Report Finds Microplastic in 93% of Bottled Water Tested, But Don't Freak Out Yet
Testing of 259 plastic water bottles from nine counties revealed microplastic particles in water from 242 of the bottles, according to a new report. The test has prompted the World Health Organization to review the issue, though there is no firm evidence that the presence of microplastics would make bottled water…
Scientists Watch Water Change Phase From a Liquid... to a Liquid
H20 is oh-so very weird. It’s on the lighter side of gases, but it’s one of the denser liquids. It’s got an abnormally high freezing and melting point, and it is densest when four degrees above its freezing point, where it changes from a liquid to a solid. A new paper seems to show a source for that weirdness.
Poo Germs, Not Sharks, Make Swimming in the Ocean So Treacherous
It’s polluted, germ-filled sludge, not sharks, that will make going to the beach more dangerous than just staying home this summer—at least according to a cleverly titled review published this week in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Scientists Observe Incredible New Kind of Ice Thought to Exist in Uranus' Center
Here is an ice cube you do not want to put in your Diet Coke: A solid lattice of oxygen atoms with protons whizzing around inside of it. This ice is not normal on Earth, but might be elsewhere. And scientists have created it in a lab.
Scientists Make Coldest Liquid Water Ever, And It's Weirder Than They Imagined
You’re definitely familiar with water’s freezing point: 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). But that’s not the coldest water could be. “Supercooled” water is water that exists below that point. Scientists in a few labs have now made the coldest water yet.
Hubble Observations Suggest Water May Be Abundant on Outer TRAPPIST-1 Planets
From the moment that seven Earth-sized planets were discovered in orbit around TRAPPIST-1—an ultracool dwarf star located 39 light years away—astronomers have been busy trying to learn everything they can about this intriguing star system, particularly its potential to foster life. Recently, an international team of…
Water an Unexpected Surprise in Making Movie Titled Aquaman
In filming the upcoming Aquaman movie, director James Wan reports that the production is having a hard time due to the film’s most obvious foe, and man’s oldest: the sea itself.
What Sorcery Keeps This Giant Ball Floating on a Tiny Stream of Water?
We’ve all made a tiny ping-pong ball float on a hair dryer, but what YouTube’s Veritasium is demonstrating here—a giant styrofoam ball floating on the side of a thin stream of water—seems to contradict every scientific law governing our universe. But there is an explanation as to what’s happening.
Director of Michigan's Health Department Faces Involuntary Manslaughter Charge Over Flint Water Crisis (UPDATED)
On Wednesday, Michigan’s Attorney General announced it will charge Nick Lyon, the Health and Human Services Director, with involuntary manslaughter for his role in the Flint water crisis. During the crisis, caused in part by substandard water treatment, 100,000 residents were exposed to elevated levels of lead, a…
How Deep Was Mars' Ocean?
Our little red neighbor may be a rocky red wasteland now, but lots of people think it was once an ocean-covered world just like our own. After scientists found some evidence of flowing water back in 2015, folks started to take these claims even more seriously. Heck, maybe Mars even supported life.
The Moon's South Pole May Be Icier Than We Realized
For decades, scientists have wondered if frost persists inside the dark and cold craters of the Moon’s poles. The recent discovery of unusually bright areas near the Moon’s south pole suggests this very well may be the case. But as a potential source of water for aspiring lunar colonists, the quantity of this surface…
Sticking a Camera Under a Faucet Feels Like Hurtling Down a Hypnotic Water Tunnel
The next time you have to visit your dentist to get a cavity filled, or a dreaded root canal, you might not need any anesthesia if you’re able to watch the incredibly hypnotic footage from a waterproof camera pointed up at a running faucet.
Is Alkaline Water Just a Way of Making Expensive Pee?
Nutrition is a battlefield where everyone seems to have an opinion. Some of those opinions are science-based, and others are veiled quackery with little evidence to back them up. It can be frustrating if you’re simply trying to stay healthy. Do you spend three dollars on the expensive water bottle or just drink it…
The Doomsday Vault Isn't Flooded But We're All Still Going to Die
It was a story that was too good to pass up. The Svalbard ‘doomsday’ seed vault had flooded because of global warming-induced high temperatures melting the surrounding permafrost. But according to one of the vault’s creators, the reports are pretty overblown and everything’s fine. Well, the vault’s fine. The…
We Asked Jacques Cousteau's Grandson About SpongeBob, The Life Aquatic, and Pooping Underwater
You might think space is the final frontier, but there’s an entire alien world beneath the sea. Exploring the deepest abysses even looks a lot like exploring outer space. So, we set up some time with Fabien Cousteau, aquanaut, Jacques Cousteau’s grandson, and arguably the ocean’s biggest fan, to chat about what it’s…
You'll Swear This Macro Photography Universe Is CGI
It’s an odd paradox of our times, but when we see something extraordinary these days, it’s easy to assume that it was computer generated. CGI is the current all-consuming method of creating movie effects, but this video of ink in water shot with macro photography shows just how beautiful practical effects can be.
These (Real) New Moisture Harvesters Belong on Tatooine
Luke Skywalker’s home planet isn’t the only place in need of moisture farms to harvest water. Here on Earth, with our deserts and droughts, we’ve got tons of folks in need of fresh, drinkable H20.
Town's Water Turns Pink In Horrifying Ghostbusters Throwback
Residents of Onoway, Alberta got quite the jolt earlier this week when water of a distinctly pinkish hue started to flow from their taps.
Drought-Stricken Chinese City Proposes Mega Pipeline to Pump Water From Siberia
The northwest Chinese city of Lanzhou has a serious water shortage problem. To address the issue, its urban planners have sketched out an ambitious plan to deliver water from Siberia’s Lake Baikal to the city along a 1,000-mile-long pipeline. Getting approval for the project will be a monumental challenge, but it may…
