Water

Water is everywhere, seriously, making up more than 70 percent of the planet's surface. And you can't survive without it. To keep up with all things H2O, check out the most interesting discoveries related to water, from the stuff you drink, to the droplets that make up the planet's oceans, to water itself in all its glorious strangeness.

Related Topics: Ocean, Global Warming, Amphibians, Fish

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boy drinks from tap

How much water do you really need to drink?

By Brandon Specktor published

Hydration is the key to a happy and healthy life, but how much water do you really need to drink?

An illustration of Naegleria-fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba.

Nebraska child likely died of a brain-eating-amoeba infection

By Stephanie Pappas published

A child in Nebraska has died of a likely infection with Naegleria fowleri, popularly known as a brain-eating amoeba.

Ocean waves.

Why can't we drink saltwater?

By John Loeffler published

More than 70% of our little blue planet is covered by water, but we can only drink a tiny fraction of it. Why can't we drink saltwater when it is all around us?

Here we see a big pink pig lying in the mud to cool itself down. It's snout is all covered in mud. There are some dirt, rocks, and trees in the background.

Do pigs sweat?

By Martin McGuigan published

Pigs have sweat glands, but regulate their body temperature in other ways.

Dromedary camels have one hump, like the animal here walking in the desert between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

What do camels eat in the desert?

By Jeanna Bryner published

Camels' large, leathery mouths can handle the prickly thorns of almost any kind of desert vegetation, including that which other desert animals steer clear of.

Wally the walrus pictured in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Arctic walrus that drifted to Ireland is now hitching rides on passing ships

By Ben Turner published

Wally has been stirring up mischief by lounging on lifeboat slipways and capsizing passing dinghies, but conservation groups have warned tourists not to get too close.

Thousands of Tardigrades Stranded on the Moon After Lunar Lander Crash

By Mindy Weisberger published

When you look up at the moon, there may now be a few thousand water bears looking back at you.

We Finally Know Why Florida's Coral Reefs Are Dying, and It's Not Just Climate Change

By Rafi Letzter published

Hot water is killing Florida's coral reefs. But it's not the only factor bleaching them white.

A storm caused extreme flooding in parts of Washington, D.C., including in East Potomac Park where you could dangle your feet in the water while sitting on a park bench, on July 8, 2019.

The Science Behind Washington's Scary 'Flash Flood Emergency'

By Rafi Letzter published

One critical factor turned the heavy rainfall in Virginia and Washington D.C. into a flash flood emergency.

Greenland meltwater

Under Greenland's Glaciers, Dozens of Pristine, Jewel-Like Lakes Have Been Discovered

By Laura Geggel published

Hidden beneath Greenland’s Ice Sheet like an enormous necklace of sparkly blue and oddly shaped beads, scientists have discovered 56 previously unknown and gem-like lakes.

Freshwater aquifer

A Massive Freshwater Sea Is Buried Beneath the Atlantic Ocean

By Laura Geggel published

A gigantic freshwater aquifer is hiding under the salty Atlantic Ocean, just off the northeastern coast of the United States, a new study finds.

Flushed Goldfish Grew to Be Kitten-Size in Niagara River

By Mindy Weisberger published

Tens of millions of "freed" goldfish are thought to inhabit the Great Lakes.

iceberg

Can Kidnapping a Giant Iceberg from Antarctica Solve Cape Town's Water Crisis?

By Laura Geggel published

Ice age - Earth disk covered in ice.

This Seawater Is 20,000 Years Old, and Has Remained Untouched Since the Last Ice Age

By Brandon Specktor published

Researchers have discovered the first-ever water sample dating to the end of Earth's last ice age, 20,000 years ago.

Scientists used X-ray lasers to create a sound so loud that it vaporized water on contact.

Scientists Have Created a Sound So Loud It Can Vaporize Water on Contact

By Brandon Specktor published

Scientists have used an X-ray laser to create the loudest possible underwater sound on Earth.

asteroid mining

Space Mining Could Ruin Our Solar System If We Don't Establish Protected Places Now, Researchers Warn

By Brandon Specktor published

If humans mine one-eighth of the solar system's extraterrestrial resources, we could be doomed.

Before this slow process dried out the planet, Mars may have been covered by a vast ocean. This illustration shows how the planet may have looked billions of years ago.

A Giant Hole in the Martian Atmosphere Is Venting All Its Water into Space

By Rafi Letzter published

Why is Mars so dry? A new paper might have the explanation.

PFAS were developed for firefighting foam.

What Are PFAS?

By Rachel Ross published

These synthetic chemicals have been included in numerous household products for more than eight decades, but are they safe?

Woman drinking a bottle of water.

Hypernatremia and Hyponatremia: Causes and Risks of Sodium Imbalance

By Cari Nierenberg published

Why is keeping the balance of sodium in our bodies so important?

An image on the left shows the iced-over Bering Sea this time of year in 2014. On the right is the Bering Sea melted as of Sunday, March 31.

The Bering Sea Should Be Frozen Right Now. It Isn't.

By Rafi Letzter published

We're witnessing a catastrophic shift in our planet's sea ice. Here's what the latest chapter means for you.