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Water

This structure in Tuscany holds clues to why Roman concrete is still so strong.

New Research

Why Ancient Roman Concrete Is So Strong

A rare chemical reaction strengthens it even today—and that could help threatened coastal communities

Coral reefs, like this one off the coast of South Africa, are rich both in hue and aquatic sounds.

Coral Reefs Sound Like Popcorn, and That’s a Good Thing

The oceans boast a vibrant soundscape, but we may be slowly silencing their symphonies

This mass of ocean fossils was found in Montana, which used to be covered by a gigantic body of water.

Cool Finds

Scientists Are Putting Tens of Thousands of Sea Fossils Online

The Western Interior Seaway is gone, but not forgotten

For the times that licking an ice cream cone is too difficult, this patented motorized ice cream cone does the work for you. Happy summer.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Motorized Ice Cream Cones and Floating Campgrounds: 14 of the Wackiest Summer Fun Patents

Inventors never stop thinking of new ways to have fun, as these 14 patents show.

Natural Phenomenon Creates Awesome Waterslide at Great Sand Dunes National Park

Each spring and early summer, melting snow creates waves in Colorado

Thank tiny phytoplankton for this brilliant bloom.

Cool Finds

The Strait That Separates Europe and Asia Turned a Brilliant Turquoise

The Bosphorus and Black Sea are even more beautiful thanks to phytoplankton

Charles Blomfield

Cool Finds

After 130 Years, Lost Natural Wonder May Have Been Rediscovered in New Zealand

It was believed the Pink and White Terraces were destroyed in an eruption, but research suggests they are buried under ash and mud

Once rare floods could afflict cities like San Diego more often in the future, a new study finds.

New Research

Catastrophic Coastal Floods Could Become Much More Likely

A new study predicts a median 40-fold increase in flood frequency by 2050

Niagara Falls is beautiful, but it can also be destructive.

When the Niagara River Crushed a Power Plant

A cascade of rock slides left Schoellkopf Power Station’s three generators in ruins and killed one worker

It's peak waterfall season in Yosemite National Park—and epic snowmelt means it's better than ever.

Trending Today

Chasing Waterfalls? Head to Yosemite

Don’t stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to—recent snowmelt is fueling spectacular falls

Environmental chemists are developing a method that could suck toxic metals out of marine environments.

How Electrified Steel Could Suck Toxic Metals From the Ocean

After a century of strip mining and deforestation, New Caldonia researchers are working to de-contaminate marine waters

Tim Caza assesses the boat.

Cool Finds

Shipwreck Identified as Rare Canal Boat

Durham boats once fueled trade in the Erie Canal

Relaxing lap pool or urine-filled dystopia?

New Research

Scientists Found a Sweet New Way to Measure Pee in Pools

A common food additive reveals how much urine lurks in the lanes

Blood Falls

New Research

Antarctica’s Blood Falls Helps Unravel the Inner Workings of Glaciers

A new study maps the path of the water that feeds the falls and explores how water can exist under the ice

New York restaurants donated these oyster shells to the project. They'll be used to grow new oysters as part of an ambitious restoration program.

Future of Conservation

Why New York Schoolchildren Want to Grow a Billion Oysters

It’s a grand attempt to restore a ravaged estuary

On the canal in Tongli.

Explore China’s Ancient Water Towns

The Venice of the East sits just 30 minutes by train from Shanghai

Busting apart this aging dam on the Jeremy River in Connecticut opened up 27 kilometers of salmon habitat and spawning gravel for the first time in close to 300 years. Other fish will benefit too, including the eastern brook trout, sea lamprey, American eel, and river herring.

The Environmental Price of Dams

Why some conservationists are demolishing dams in the name of rivers and fish

Mesh billboards on the Moroccan mountainside will soon be joined by numerous others—a planned 31 in all—to create the world’s largest fog collection facility.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

This Device Collects Water From the Clouds

CloudFisher does exactly as its name implies—drawing water down from the sky

Though the single-run of Full Circle beer is long gone, the message about the importance of water conservation still stands.

San Diego Breweries Experiment With Recycled Water

Stone and Ballast Point Breweries both created beers made from highly purified waste water

Among all those poppies is something less beautiful—noxious, invasive weeds.

Trending Today

After Intense Downpour, Superblooming California Has a Problem

In a word: weeds

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