In the streets of Hamburg, Germany, a new form of urban deterrent is turning public urination into an instant lesson in cause and effect. Known as “anti-pee paint,” this specialized nano-coating creates a superhydrophobic surface, repelling liquids so completely that anything touching it slides off with remarkable force. The result? Anyone attempting to relieve themselves on a treated wall experiences an immediate and unforgettable splash-back. The technology borrows from nature, mimicking the microscopic structure of a lotus leaf. Tiny ridges and air pockets prevent any liquid from adhering, meaning walls remain clean while offenders get an eye-opening consequence — all without the need for confrontation, fines, or patrols. It’s an ingenious blend of physics and human psychology: the paint doesn’t punish with authority, it punishes with instant feedback. First popularized in Hamburg’s St. Pauli district in 2015, this approach has since been trialed in other cities like London and San Francisco. While the coating is costly, city authorities note significant savings on cleaning and maintenance, and a marked decrease in repeat offenses. Beyond hygiene, it’s a striking example of how urban design and material science can work together to shape behavior. For engineers, urban planners, and city residents, anti-pee paint is both a marvel of nano-engineering and a lesson in poetic justice. The streets stay cleaner, the message is immediate, and the offender leaves with a story they won’t soon forget.
Little known fact:
Tudor era European cities were effectively bioweapon labs that wiped out 90%-95% of Native Americans within the first century of contact because they didn't have a resistance to the animal shit bacteria and viruses that made the jump to humans.
They didn't live in filth so they never had exposure to it.
It was densely populated cities with poor hygiene conditions that created some of the worst diseases known to humankind.
Bathrooms serve a critical service because shit in the streets is how you get plagues.
Thank you for attending my rant.
A lot of that had to do with domestic livestock living in densely populated areas.
Indigenous Americans didn't have very many animals that lent themselves to domestication as easily as sheep and pigs and goats and chickens. Granted a lot of these animals were native to a bunch of different regions in Africa/Asia/Europe, but there was also commerce between those regions for a very long time.
What do you mean? Do the bison, caribou, sheep, etc native to North America resist domestication somehow? (Like how zebras do?) I've always been under the impression that they didn't civilize by happenstance and lack of pressure to do so, since they seemed to be getting along just fine without it.