. But its bizarre appearance pales in comparison to an even more bizarre, and newly discovered, habit: it urinates through its mouth.
Perhaps you have been put on an impromptu space flight. Perhaps you're trapped with minimal supplies . . . in the Atacama Desert. Perhaps you're just bored and want to figure out how strong a stomach you have. Whatever your reasoning, learn about the right way to filter urine.
That's the recommendation from a new report by the US National Research Council, who say reclaimed waste water is needed as a necessary substitute for the dwindling supply of freshwater. What's more, reprocessed urine might actually be cleaner than freshwater.
Yesterday we discussed the horrors of the Russian drug krokodil. This flesh-eating heroin-like substance may seem like the most nightmarish of all nightmares, but there are plenty of other toxic (and just plain grody) substances out there, ready to be consumed for no good reason. Here are 10 more intoxicating things…
Some chimps and gorillas were given a long vertical tube with a peanut at the bottom. To reach the treat, the primates realized they had to add water to the tube...and one chimp came up with a uniquely gross solution.
I can't imagine a more moving tribute to the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery. This shooting star photographed on March 8 is almost certainly the waste water from Discovery...in other words, a whole lot of astronaut urine.
No question is too small for science, and there is a body of research devoted to determining the whos and hows of the asparagus smell of human urine. Here's a snapshot of said research.
A revolutionary new fuel cell could take in urine and produce electricity and clean water. It might sound silly, but a prototype already exists, and it could provide the unlikeliest possible solution to third world energy and clean water problems.