New sedimentary evidence shows large rivers once flowed on Mars
The potential presence of water on Mars has fascinated scientists and citizens since we first began exploring its surface. Now, researchers have discovered new evidence that rivers once flowed on the red planet. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers outlined how Read More...
Behold the most awe-inspiring water photos of the year
There is something so awing about looking at the water. Whether it’s in the form of powerful waves or perfectly still ponds, water’s shape-shifting powers make it an endlessly fascinating thing to observe. Recently, the photography social network Agora held a competition to provoke Read More...
Wombats are accidentally saving other animals from drought by digging waterholes
Alongside wildfires, the drought in Australia has claimed vast portions of land across the southeast of the country, making it extremely difficult for animals in the region to find water. But in these times of crisis, wombats have come out as accidental heroes, as the marsupials have been Read More...
Rooftop ‘hydropanels’ generate clean drinking water out of thin air
Globally, around 2.1 billion people don’t have clean drinking water at home, either because water infrastructure doesn’t exist or because the water flowing through pipes is contaminated. Enter Zero Mass Water, an Arizona-based startup aiming to become part of the solution of tackling the Read More...
Computer model can help predict how climate change will affect coniferous forests
As climate change increases the odds of worsening drought in many parts of the world in the decades ahead, it is essential to gain new insights into how to preserve our natural environments. When it comes to forest ecosystems, drought-resistant conifers may hold some answers. In a bid to help Read More...
Scientists come up with a more effective way of desalinizing water for drinking
While the human population continues to grow, the seepage of salt into freshwater systems is reducing access to drinkable water across the globe. In the U.S. alone, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that about 272 metric tons of dissolved solids, including salts, enter freshwater streams per Read More...
Carbon neutral solution for desalination: Tapping into geothermal sources
Water shortages are hitting some areas of the world hard, and with increasing global temperatures, more regions may be experiencing drought conditions. Countries such as Saudi Arabia rely on desalination plants to provide drinking water to their residents, producing 5 million cubic meters of Read More...
The power of thought shapes our physical world, including our bodies
Water constitutes about three quarters of the human body mass. Science shows that water is significantly impacted by thoughts, as observed in the varying shapes of frozen water crystals. The idea that science will soon be able to demonstrate that our bodies are deeply affected by our state of mind Read More...
Let us develop a healthy awe of water
We take water for granted, and how could we not? Most of us grew up surrounded by its abundant flow from faucets and sky. The Water Book by Alok Jha aims to tell us a very different story—one that is bound to crack open our awe and reverence for the extraordinary element that is water, from its Read More...
MIT develops cheap, portable, solar-powered desalination system
Solar-powered desalination plants have been a promising technology for a while, but their prohibitive cost has prevented them from being considered a solution in water-deprived, typically poorer parts of the world. Using the electrodialysis process, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Read More...