The Mystery Of Asparagus Pee

MinuteEarth

Get a 2-meal discount from Blue Apron here: http://cook.ba/1W7fRdC The Survey Results: http://bit.ly/29boaUB If you liked this week’s video, we think you might also like this blog post about asparagus pee: http://bit.ly/1TOEBHZ FYI: We try to leave jargon out of our videos, but if you want to learn more about this topic, here are some handy keywords to get your googling started: Asparagus: a delicious, edible plant Odor: a smell, aroma Gas chromatography: a scientific technique used to separate and analyze compounds Sulfur: a yellow chemical element with the symbol S Asparagusic Acid: a sulfur containing compound present in asparagus People featured in this video: - Marcel Proust - Benjamin Franklin - John Arbuthnot ___________________________________________ Thanks to our supporters on https://www.patreon.com/MinuteEarth : - Today I Found Out - Maarten Bremer - Jeff Straathof - Mark Roth - Tony Fadell - Muhammad Shifaz - 靛蓝字幕组 - Jagdtiger - Alberto Bortoni - Valentin - Nicholas Buckendorf - Antoine Coeur ___________________________________________ Credits (and Twitter handles): Script Writer: Rachel Becker (@RA_Becks) Script Editor: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida) Video Illustrator: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar) Video Director: Emily Elert (@eelert) Video Narrator: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida) With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Omkar Bhagat, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: http://www.soundcloud.com/drschroeder Image Credits: Purple, white and green asparagus - iStock.com/PicturePartners Viceroy Butterfly - Wikimedia user PiccoloNamek https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viceroy_Butterfly.jpg Eggs and Asparagus - Michelle Hooton (used with permission) https://www.flickr.com/photos/_hoot/8636916522 _________________________________________ Like our videos? Subscribe to MinuteEarth on YouTube: http://goo.gl/EpIDGd Get early, exclusive access to our videos on Vessel: https://goo.gl/hgD1iJ Support us on Patreon: https://goo.gl/ZVgLQZ Also, say hello on: Facebook: http://goo.gl/FpAvo6 Twitter: http://goo.gl/Y1aWVC And find us on itunes: https://goo.gl/sfwS6n ___________________________________________ References: Eriksson, N., Macpherson, J. M., Tung, J. Y., Hon, L. S., Naughton, B., Saxonov, S., . . . Mountain, J. (2010). Web-Based, Participant-Driven Studies Yield Novel Genetic Associations for Common Traits. PLoS Genetics PLoS Genet, 6(6). Retrieved from http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1000993 Mitchell, S. C. (2001). Food Idiosyncrasies: Beetroot and Asparagus. Drug Metabolism & Disposition, 29(4), 539-543. Retrieved from http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/29/4/539.full#ref-62 Mitchell, S. C., & Waring, R. H. (2014). Asparagusic acid. Phytochemistry, 97, 5-10. Retrieved from http://www.silae.it/files/Asparagusic acid.pdf Pelchat, M. L., Bykowski, C., Duke, F. F., & Reed, D. R. (2010). Excretion and Perception of a Characteristic Odor in Urine after Asparagus Ingestion: A Psychophysical and Genetic Study. Chemical Senses, 36(1), 9-17. Retrieved from http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/09/27/chemse.bjq081.full.pdf Waring, R. H., Mitchell, S. C., & Fenwick, G. R. (1987). The chemical nature of the urinary odour produced by man after asparagus ingestion. Xenobiotica, 17(11), 1363-1371. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00498258709047166