/oss/taxonomy/term/2291/all en /oss/article/health/why-do-i-pee-so-much <hr /> <p class="note"><strong>Take-home message:</strong><br /> -Peeing more than eight times in a day could be the sign of an overactive bladder.<br /> -Many things can make you pee too much, including diuretics, diabetes, diet and age.<br /> -Medications that relax the bladder, physiotherapy, diet and behavioral changes can all help you pee less.</p> Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:07:57 +0000 Gaia Remerowski, MS, Science Journalism 8809 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/little-dogs-are-trying-look-tough-when-they-raise-their-leg-really-high-pee <p>Female dogs opt for less yoga-like squatting postures than their male companions, who can sometimes be seen with their leg so far in the air they seem about ready to topple over. It turns out that the height to which male dogs raise their leg has a lot to do with their body size, where they are, and who’s around.</p> Wed, 08 Aug 2018 15:57:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7221 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-science-managing-sewage <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-x7gnqv8yolc" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: The science of managing sewage" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/X7gNqv8yOLc?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-x7gnqv8yolc&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: The science of managing sewage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: The science of managing sewage</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 18 Jun 2018 15:10:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7140 at /oss /oss/article/technology-quackery-you-asked/can-dog-rocks-help-stop-my-dog-staining-my-lawn <p>“Dog Rocks” are supposed to solve the problem of grass dying from dog pee. <a href="/oss/article/you-asked/why-does-dog-urine-stain-grass">Urine contains a variety of nitrogen compounds</a>, mostly metabolites of protein in food. These are effective fertilizers, but in the case of urine, they supply too much nitrogen relative to other nutrients and grass suffers the consequences. Drinking water also contains naturally occurring nitrates that can eventually show up in the urine.</p> Thu, 07 Jun 2018 14:07:05 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7128 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/leg-raising-experiment <p>Bladder cancer in humans has been associated with cigarette smoking.  Since dogs can also develop this deadly cancer, they can serve as model for evaluating treatment methods.  In a study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, beagles were exposed to a carcinogenic chemical from cigarette smoke.  It turned out that those dogs urinating every four hours had only one third as much carcinogen left in their bladder as the animals voiding every eight hours.  Indeed some surveys on humans have also shown that in rural areas bladder cancer is less frequent than in urban areas.</p> Fri, 02 Jun 2017 16:39:24 +0000 OSS 2532 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-history/s-methylthioacrylate-and-s-methyl-3-methylthiothiopropionate-and-asparagus <p style="text-align:justify">Asparagus is a wonderful vegetable. Both in taste and in its chemistry. One aspect of its chemistry has been apparent for a long time. A French book on food published in 1702 noted that asparagus causes a filthy and disagreeable smell in the urine. Benjamin Franklin had also observed that a few stems of asparagus gave urine an unpleasant fragrance.</p> Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:45:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1953 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-health-news-quirky-science/all-nonsensical-worries <p>I thought this was a joke, but it turns out that it is very real. Officials in Portland, Oregon drained a reservoir, at considerable expense, because a teenager urinated into the water. This is pathogenophobia and chemophobia run amuck.</p> Fri, 18 Apr 2014 02:26:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2129 at /oss