Through the Years: A Gallery of the World's Toilets
Sanitation in Nepal
A family stands outside their award winning toilet built with WaterAid's assistance in Beli, Terai region, Nepal
Toilet in Asia
A "squat-pot" style toilet built into the floor, a common design in many Asian countries.
Luxury Bathroom
For those who'd like a little luxury in their restroom, there's always the bidet option.
Bathroom at 20,000 Feet
Airplane toilets use little water and lots of suction to suck waste into a storage tank until it can be emptied.
Toilet in Space
Possibly the highest-tech toilets are those used by astronauts in space. Here, a mock-up of the toilets on the Space Shuttle at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Tex.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.