Drinking untreated water has more drawbacks than the price tag.

Water from the Wales Spring in Toledo, Wash., flows into a cistern.

Is drinking “raw water” a great way to get beneficial minerals and microbes removed by filtration—or do people who pay $15 a gallon for untreated water have more money than sense? The subject has been hotly debated since a New York Times story last week looked at people—many of them wealthy Silicon Valley residents—who are “[getting] off the water grid.” Some collect water from springs themselves; some buy from companies like Live Water, which charges almost $40 for a 2.5 gallon jug and $15 for refills; and others have installed expensive systems to collect water from the air.

One big fan is Doug Evans, who says he lived on Live Water for 10 days after his Juicero company, which sold a much-mocked $700 juicer, collapsed a few months ago. “I’m extreme about health, I know, but I’m not alone with this,” he told the Times.

Evans and other proponents argue that “raw water” is healthier than regular water, which they see as tainted by chemicals like fluoride. Live Water founder Mukhande Singh claims fluoride is a “mind-control drug” and describes public water as “toilet water with birth control drugs in them.” Opponents, of which there are many, warn that drinking untreated, unfiltered water can be extremely dangerous because it could contain the viruses, bacteria, and parasites that filtration removes. Read more

For years, scientists have known glacial lakes can rapidly empty themselves of billions of gallons of water—in at least one case, faster than the speed at which water flows over Niagara Falls.

In this July 19, 2011 file photo, a large melt pool forms in the Ilulissat ice fjord below the Jakobshavn Glacier, at the fringe of the vast Greenland ice sheet.

Now, they finally know how it’s done. Researchers had guessed that the weight of the water caused cracks to form in the lake’s icy bottoms that let water drain thousands of feet to the ice sheet’s bed, but that didn’t explain why some lakes cracked and others didn’t. Read more

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.

We all know how difficult it is to get ourselves to the gym and to actually work on our physical wellbeing; how difficult it is to follow a diet plan and change our eating habits. But we can start with something small, something simple.

Drink water

All you have to do is drink water. Do it at the right time, in the right amount, be consistent, and you’re done. Simple.

Guzzle up water habitually

There are wonderful benefits of drinking water. So I suggest, you make it into a habit. Although, it should be emphasized—the important point is—the consistency of doing this. If you do it once or twice a week, you won’t get any benefits. You’ve got do it every day. Make drinking water a habit and you’re on your way to enjoying a long and healthy life. Read more

Signs you’re not drinking enough water

We hear it all day, every day: most of us are not drinking enough water. We know that we need it, but for one reason or another, we often fail to make it a priority. As a result, we may begin to notice changes in our sense of well-being.

The average adult body is made up of between 55-60 percent water, which is an indication as to why it’s so important to replenish and refresh these vital stores. It makes sense that when we get dehydrated our bodies, much like our vehicles, send out clear warning signs that we need to check our fluid levels. If that happens, it’s important to do everything to get your hydration level back on track.

Here are some of the symptoms associated with not drinking enough water. Read more

What’s the largest waterfall in the world? If you’re talking by flow rate, it’s Inga Falls. If you mean the tallest, it’s Angel Falls. The widest? Khone Falls. But if you want to know the very largest waterfall in the world, you’ll have to look beneath the ocean. That’s where you’ll find the Denmark Strait Cataract, an underwater waterfall with measurements that make the others look laughable.

The Denmark Strait sits between Greenland and Iceland.

Don’t Go Chasing This Waterfall

Buried far underneath the water’s surface in the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland hides the largest waterfall known to man. Underwater waterfalls, known as cascades—or, when they’re really big, cataracts—exist when cold and warm water meet. The molecules in cold water don’t move around much, so they stay close together and make the water denser than warm water, whose molecules tend to buzz around and leave more space between them. That makes cold water sink straight down through warm water, creating a steady and consistent flow. Read more