Saturn’s biggest moon, Titan, is one of the most interesting bodies in the Solar System. It’s the only other place we know of, besides Earth, that very likely holds liquid water, in the form of a vast underground ocean, and its surface is somewhat Earth-like, splotched with lakes, rivers and seas, albeit of liquid methane and ethane. Scientists at Cornell University have analyzed data of Titan’s chemical composition and found that conditions could be right for non-water-based life to evolve, challenging our Earth-focused ideals of habitability.

life is focused on searching within the Goldilocks Zone, the band around a star that’s not too hot and not too cold, but just right for liquid water where life can take hold. It’s a model based on the conditions that make Earth habitable, so finding Earth-like planets is a logical place to start. Read more

Tortoise Gear has turned to Kickstarter to get the Sol Water bags to market

If you’re an outdoorsy type then you probably already know how handy a water disinfectant system can be in the right circumstances – because who wants to lug large quantities of water around if they don’t need to? Tortoise Gear has designed a prototype drink reservoir named Sol Water that’s claimed to remove the vast majority of bacteria and viruses using the power of the sun. Read more

For several years now, we’ve known that the Moon is not as dry as was assumed for decades, in fact our satellite is harboring a good amount of water. Now a team based at the Open University in the UK is painting a more detailed picture of exactly how that water was transported to the Moon and trapped on what seems like an outwardly arid rock.

The primordial Moon hosted magma oceans

Initial hypotheses assumed that comets were the most likely delivery source for the water found in the interior of the Moon and even near the surface of its soils, but scientists using data from recent unmanned lunar missions like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Deep Impact more recently established that water-rich asteroids may have been responsible for most of the water in the Moon. Read more

Inspired by the water boatman bug, a team at the University of Bristol has created the Row-bot, a robot prototype that is designed to punt itself across the top of the water in dirty ponds or lakes, and “eat” the microbes it scoops up. It then breaks these down in its artificial stomach to create energy to power itself. In this way, it generates enough power to continuously impel itself about to seek out more bacteria to feed upon.

Row-bot with mouth open to take in water – inset shows mouth closed

The Row-bot consists of two main elements – a propulsion mechanism to move the Row-bot around using a paddle operated by a minuscule 0.75 Watt, brushed DC motor, and its “stomach,” where a microbial fuel cell (MFC) supplies the electric current to the motor powering the paddle. Read more

Although most people likely associate Venice with gondoliers quietly poling their boats along the canals, the city is also home to approximately 550 motorized water taxis.

Water taxis in the city of Venice

These watercraft are all equipped with diesel engines that spew exhaust and make a racket, creating both air and noise pollution. With this situation in mind, engineers from University of Southampton spin-off company REAPsystems are developing hybrid engines that could be swapped in. Read more