Buzz
Most of us rush through bathroom visits, but urine has its own following. Scientists are exploring its potential for growing plants on Mars and even powering batteries with urine.
The liquid plays a role in some strange occurrences and studies. From walls no one dares to urinate on to ads that invite readers to pee on them, urine proves to be far from dull.
10. The Pool Pee Test
People often relieve themselves in swimming pools. Sadly, chemicals in urine interact with the pool water and create harmful by-products. It's impossible to tell just how much urine is being contributed without looking ridiculous.
In 2017, toxicologists from Alberta discovered a method to trace some of it. First, they needed a chemical in urine that remained unchanged in both the body and water. They selected an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium, commonly found in packaged foods.
The research team collected water samples from 22 swimming pools and eight hot tubs across two Canadian cities. They also gathered tap water, which had been used to fill the pools and hot tubs.
The concentration of acesulfame potassium was found to be as much as 571 times higher in the pools and hot tubs than in the tap water. Based on these levels, the pools contained between 30 and 75 liters (7.9–19.8 gallons) of urine, depending on their size.
9. The Urine Database
Urine is a chemical marvel. In 2013, after seven years of studying its chemical makeup, scientists finally uncovered the full picture. It turns out that human urine contains a vast number of chemicals. The research team documented over 3,000 compounds and created an online database for anyone curious about this unusual collection.
Bacteria produced the fewest chemicals, around 72. The body generated 1,453, but the most—approximately 2,282—came from external sources such as drugs, diet, cosmetics, and environmental factors. These compounds were classified into 230 different chemical categories.
The overall number and variety of chemicals was astonishing, even to the researchers. The study also uncovered more than 480 chemicals unique to urine, challenging the long-held belief that blood was the better medium for analyzing a patient's chemical profile.
8. The 21-Second Rule
In 2014, researchers timed how long it took mammals to urinate. They observed animals at Zoo Atlanta and watched YouTube videos. Astonishingly, any mammal larger than a rat took approximately 21 seconds to pee. Despite the size difference—ranging from cats to elephants—each animal urinated in the same time span, even though elephants expel about 18 liters (4.8 gallons) while cats only release about a teaspoon.
The surprising finding made sense when researchers examined the urethra, the tube that transports urine from the bladder to the outside. In another surprising discovery, the tube maintained a consistent length-to-width ratio of 18 across all mammals, explaining the peculiar time rule.
Engineers were intrigued by the fact that the volume of urine didn’t matter and that the pressure propelling the urine forward increased with a longer urethra. There’s no reason why this phenomenon couldn’t eventually be applied to large-scale artificial water systems.
7. Full Bladders Create Better Lies
Lying and bladder control have an unexpected connection. As it turns out, people who are holding in their pee tend to be more convincing liars. In a 2015 study, 22 volunteers were given either a small or large amount of liquid to drink and asked to wait for nearly an hour. Afterward, they completed a survey and spoke to a panel, with some already feeling desperate for the bathroom.
The panel asked the volunteers about moral and social topics. The participants had to lie and argue for positions that were completely contrary to their own. Surprisingly, those with full bladders told more elaborate lies. They were more convincing, provided more detailed stories, and appeared more truthful.
Researchers believe this could be linked to the self-control required to resist the intense urge to urinate. The theory suggests that the brain’s cognitive functions are not fully distinct. The so-called 'inhibitory spillover effect' (ISE) begins with intense control in one area (holding in urine) and spills over to enhance other skills (like lying).
6. Pee Bales
Wimpole Hall, a National Trust property in Cambridgeshire, decided to adopt more eco-friendly practices. To save water and produce compost, male staff members are encouraged to urinate on straw bales. Women are not left out, either—one suggestion involves using a bottle to collect urine and then tipping it onto the straw piles.
It may seem odd, but there's a method to the so-called madness. The straw is intended for the compost pile, and urine serves as a great pretreatment. Urine is recognized as a compost 'activator' rich in nitrogen.
