water

England’s water network buckles under sudden summer drought

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England’s water network buckles under sudden summer drought

England’s water network buckles under sudden summer drought (Representative image) The severe “flash drought” that has gripped England is pushing an already struggling water network toward breaking point — and it’s showing no sign of easing. The situation is particularly dire in the southeast, where one of the wettest ever winters had replenished reservoirs and … Read more

A 324-million-year-old fossil from Texas preserves an early insect with 24 legs and paddle-like limbs on its abdomen, suggesting insects did not leave water for land in one sudden evolutionary jump

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A 324-million-year-old fossil from Texas preserves an early insect with 24 legs and paddle-like limbs on its abdomen, suggesting insects did not leave water for land in one sudden evolutionary jump

Palaeoecological reconstruction of the Carboniferous stem-insect Chosha praecursor. (Image by NIGPAS) An international research team has identified a remarkable insect fossil from western Texas that could represent a crucial missing link in the story of insect evolution. The fossil, from the Late Mississippian period approximately 324 million years ago, belongs to a stem group of … Read more

Green Party leader Zack Polanski calls for data centre freeze in England; says they ‘guzzle’ energy, water

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Green Party leader Zack Polanski calls for data centre freeze in England; says they 'guzzle' energy, water

Zack Polanski demands freeze on English data centres. Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for a freeze on approvals for new data centres in England, arguing that the rapidly expanding industry is putting pressure on water and energy supplies.Polanski said the government should introduce tougher environmental requirements for data centres and give local communities … Read more

Scientists searched for threatened Australian rainforest frogs without seeing or hearing them; DNA in creek water collected up to 22 km downstream revealed populations in places where the frogs had disappeared

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Scientists searched for threatened Australian rainforest frogs without seeing or hearing them; DNA in creek water collected up to 22 km downstream revealed populations in places where the frogs had disappeared

​Photos of a study species: the Australian Lace-lid (L. dayi)Photo credit: Conrad J Hoskin. In the cool, wet upland streams of Queensland’s Wet Tropics, several species of rainforest frog were pushed to the brink in the 1980s and 1990s by chytrid fungus, an aquatic pathogen that attacks frog skin and has driven extinctions worldwide. For … Read more

In 1962, NASA loaded 22,900 gallons of water onto a Saturn I rocket and deliberately blew the container apart 65 miles above Earth to study what water would do in the upper atmosphere

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In 1962, NASA loaded 22,900 gallons of water onto a Saturn I rocket and deliberately blew the container apart 65 miles above Earth to study what water would do in the upper atmosphere

Representative Image (AI-generated) For humans to travel deeper into space and remain there for months or even years, they will need much more than powerful rockets. Astronauts must have a continuous supply of oxygen, water and food, while waste and carbon dioxide must be carefully managed. On short missions, these needs can largely be met … Read more

For nearly a decade, a California town fought to seize its privately owned water utility; now the state Supreme Court has ruled 7-0 against its takeover argument

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For nearly a decade, a California town fought to seize its privately owned water utility; now the state Supreme Court has ruled 7-0 against its takeover argument

For nearly a decade, a California town fought to seize its privately owned water utility California’s highest court has rejected a key legal argument in a decade-long effort by a Southern California town to take control of its local water system. The California Supreme Court ruled 7-0, August 24, against the Town of Apple Valley, … Read more

In 2008, Czechia began flooding the lignite mine created after the old city of Most was demolished for coal; by 2014 the pit held 70.5 billion litres of water, forming a 309-hectare lake up to 75 metres deep

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In 2008, Czechia began flooding the lignite mine created after the old city of Most was demolished for coal; by 2014 the pit held 70.5 billion litres of water, forming a 309-hectare lake up to 75 metres deep

The flooding started in 2008, and by 2014 the former mine had filled with about 70.5 billion liters of water, forming a lake 309 hectares in area and a maximum of 75 meters deep. Eventually the lake was opened for public recreation. What does it take to give a landscape carved by decades of coal … Read more

New Mexico has protected nearly 11,000 acres along the Mimbres River as a new wildlife area, safeguarding historic water rights, rare river habitat and a 2-mile stretch of the desert stream

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New Mexico has protected nearly 11,000 acres along the Mimbres River as a new wildlife area, safeguarding historic water rights, rare river habitat and a 2-mile stretch of the desert stream

An elevated, high-definition view of the newly protected landscape surrounding the Mimbres River in southwestern New Mexico. Conservationists and state officials in New Mexico have completed a deal to buy nearly 11,000 acres of ecologically rich land along the Mimbres River, permanently protecting an important desert watershed and creating the state’s newest public conservation preserve. … Read more

In 2007, scientists used NASA satellite measurements to reveal 14 areas of moving water beneath West Antarctica; one hidden lake had drained about 2 cubic kilometres in three years

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In 2007, scientists used NASA satellite measurements to reveal 14 areas of moving water beneath West Antarctica; one hidden lake had drained about 2 cubic kilometres in three years

Icebergs in Antarctica (Image Credit: Canva) Antarctica may look like a vast, frozen and unchanging landscape, but deep beneath its thick ice lies a surprisingly active world. In 2007, scientists reported findings based on measurements collected by NASA’s ICESat satellite between 2003 and 2006, revealing major changes in the surface of the West Antarctic Ice … Read more

A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction; after years of painstaking work, the former asylum water supply became their family home

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A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction; after years of painstaking work, the former asylum water supply became their family home

A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction An 85-foot Victorian water tower that once supplied an asylum in South London has been turned into a family home after a major multi-million-pound restoration by a British couple. The Grade II-listed structure in Kennington was built in 1877 to supply water … Read more