Buzz
The human body – a miraculous combination of beauty, grace, and raw material. Beyond traditional organ and tissue donations, human ‘resources’ are being incorporated into everyday items you’d never suspect. It turns out, the characters from Fight Club might have been onto something. After all, humans are animals, right? Researchers have even found ways to utilize the unusual substances that our bodies excrete. These products prove that with enough creativity, even the most unlikely materials, like poop, have a place in the marketplace.
10. Hair Sunglasses
Nothing screams ‘cool’ like hair in your face. But it’s even more daring when the hair doesn’t belong to you. These quirky, eco-friendly sunglasses come in various colors and styles, all made from resin and human hair. Designers Alex and Azuka from Studio Swine conceived these glasses as part of a sustainability experiment, inspired by the idea that the world might be ‘too hairy’ for its own good. The glasses are proudly marketed as being made according to environmentally-conscious standards.
9. Tooth Knuckles
Teeth have been a staple in jewelry since the days of cavemen, who created necklaces using bear and wolf teeth. Today, artist Polly van der Glas offers a new take on this tradition: knuckle dusters made from human molars. These teeth are sourced from willing donors who don't mind parting with their only means of chewing. Silver-encased, these teeth make for the perfect tool when you need to mash something in a pinch. The pressing question: should they be brushed and flossed regularly?
8. Blood Sculpture
If you've ever had the idea of creating a giant frozen version of your head, you’d get along well with Marc Quinn. The artist creates a new sculpture of his own head every five years, made from 9 pints of his own blood (about the amount that circulates through his body). It takes him about five months to safely withdraw enough blood to fill the mold. His 2006 piece was so valuable that a national gallery in the UK bought it for nearly half a million dollars.
7. Human Leather
Looking for a gift for someone who has it all? Try human leather. A UK-based company is boldly crafting leather wallets, belts, and shoes from donated human skin. They claim that the small grain size of human hide makes it superior to other animal skins treated in the tanning process. Their high-paying customers value anonymity, tend to use lotion often, and might enjoy a good thriller like Silence of the Lambs.
6. Fat Fuel
The New Zealand ecoboat Earthrace completed a carbon-free journey around the world using biodiesel, part of which was sourced from human fat. The boat's skipper and several dedicated volunteers underwent liposuction as part of the project. While the boat didn’t run entirely on donated love handles, supporters of human fat biofuel highlight the untapped potential of liposuction leftovers, which would otherwise go to waste—unless, of course, you know how to make soap.
5. Mummy Paint
Long before the dangers of hazardous substances were fully understood, Egyptian mummies were ground up and combined with white pitch and myrrh to create the distinctive color known as “mummy brown.” This shade was highly prized by Pre-Raphaelite artists. However, once people learned the true source of the paint, its popularity waned. Despite this, manufacturers continued making the original formula until the mid-20th century, when they ran out of mummies. A real bummer!
4. People Gelatin
The magic of genetics and the ingenuity of the Chinese are about to revolutionize Jello. Traditional gelatin, derived from cows and pigs, can sometimes be contaminated with hazardous substances like Mad Cow disease. Additionally, animal-based gelatin often triggers more allergies. The new, wobbly alternative is created by combining human DNA with yeast to produce a more chemically stable substance that’s both safer to consume and easily mass-produced. That is, until the Jello evolves and begins to fight back.
3. Stool Transplant
When antibiotics failed to treat severe cases of Clostridium difficile (C. diff), human feces came to the rescue. Donated poop is tested, pureed with saline, and then administered to patients (either orally or via the backside) to help restore a healthy gut flora. The harmful bacteria, C. diff, can cause gastrointestinal distress, fever, and even death if untreated. The implanted feces work to replenish healthy microbes. While stool transplants have been on the fringe of mainstream medicine, doctors have found them quite effective when medications fail. Some advocates even predict the rise of poop donation centers as C. diff cases increasingly affect younger populations.
2. Masato
Generally, it's considered rude to spit in someone’s drink. But in Amazonian Peru, guests are offered a traditional beverage full of saliva. The drink, called masato, is brewed from the cassava root. Local women chew the cassava, then spit the liquid back into a vat. The proteins in the saliva trigger fermentation, and within a few hours, the result is a cloudy, white drink with a tangy, slightly sweet taste. The alcohol content of masato fluctuates as it ferments, converting starches into sugars and alcohol. However, the spit factor remains—no amount of mixing can hide that.
1. Fertility Drugs
Urine is surprisingly popular in the pharmaceutical industry. One of the compounds found in urine, urea, is incredibly versatile and can be found in products ranging from cosmetics to medications for diabetes. However, one particular fertility drug is made from the urine of post-menopausal women. The hormones extracted from this golden liquid are mainly used to help women overcome fertility issues. Though rarer, the same drug can also stimulate sperm production in men.
