Outlook |
Featured
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News |
Suspected illegal fishing revealed by ships’ tracking data
Fishing boats from Spain, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and the United States obscured their location the most, often in the high seas.
- Jude Coleman
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Research Highlight |
The ‘Asian water tower’ is brimming — with glacial melt water
Groundwater stores on the Tibetan plateau have risen recently, but the bad news is that thawing snow and ice are the source.
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Correspondence |
Digitally enabled infrastructure for flood and drought research
- Gareth H. Old
- , Matt Fry
- & David A. Robinson
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Correspondence |
Rescue China’s highland lakes and their ecosystem services
- Yong Geng
- , Joseph Sarkis
- & Bruce Mitchell
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World View |
These rules for an ocean economy would help the whole planet
Before diving into new economic waters, establish what must be done for the land.
- Benjamin Halpern
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News |
‘Everybody is so excited’: South Korea set for first Moon mission
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, or Danuri, has captivated scientists and the public.
- Smriti Mallapaty
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News & Views |
From the archive: the unexpected action of an α-particle, and an appeal for cleaner waters
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Research Highlight |
The ditches that accidentally boosted a thirsty region’s water supply
A web of canals originating in the sixteenth century actually recharged an essential aquifer in India and Pakistan.
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Research Highlight |
How to save water: plumbing can be changed but people can’t
Campaign to ‘nudge’ people in Singapore to save water failed, but bathroom upgrades succeeded.
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News |
Gran Turismo champion, reimagined urine — the week in infographics
Nature highlights three key graphics from the week in science and research.
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News Feature |
The urine revolution: how recycling pee could help to save the world
Separating urine from the rest of sewage could mitigate some difficult environmental problems, but there are big obstacles to radically re-engineering one of the most basic aspects of life.
- Chelsea Wald
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Nature Podcast |
RNA test detects deadly pregnancy disorder early
RNA in blood reveals signs of pre-eclampsia before symptoms occur, and the issue of urine in our sewage and what can be done about it.
- Nick Petrić Howe
- & Shamini Bundell
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Research Highlight |
‘Sky river’ brought Iran deadly floods — but also welcome water
Moisture from the Mediterranean and Red seas helped to recharge an Iranian lake whose area has shrunk by 90% in recent decades.
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Comment |
Brazil is in water crisis — it needs a drought plan
To avoid crop failures and soaring power costs, Brazil needs to diversify sources, monitor soil moisture, model local hydroclimate dynamics and treat water as a national security priority.
- Augusto Getirana
- , Renata Libonati
- & Marcio Cataldi
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long-read: How dangerous is Africa’s explosive Lake Kivu?
A lake in central Africa could one day release a huge amount of greenhouse gases, threatening the lives of millions.
- Nicola Jones
- & Benjamin Thompson
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal potential for harvesting drinking water from air using solar energy
Mapping of the global potential of atmospheric water harvesting using solar energy shows that it could provide safely managed drinking water for a billion people worldwide based on climate suitability.
- Jackson Lord
- , Ashley Thomas
- & Philipp H. Schmaelzle
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Career Column |
Webcast: how to green your lab
Taking steps to lower the environmental impact of your research can reduce costs.
- Jack Leeming
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Research Highlight |
A staggering store of water is revealed in Earth’s crust
Modelling work shows that crustal groundwater accounts for more water than the world’s ice caps and glaciers.
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Correspondence |
Iran: drought must top new government’s agenda
- Jamshid Parchizadeh
- & Jerrold L. Belant
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Research Highlight |
Iran is draining its aquifers dry
Wells are proliferating, but data from across the country show that groundwater extraction is falling.
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News & Views |
Most rivers and streams run dry every year
A model of the world’s rivers and streams has been developed to predict which of these watercourses flow all year round and which go dry. The analysis shows that rivers and streams that run dry are ubiquitous throughout the world.
- Kristin L. Jaeger
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Article |
Global prevalence of non-perennial rivers and streams
Non-perennial rivers and streams are mapped globally, showing that more than half of rivers worldwide experience no flow for at least one day per year.
