14 DAY TRIAL // We usually flush it down the loo without giving it a second thought, but pee actually helped shape the world as we know it. Yup, we might not think much of it, but the fact of the matter is this byproduct of our body played a crucial role in the advance of science.
Centuries ago, alchemists believed that pee might hold the key to turning otherwise perfectly ordinary metals into gold. They assumed that, since urine and gold are both, well, yellow, there had to be some connection between the two.
So, they turned pee into crystals hoping to fashion themselves the elusive philosopher's stone, which they thought would turn metals into gold. They didn't come up with what they were looking for, but they did discover phosphorus, a previously unknown element.
Except they didn't call it phosphorus, they called it the devil's element. Many years later, the flammable properties of phosphorus led to the development of the world's first matches.
What's interesting is that, while experimenting with pee, alchemists also got a better idea of how different elements behave and learned how to control reactions. In time, this translated into better dyes and medicines. It wasn't the expected turn of events, but it was all for the best.
These days, phosphorus is used to make fertilizers, carbonated beverages and remove rust. Looking back, it kind of makes you glad alchemists experimented with pee as much as they did.
