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Water

Dams block the flow of a river to hold water in a reservoir, which can be used for agriculture, recreation, household needs or industry. The flow of water through a dam can generate hydroelectric power. Aging dams are being dismantled across the country, restoring the natural flow to rivers.

Dam Removals Are Bringing Fish Back Across the Northeastern United States, Striking Down One Tiny Barrier at a Time

While the demolition of big dams in the West gets more attention, many of these often-obsolete obstructions are also coming out of northeastern streams and rivers—and herring are returning in droves

Jakob Kudsk Steensen's Berl-Berl installation, which goes on view at New York City's MoMA on October 12, brings a digital, immersive swamp to life.

A Digital Swamp Coming to New York City’s MoMA Is ‘Made to Envelop You’ in Nature With the Help of Cutting-Edge Technology

“Wetland” is the latest installation of a high-tech traveling exhibition designed by Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen. It recreates the overlooked ecosystem with the help of folklore, soundscapes and video game software

A Bubble Barrier creates a diagonal line of whiter water in Amsterdam's Westerdok.

Could This Dutch Invention Help Tackle Plastic Pollution in America’s Waterways?

The Netherlands has had success with the Bubble Barrier, which pumps air bubbles from the bottom of a canal or river to direct plastic to the surface. Now, Lansing, Michigan, is looking to be the first to install the technology stateside

The canoe is submerged 15 feet deep in Wisconsin’s Pewaukee Lake.

Cool Finds

A Diver Volunteered to Clean Up Trash From a Wisconsin Lake. He Discovered a 1,000-Year-Old Dugout Canoe at the Bottom Instead

Indigenous communities near present-day Milwaukee likely hand-carved the white-oak vessel before shaping it with fire between roughly 992 and 1049 C.E.

Fire amoeba wiggling around at 140 degrees Fahrenheit

Meet the ‘Fire Amoeba,’ a Newfound Blobby Organism That’s Defying Expectations About How Much Heat Complex Life Can Handle

The newly described species, found in Northern California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, can still reproduce at 145 degrees Fahrenheit and move around at 147 degrees, according to a new study

Members of the public are invited to vote for their favorite name for the otter: Nessie, Ruthie or Morgan. The selections are a nod to community changemakers who have made a positive impact on the river and the Bronx more broadly.

An Otter Just Returned to New York City’s Bronx River for the First Time in a Century. Now, You Can Help Name It

A trail camera photographed the animal earlier this summer, offering a hopeful sign that the once-polluted urban waterway is recovering after decades of restoration work

Dilivium, a sculpture by the French artist JR, spans roughly 230 feet across the Vatican Apostolic Library’s facade. 

Pope Leo XIV Makes a Splash for His 71st Birthday, Announcing a Water-Themed Art Exhibition at the Vatican Library

Contemporary sculptures, fish made from typographic elements, centuries-old treatises and historical global cookbooks will feature in the new ‘Catastrophe and Wonder’ art show

Lake sturgeon—massive and long-living fish in the Great Lakes—may survive to much older ages than scientists previously thought, according to a recent study. Here, a juvenile lake sturgeon is captured during a fisheries assessment in the St. Clair-Detroit River System.

Some Fish in the Great Lakes Might Be More Than 400 Years Old, a Study Suggests, Outliving Around 15 Generations of Humans

Lake sturgeon may be among the longest-living vertebrates, second only to Greenland sharks, according to recent research. However, scientists note that follow-up work is necessary to clarify the species’ life span

The squid emerged from the darkness at a depth of nearly two miles below the surface.

Watch an Elusive and Ethereal Bigfin Squid Float Above the Seafloor Off Central California

This marks the first time the mysterious creature has been seen alive in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It was spotted last month by scientists on an expedition to study marine life near underwater mountains

Researchers spotted invasive devil firefish swimming around the wreck.

