Newsha Ghaeli: The vital data you flush down the toilet

The vital data you flush down the toilet

"Everybody pees and poops — and we know that urine and stool contain a rich source of information on our health," says data detective Newsha Ghaeli. Exploring the growing field of wastewater epidemiology, she shows how studying sewage can (anonymously) reveal a lot about the collective well-being of our cities — leading to real-time quality-of-life improvements like tracking pandemics, updating social policies and much more.

Hidden beneath city streets, wastewater holds a treasure trove of information about public health. By analyzing sewage, scientists predicted COVID-19 surges up to three weeks before clinical cases spiked and helped one town cut overdoses by 40 percent. This naturally anonymized data can reveal patterns of disease, drug use, and nutrition, offering cities crucial insight to tackle crises. As urban populations soar, harnessing big data from unlikely sources could make cities healthier and more resilient.