Body makes its own morphine
Mouse study suggests humans produce the painkiller
Illicit drug use and poppy seed bagels may not be the only sources of opioids that turn up in people’s urine.
Mammals make their own morphine, a new study shows.
Scientists have known for decades that people excrete some morphine in their urine, but most people assumed that the pain-killing drug came from the diet or drug use. A new study shows that mice, and probably humans and other mammals, can make morphine from scratch.