Europa’s plumes may not originate from subsurface ocean

Jupiter’s moon Europa is a fascinating world, with a global subsurface ocean encased in an icy shell and plumes of water vapor that vent into space. A new study has simulated how these plumes might originate, revealing a surprisingly dynamic ice ball.C… Continue reading Europa’s plumes may not originate from subsurface ocean

Europa’s plumes may not originate from subsurface ocean

Jupiter’s moon Europa is a fascinating world, with a global subsurface ocean encased in an icy shell and plumes of water vapor that vent into space. A new study has simulated how these plumes might originate, revealing a surprisingly dynamic ice ball.C… Continue reading Europa’s plumes may not originate from subsurface ocean

Liquid-filled window absorbs solar heat by day, releases it at night

While double-glazed windows do help save energy, Singaporean scientists have tweaked the concept to make it even more effective. Instead of leaving an air gap between the two panes of glass, the researchers have inserted a heat-absorbing, light-blockin… Continue reading Liquid-filled window absorbs solar heat by day, releases it at night

Robust Water-Rocket Launcher Gets the Engineering Just Right

Normally when we run across a project that claims to be overengineered, we admit that we get a little excited. Such projects always hold the potential for entertainingly over-the-top designs, materials, and methods. In this case, though, we’ll respectfully disagree with [Zach Hipps] assessment of his remote-controlled soda bottle rocket …read more

Continue reading Robust Water-Rocket Launcher Gets the Engineering Just Right

Corrosion-resistant desalination device can handle super-salty water

Desalination systems play an important role in improving access to fresh water, but some types of the natural resource are too salty for current solutions to handle. Such hypersaline water can have salt content as much as 10 times greater than seawater… Continue reading Corrosion-resistant desalination device can handle super-salty water

Molecular water “unambiguously” detected on the Moon for first time

Astronomers have detected water on the Moon. While that statement might sound all too familiar in recent years, previous reports were based on spectral signatures that could have been other related compounds – this time, the detection is unambiguously … Continue reading Molecular water “unambiguously” detected on the Moon for first time

Earth’s water may have come from meteorites closer to home

A new study by the Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (CRPG, CNRS/Université de Lorraine) in Nancy, France, suggests that Earth’s water may have come from stony meteorites present in the inner solar system rather than comets or ast… Continue reading Earth’s water may have come from meteorites closer to home

Highly efficient process makes seawater drinkable in 30 minutes

Access to clean, safe drinking water is a necessity that’s worryingly not being met in many parts of the world. A new study has used a material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) to filter pollutants out of seawater, generating large amounts of fre… Continue reading Highly efficient process makes seawater drinkable in 30 minutes

Strange lightning and “mushball” rain could rage in Jupiter storms

With storms constantly raging all over its surface and a Great Red Spot that’s been churning for centuries, Jupiter could be known as the storm capital of the solar system. Now NASA’s Juno mission has discovered two new quirks of these storms – shallow… Continue reading Strange lightning and “mushball” rain could rage in Jupiter storms