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Technology8h 14m ago
Scientists are debating whether all the water on Earth has been excreted by animals at some point.
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Earth
Who
Neil Donahue, David Kreamer, U.S. Geological Survey
What
Scientists are debating whether all the water on Earth has been excreted by animals at some point.
When
Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT · 8h 14m ago
Where
Earth ·
Why
The origin and movement of water through the planet's water cycle, including what is known as 'juvenile water,' is a complex question.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discussion explores the vastness and dynamic nature of Earth's water cycle, highlighting how water continually transforms and moves across the planet, with some water having never been exposed to the surface.
Story chain
14 events in this thread- Technology8h 14m agoScientists Neil Donahue and David Kreamer offer contrasting perspectives on whether all water on Earth has been part of animal waste.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists disagree on whether all water on Earth has been "peed" before due to differing approaches to the question and assumptions about the water cycle and biological contributions.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoExperts have differing opinions on whether all the water on Earth has been peed before, with some suggesting yes based on calculations of animal waste over geological time, and others arguing no due to water trapped as glacial ice, deep groundwater, and 'juvenile water' from inside the Earth.Open article
- Currently Reading8h 14m agoScientists are debating whether all the water on Earth has been excreted by animals at some point.
- Technology8h 14m agoNeil Donahue suggests that based on calculations, even mammals have probably peed more than an ocean since they took over, indicating that all water on Earth might have been peed before.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists disagree on whether all water on Earth has been peed before, with Neil Donahue of Carnegie Mellon University suggesting yes based on calculations, while David Kreamer of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, argues no due to factors like trapped glacial ice and "juvenile water."Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists disagree on whether all of Earth's water has been urinated by animals, with one calculation suggesting it has within 19 million years, while another points to water that has never entered the cycle.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists offer differing perspectives on whether all the Earth's water has been urinated by animals, with one suggesting 'emphatically yes' based on calculations, while another argues 'no' due to factors like trapped glacial ice, deep groundwater, and juvenile water.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists explored whether all water on Earth has been excreted by animals, with opinions differing based on assumptions about water cycling and the existence of 'juvenile water.'Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists offer differing perspectives on whether all water on Earth has been excreted by animals at some point.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoExperts have differing opinions on whether all the water on Earth has been peed before, with some calculations suggesting it's possible over geological timescales, while others point to water sources that have never entered the biological water cycle.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists offer differing perspectives on whether all water on Earth has been part of an animal's urine, with some calculations suggesting it's possible over long timescales, while others point to 'juvenile water' that has never entered the cycle.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists offer contrasting views on whether all the water on Earth has been previously urinated by an animal.Open article
- Technology8h 14m agoScientists have differing opinions on whether all the water on Earth has been peed before, with one estimating it would take 19 million years to pee out the whole ocean and another noting that juvenile water has never been part of the water cycle.Open article