Water

Proposed methods of removing toxic ‘forever chemicals’ from water have either only trapped the chemicals or broken them down. A new study has demonstrated a method that does both effectively. And it's quick and cheap.

While people are becoming concerned about microplastic pollution in their drinking water, it's one of those things that the average person can't check for themselves. That could soon change, however, if a new prototype device reaches production.

Aquaria Technologies, a San Francisco-based company founded in 2022, is looking to provide affordable, clean drinking water for the masses by pulling it out of the air.

The good news is that there's a vast ocean of water under the surface of Mars – enough to cover the entire planet to a depth of a mile (1.6 km). The bad news is that this repository is so deep and unreachable that it might as well be in another galaxy.

It's ironic that in places where drinking water needs to be checked for microbes the most, labs that can perform the analysis are least likely to be present. A new "lensless" device could help, as it uses light to detect harmful microorganisms.

The ingenuity of ancient Egyptian engineers may have been more advanced than we thought. A currently unexplained ancient structure may have been part of a water purification system feeding a hydraulic lift to raise huge stone blocks to build a pyramid.

Scientists have developed a new method for removing toxic “forever chemicals” from wastewater. 3D-printed ceramic lattices can remove up to 75% of PFAS from polluted water in three hours – and the structures get better at their job as they’re reused.

Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a “smart soil” that can keep plants better hydrated and provide a controlled release of nutrients. In tests it drastically improved crop growth while using far less water.

It’s ironic that while many regions struggle with water shortages, there’s heaps of the stuff floating around in the air everywhere. A new MIT water harvester design can pull enough fresh water out of the air to meet the daily needs of several people.

Sometimes the impossible turns out to be not so impossible. From satellite data, scientists have discovered frost forming on top of the tallest volcanic mountains in the solar system on Mars. The snag is that it shouldn't be there at all.

If your tap water is less-than-drinkable, you can use filtration systems, special pitchers, or bottled water to clean it up. Or, you could take a chance on a new air-to-water converter now blasting its way through an Indiegogo campaign.

Water can hold a huge amount of thermal energy, and a new system to tap into this is being trialed in Scotland. A startup called SeaWarm uses heat stored in bodies of water for buildings, pulling four times more heat out than electricity used.