This Hospital Ship Sank Off Albania’s Coast During World War II. Now, It’s Teeming With Marine Life

A new survey of the “Po” has revealed a thriving underwater ecosystem, including rare Mediterranean monk seals

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is coated in a protective paint called International Orange.

Why Does Rain Eat Through Protective Coatings on Metal Structures? Researchers Propose a New Idea: Electrically Charged Droplets

Scientists long attributed rain damage to physical abrasion and chemical degradation from acidic substances. A new study offers a third idea, which could help researchers develop longer-lasting coatings and preserve important objects

Williston Lake is the seventh-largest reservoir by volume in the world. 

A Lake in Canada Got a Mysterious New Island. Then, It Disappeared—and Now It’s Back

The floating forest appeared in a well-mapped reservoir in British Columbia. Its presence and vanishing act have puzzled locals and officials at the power utility that operates the lake, but other similar islands exist elsewhere

A diagram of David Bushnell's Turtle submersible

America's 250th Anniversary

To Defeat the Royal Navy During the American Revolution, a Rebel Inventor Designed a Secret Weapon: a Bomb-Carrying Submarine

David Bushnell developed the “Turtle” submersible as a student at Yale University. The vessel’s attack on a British flagship failed, but the trailblazing boat’s legacy endures 250 years later

Researchers have spent the past two years studying the interactions between common octopuses and blue crabs and perfecting breeding techniques.

Blue Crabs Have Taken Over the Adriatic Sea. To Fight Them Off, Italian Researchers Just Released Thousands of Baby Octopuses

Although prized in the United States, the crustaceans have been decimating ecosystems and the fishing industry in Italy. Experts hope that an army of natural predators—common octopuses—can help contain the invasive species’ spread

A new museum focused on the world of whales will open next year in Norway.

A New Museum in Norway Is Bringing Visitors Into the World of Whales—From Life-Size Orcas to Immersive Underwater Exhibits

Opening in 2027, The Whale will explore the science, behavior, evolution and cultural history of whales through art, storytelling, sound and architecture

A hunger stone along the banks of the Elbe River in Decin, a city in the Czech Republic

‘Hunger Stones’ Resurface in Europe, Bringing Centuries-Old Warnings Back Into View as Rivers Hit Historic Lows

As drought exposes stretches of riverbed in central Europe, markers carved by past generations to record low water levels are emerging once again

A swarm of Chaoborus edulis flies over Lake Malawi

Why Don’t Insects Live in the Ocean? Scientists Just Ruled Out One Possible Explanation Thanks to Deep-Diving Fly Larvae

Researchers thought that insects might not live there because their respiratory systems would implode from water pressure. But certain fly larvae in East Africa make daily trips toward the bottom of Lake Malawi with the help of strong air sacs that contain a stretchy protein

With Eco Purge, Arya Satheesh won the European category of the 2026 Earth Prize, the largest environmental competition in the world for young students. She was awarded $12,500 to continue to develop her prototype.

This High Schooler Invented a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades

Eighteen-year-old Arya Satheesh created her award-winning Eco Purge to help address the global problem of plastic pollution

“This wreck is an absolute, untouched monument to 19th-century diplomacy and elite international relations in Europe,” says diver and researcher Pawel Truszynski.

Cool Finds

This Ship Sank in the Baltic Sea With Presents Bound for a Romanov Czar. Its Cargo Included Champagne, Luxury Mineral Water and Rare Meteorites

New research suggests that a shipwreck discovered off the coast of Sweden in 2024 may have been transporting gifts from the German Duchy of Nassau to Alexander II of Russia in the immediate aftermath of the Crimean War

A mother floating belly-up next to her calf

Why Are These Whales Floating Upside-Down? They Might Just Be Moms Who Need a Break From Feeding Their Babies

Each year, southern right whales migrate thousands of miles from their feeding grounds to breed, give birth and raise their young. Taking rests and regulating their calves’ nursing schedules might help mothers conserve energy while they’re far from food

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