- Mathis Loïc Messager
- , Bernhard Lehner
- & Thibault Datry
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Comment |
Community–academic partnerships helped Flint through its water crisis
A city that faced a public-health emergency shows how collaborations with neighbourhood advocates can advance health equity.
- E. Yvonne Lewis
- & Richard C. Sadler
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Technology Feature |
How waste water is helping South Africa fight COVID-19
Detecting the coronavirus in samples from treatment plants could give early warning of outbreaks and new variants.
- Heather Richardson
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Where I Work |
Keeping Gothenburg green
Engineer Sofia Polo keeps the city’s water supply clean by managing storm runoff and tracking pollutants from roofs, car parks and fertilizers.
- Chris Woolston
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News & Views |
European rivers are fragmented by many more barriers than had been recorded
An atlas of European river barriers has been made, by curating and correcting existing records, and by surveying 2,700 kilometres of waterways. It reveals that rivers are fragmented by an amazing number of obstructions.
- Christiane Zarfl
- & Bernhard Lehner
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Article |
More than one million barriers fragment Europe’s rivers
Validated barrier inventories and modelling indicate that Europe’s rivers are fragmented by more than one million barriers, such as dams, weirs and fords, causing major impacts on biodiversity.
- Barbara Belletti
- , Carlos Garcia de Leaniz
- & Maciej Zalewski
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Comment |
Drink more recycled wastewater
There is no room for squeamishness in the face of the world’s growing water shortage — three steps could vastly improve the image of reused water for drinking.
- Cecilia Tortajada
- & Pierre van Rensburg
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Where I Work |
Engineering a dream workspace
A sediment scientist rebuilt his entire lab to model how water shapes underwater canyons.
- Kendall Powell
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Editorial |
Let independent panel shape Africa’s largest hydropower dam
Researchers are assessing the environmental risks posed by a dam on the Nile. The countries involved should let them finish the job.
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News |
Gigantic Nile dam prompts clash between Egypt and Ethiopia
The Renaissance Dam project has sparked a dispute over Ethiopia’s development needs, versus Egypt’s concerns over water scarcity and climate change.
- Antoaneta Roussi
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Books & Arts |
Fighting for food, penguin sex, and sewers on display: Books in brief
Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week’s best science picks.
- Barbara Kiser
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Correspondence |
Could offshore groundwater rescue coastal cities?
- Christian Berndt
- & Aaron Micallef
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Editorial |
End the drought in drought research
Policymakers battling water shortages and land degradation need independent scientific advice.
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News |
African nations push UN to improve drought research
Early-warning systems to identify areas at risk top countries’ wishlist.
- T. V. Padma
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News Feature |
A land without water: the scramble to stop Jordan from running dry
Climate change, a wave of refugees and poor planning are draining water supplies in Jordan.
- Elizabeth Whitman
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News |
‘The most terrifying moments’: India counts down to risky Moon landing
If touchdown is successful, Chandrayaan-2 will be the first lunar mission to explore the south pole.
- T.V. Padma
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Outlook |
Can cannabis go green?
With its demand for water, land and artificial lighting, cannabis growing can leave a large environmental footprint. But heightened awareness could make cultivation more benign.
- Jyoti Madhusoodanan
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Correspondence |
In-depth approach to river management
- Sonja C. Jähnig
- , Michael T. Monaghan
- & Daniel Hering
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Comment |
Prepare river ecosystems for an uncertain future
As the climate warms, we can’t restore waterways to pristine condition, but models can predict potential changes, argue Jonathan D. Tonkin, N. LeRoy Poff and colleagues.
- Jonathan D. Tonkin
- , N. LeRoy Poff
- & David A. Lytle
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Correspondence |
Beware small dams, they can do damage, too
- Carlos Garcia de Leaniz
- , Arjan Berkhuysen
- & Barbara Belletti
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Editorial |
Look beyond the ‘retraction’ label
Retracting a manuscript can be an opportunity to revisit the topic afresh.
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Correspondence |
More haste, less speed in replenishing China’s groundwater
- David O’Connor
- & Deyi Hou
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Books & Arts |
Newton’s opus revisited, bodily surprises and the secret lives of dogs: New in paperback
Highlights of this season’s releases.
- Mary Craig