Researchers in the US have built a fully functioning computer that runs like clockwork – but instead of electrons, it operates using the movement of tiny magnetised water droplets. The ultimate goal is to use the machine to precisely control and manipulate matter, the same way that regular computers manipulate information.

Although this new water-based computer could theoretically do everything a normal computer can thanks to its universal logic gates, it’s much slower than the devices we currently use. But the team has far bigger plans in mind for their invention – revolutionising the way we process and manufacture materials.

“We already have digital computers to process information … Our goal is to build a completely new class of computers that can precisely control and manipulate physical matter,” Manu Prakash, lead researcher and bioengineer at Stanford University, said in a press release. “Imagine if when you run a set of computations that not only information is processed but physical matter is algorithmically manipulated as well. We have just made this possible at the mesoscale [10 microns to 1 millimetre].” Read more

Water shortages are hurting India’s ability to produce power.

New WRI research finds that 40 percent of the country’s thermal power plants are located in areas facing high water stress, a problem since these plants use water for cooling. Scarce water is already hampering electricity generation in these regions—14 of India’s 20 largest thermal utilities experienced at least one shutdown due to water shortages between 2013-2016, costing the companies $1.4 billion.

It’s an issue that’s only poised to worsen unless the country takes action—70 percent of India’s thermal power plants will face high water stress by 2030 thanks to climate change and increased demands from other sectors. Read more

Providing guidance on how to better target agricultural conservation in the United States, to cost-effectively achieve measurable improvements in water quality.

The critical services that farmers and farms provide to society—food, fiber, and fuel—also have unintended environmental consequences: water pollution, wildlife habitat destruction, and climate-changing gases.

In the U.S., and globally, most policy solutions employ a voluntary programs approach by providing financial incentives and technical assistance to agricultural producers to adopt conservation practices. These federal conservation programs do solve environmental problems on farms. However, after three decades of such approaches, only a few landscape-scale environmental outcomes have been documented. Moreover, funds for conservation are limited, and these programs have not maximized the cost effectiveness of their efforts. Read more