Tech News

The Boat in the Suez Canal Is Still Stuck, But You Can Now Stick It Anywhere You Want With This App

For all who have been captivated by the Ever Given, the ginormous shipping container boat that has been stuck in the Suez Canal for days, we have some good news. Before you get excited, no, the boat’s still stuck. But you can now stick the Ever Given anywhere you please thanks to the clever people … Continued

Earther

Covering California’s Canals With Solar Panels Could Solve Two Crises at Once

A new analysis finds that covering water canals in California with solar panels could save a lot of water and money while generating renewable energy. Doing so would generate between 20% and 50% higher return on investment than would be achieved by building those panels on the ground. The paper, published Thursday in Nature Sustainability, … Continued

ScienceHealth

An Alkaline Water Brand Is Making People Seriously Ill in Nevada, Officials Say

A brand of alkaline water is likely sickening people in Nevada, federal and local health officials say. At least 11 people in the state have come down with varying symptoms, including serious liver injury, after drinking “Real Water” products. People are being advised not to drink the stuff, while one family has since filed a … Continued

ScienceSpace & Spaceflight

Mars Is Hiding Its ‘Lost’ Water Beneath the Surface, New Research Suggests

Water that used to exist on Mars slowly leaked out into space, or at least that’s the going theory. A new paper challenges this assumption, offering an alternative scenario in which the Red Planet has clung to much of its ancient water—we just can’t see it. An unexpectedly large amount of water is tucked away … Continued

Earther

Humans Have Completely Transformed How Water Is Stored on Earth

Human fingerprints are all over the world’s freshwater. A new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that while human-controlled freshwater sources make up a minimal portion of the world’s ponds, lakes, and rivers, they are responsible more than half of all changes to the Earth’s water system. The study used new satellite laser … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Groundwater Depletion Threatens 20% Of India’s Winter Farmland

In India, agriculture employs more than 50%of the country. It’s also in crisis due to climate change and groundwater loss. A new study shows how these two factors are putting the country’s farmers at risk. The study, published in Science Advances on Wednesday, specifically examined India’s winter harvests. In the fall and spring monsoon seasons, … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Report: Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Will Finally Be Charged for Poisoning Flint’s Water

Y’all. Former Michigan governor and certified monster Rick Snyder will catch charges for his role in the Flint water crisis, according to the Associated Press. You absolutely love to see it. Snyder is the former Republican governor of Michigan who had a massive role in the public health disaster, in which Flint’s nearly 100,000 residents … Continued

Tech NewsGadgets

L’Oreal Wants to Save the Planet by Changing How We Wash Our Hair

While consumer electronics companies tend to dominate CES, makeup brand L’Oreal has carved out a neat little niche for itself at the show. From augmented reality makeup lines to wearable UV and pH sensors, the company always has something up its sleeve when it comes to beauty tech. This year, the L’Oreal is launching a … Continued

ScienceHealth

Waterborne Germs Sicken Millions of Americans a Year, CDC Report Finds

Waterborne illnesses like swimmer’s ear, norovirus, and Legionnaires’ disease sicken over 7 million Americans, hospitalize more than 100,000, and kill nearly 7,000 each year, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. The germs also rack up billions in health care costs. The report, published by the CDC on Wednesday, is … Continued

Earther

Wall Street’s New Water Market Is the Latest Sign We’re Headed Toward a Mad Max Future

We need water to cook and wash our bodies and clothes, and especially to drink—without it, we can’t live. Despite this, Wall Street traders are going to start betting on it as a commodity. This week, with the launch of $1.1 billion contracts tied to water prices in California, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange will launch … Continued

Earther

More Than Half a Million People in Major Cities Don’t Have Access to Running Water

More than 1 million U.S. residents are living without running water, and many of them live in large, wealthy cities, new research shows. The new study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, used census data from 2013 to 2017 to determine that 1.1 million in the U.S. are … Continued

EartherClimate Change

We Can Use Less Energy and Still Have Good Lives

At last night’s presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden refused to endorse the Green New Deal but reaffirmed some of his campaign’s climate promises. “We’re going to build an economy that in fact is going to provide for the ability of us to take 4 million buildings and make sure that they in fact … Continued

Earther

The Coronavirus Has Exposed a Global Water Crisis. New Research Shows How to Fix It

To help stop the spread of the coronavirus sweeping the globe, health experts have urged people around the world to wash their hands frequently. But recent research shows that many people have been unable to follow those guidelines because they lack access to clean running water. In fact, one 2019 study suggests that one quarter … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Michigan Will Pay $600 Million to Flint Water Crisis Survivors

The people of Flint are finally getting some justice. The state of Michigan is dishing out $600 million in settlement dollars for victims of the water crisis that exposed the city of nearly 100,000 to unhealthy levels of lead in their drinking water. First reported in the New York Times and confirmed by the legal … Continued

Earther

Trump’s Energy Department Fearlessly Takes on Big, Bad Efficient Shower Heads

Hurricane season and mismanagement are fucking with utilities up and down the East Coast and continuing nationwide lockdowns are causing people’s energy bills to soar. More than 165,000 Americans have died from covid-19 and some states are setting worrisome records. But there’s a bigger threat out there to our American energy system and way of … Continued

ScienceBiology

Thirsty Koalas Caught on Camera Licking Wet Trees

Unprecedented footage shows koalas slurping water from wet tree trunks both during and after rainstorms. The discovery solves a long-standing mystery about these adorable marsupials and how they’re able to stay hydrated. A typical koala will eat around 150 grams (5.3 ounces) of eucalyptus leaves each day, providing them with an abundant but not completely … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

The Time to Fix Our Broken Water System Is Now

In the interim stimulus bill the Senate passed on Tuesday evening, federal lawmakers failed to include any relief for customers struggling with their water bills. As a result, millions of Americans who are being told to stay in their homes and wash their hands as often as possible could face impossible choices, such as whether … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

The U.S. Should Stop Water Shutoffs During the Covid-19 Pandemic—and Forever

There’s very little clarity about the current pandemic—how long it will last, when a vaccine could arrive—but medical experts all seem to agree that one of the few things we can do to significantly stop the spread of covid-19 is washing our hands frequently. I’ve been washing mine so much that my knuckles are starting … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Interconnected Ecological Threats Could Trigger ‘Global Systemic Collapse’

Humanity is facing a number of grave threats. Climate breakdown and extreme weather are getting worse, we’re in the middle of the world’s sixth extinction crisis, and food and water shortages are affecting people all over the world. These threats are all serious on their own, but research shows that their combined effects could be … Continued

EartherClimate Change

The Trump Administration Just Gutted Clean Water Protections

The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers just removed federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small waterways and many of the nation’s wetlands. Later today, EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler will announce the change at a conference of the National Association of Home Builders, an industry group that pushed for … Continued