Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penis or vulva during urination. In other vertebrates, urine is excreted through the cloaca.[1]
Urine contains water-soluble by-products of cellular metabolism that are rich in nitrogen and must be cleared from the bloodstream, such as urea, uric acid, and creatinine. A urinalysis can detect nitrogenous wastes of the mammalian body.
Urine plays an important role in the earth's nitrogen cycle. In balanced ecosystems, urine fertilizes the soil and thus helps plants to grow. Therefore, urine can be used as a fertilizer. Some animals use it to mark their territories.[2][3] Historically, aged or fermented urine (known as lant) was also used for gunpowder production, household cleaning, tanning of leather and dyeing of textiles.
Human urine and feces are collectively referred to as human waste or human excreta, and are managed via sanitation systems. Livestock urine and feces also require proper management if the livestock population density is high.
- ^ Marvalee H. Wake (15 September 1992). Hyman's Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. University of Chicago Press. p. 583. ISBN 978-0-226-87013-7. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ MacDonald, David W. "Patterns of scent marking with urine and faeces amongst carnivore communities." Symposia of the Zoological Society of London. Vol. 45. No. 107. 1980.
- ^ Ewer, R. F. (2013-12-11). Ethology of Mammals. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4899-4656-0.