This initiative also helps save water, as Wimpole’s toilets are flushed less often. However, there’s an important condition: workers only urinate on the straw bales, which line the walled gardens, after public visiting hours. As one staff member wisely put it, 'We don’t want to scare the public.'
5. Space Fertilizer
The dream of humanity to colonize Mars includes using urine as a source for growing food. Mars is too far for regular supply shipments from Earth, so for it to thrive, the planet must create its own vegetable garden.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is reportedly having success growing tomato plants using a tank of human urine. Recycling bodily fluids isn't a new concept; astronauts already recycle their sweat and urine aboard the International Space Station.
However, growing crops on Mars requires an Earth-like biological system, which includes fluids, microbes, and oxygen. In one experiment, pumice stones were placed in urine. The porous volcanic rocks, home to bacteria, thrived in the urine and transformed the ammonia into valuable fertilizer components like nitrites and nitrate salts.
The ultimate goal is to use greenhouses on satellites to simulate Martian gravity and test whether bacteria in synthetic urine can help fertilize tomatoes.
4. Urination Electrocution
In 2013, Matthew Zeno left a bar in the early hours of the morning. When nature called, he chose to relieve himself on the electrified rail of the G-train subway line. Tragically, he died after electrocution from urinating on the rail.
Years earlier, Joseph Patrick O’Malley had been autopsied after being struck by a train. Electrical burns on his genitals, thumb, and forefinger indicated that 600 volts had surged through his urine stream, electrocuting him after urinating on the rail. It is likely he was already dead before the train arrived.
The show MythBusters took on the challenge of testing the possibility of such incidents. They discovered that urinating on railway tracks would rarely result in electrocution, as the urine stream typically breaks into drops, which prevents the current from traveling up the stream.
However, they found that urinating on an electric fence posed a serious danger. Since the fence is positioned higher, there’s no time for the urine to break into drops, making electrocution more likely.
3. Pee And Get A Discount
Advertisers are known for their creativity, but few can match the ingenuity of the team at Ikea, who designed an ad aimed at new parents. In 2018, the Swedish company placed the ad in a popular magazine and invited readers—specifically women—to urinate on the page.
If the woman was pregnant, the ad would transform to reveal a special sale on cribs. To make this happen, Ikea collaborated with an agency called Akestam Holst and Mercene Labs. They used the typical pregnancy test strip as the foundation for the concept.
As the page was developed, the team worked to replicate the pregnancy test's ability to detect antibodies that latch onto hCG, the pregnancy hormone. When the antibodies were detected, the page 'knew' the woman was pregnant and offered her a discount on a crib.
2. Revenge Against People Who Urinate In Public
St. Pauli, Hamburg’s notorious red-light district, is notorious for its high levels of public urination. The area is also one of the city’s primary party hotspots.
The area’s potential for income is often overshadowed by intoxicated individuals who turn the streets into an open restroom. Residents of St. Pauli frequently struggle with the overpowering smell of urine-soaked walls and alleys. The cost of cleaning these spaces grew so high that a solution had to be found.
In 2015, a creative solution was introduced. The most popular spots for public urination had their walls coated with hydrophobic paint, making them extremely repellent to liquids. As a result, if someone urinated on these walls, the liquid would often splash back onto their shoes.
1. Pee Power
In 2015, researchers found a way to generate electricity from urine. The method, known as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), harnesses the power of organisms that thrive on organic substances. Urine provides the necessary nutrients for the microbes, which in turn generate a small amount of electricity.
This groundbreaking biotechnology is already capable of charging devices like phones and powering lights. Additionally, specially designed toilets at festivals have been used to convert urine into energy, offering a solution for areas where conventional power grids are unreliable, such as rural areas, disaster zones, and refugee camps.
The researchers also explored earlier studies that indicated MFCs could act as disinfectants. They introduced Salmonella bacteria—a pathogen commonly linked to food poisoning—into the MFC system. After the purification process, tests showed that the Salmonella levels had dropped to safe standards, in line with conventional sanitation protocols.
In the context of a world moving away from fossil fuels, MFCs are an exciting innovation. These systems are capable of simultaneously treating waste, generating electricity, and neutralizing harmful pathogens.
