Water

Solar panels can’t operate efficiently if they’re caked in dirt, but cleaning them regularly can be a time-consuming process. Engineers in Germany have now developed an ultra-thin coating that can make solar panels and other surfaces self-cleaning.

Scientists in Australia have developed an intriguing new technique for removing toxic “forever chemicals” from water. Adding a solution to contaminated water coats the pollutants and makes them magnetic, so they can easily be attracted and isolated.

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered opal on Mars. The deposits may prove to be valuable to future Martian explorers not as jewelry but as a potential source of water.

A fascinating study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health suggests people who don't drink enough fluids could be at greater risk of chronic disease and are more likely to die at a younger age.

Microplastics are a growing environmental problem, but now researchers in Korea have developed a new water purification system that can filter out these tiny fragments, as well as other pollutants, very quickly and with high efficiency.

It’s a cruel irony that 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in undrinkable water. Scientists have now modeled the feasibility of a hypothetical system that can capture water vapor from ocean air and condense it into drinking water, at a large scale.

PFAS are insidious pollutants thanks to their ubiquity, long life and a growing list of linked health concerns. But now researchers at UC Riverside have developed a new method to break them down more effectively, using hydrogen and UV light.

Everybody has their favored ways of carrying and consuming water as they go about their day and The Modular Bottle from New York outfit Ebite is as versatile a solution as you could hope to find, with swappable caps and tea infusion inserts.

Get Kevin Costner on the phone – astronomers may have found some water worlds. Two nearby planets have been found to be covered in deep global oceans under hot, steamy atmospheres.

Water is usually something you’d want to keep away from electronic circuits, but engineers in Germany have now developed a new concept for water-based switches that are much faster than current semiconductor materials.

You've probably heard it before – if you don't put the lid down on the toilet, droplets of filth will fly out when you flush it. Scientists have now visualized that process for the first time, in hopes of reducing it with better toilet designs.

With the new UltraPress Ti, Grayl injects its titanium know-how into its original water filter bottle design, creating a versatile tool that can quickly purify water and cook over a fire. It's a lightweight, hardwearing food-and-beverage multitool.