Lesser-known facts about the father of modern science
Some 80% of the illnesses in developing countries are related to water. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio can be transmitted through contaminated water. Many countries are still struggling to provide their citizens with safe drinking water, a luxury most of us take for granted.
Sources: (Seametrics) (Water Plus) (EPA)
See also: The rising risk of water wars
However, 97% of the water on Earth is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% of the world’s water is locked in ice caps and glaciers, meaning there’s just 1% available for all of our needs.
If you drink water on an empty stomach, it will leave your stomach within five minutes. This means you can rehydrate faster if you drink some water before eating.
Water expands in size by 9% when it’s frozen. This is why pipes burst in the winter and a can of beer can explode if you put it in the freezer and forget about it!
NASA discovered water on the Moon. However, it was only found in the form of ice. That’s not surprising, considering temperatures can be as low as -280°F (-173°C) on the Moon.
Over 90% of the world’s supply of freshwater is located in Antarctica. However, 68.7% of the Earth’s fresh water supply is trapped in glaciers.
If we could save just a third of the money people spend on bottled water every year, it would be enough to create projects to provide clean water in every country that needs it.
Water does a number of incredible things inside the human body. These include regulating body temperature, carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushioning joints, protecting organs, and flushing out waste.
Amazingly, 85% of the world’s population live on the driest part of the planet.
We might try to save water by taking shorter showers and using the economy setting on the laundry machine, but a huge amount of the water we're responsible for using up actually comes from our diets.
As infrastructure is poorer in the countries that tend to struggle for water the most, they sadly lose a great deal through leaking pipes. Some cities in the developing world actually lose up to 50% of their water through leaks.
On average, a person can live an entire month with no food at all. However, we can only survive for one week without water.
Water is completely essential to our survival, but clean drinking water can also kill us if we consume too much of it! This is pretty hard to do, but it does happen. Water intoxication occurs when we consume so much water in a short period that the kidneys can’t work fast enough to remove the excess liquid and electrolyte levels become dangerously unbalanced.
An incredible amount of water is lost through leaks every single day, all over the world. It’s estimated that 10% of all homes have water leaks that lose more than 90 gallons (409 liters) every day.
Water is the only substance on Earth that is naturally found in all three states of matter: liquid, solid, and gas.
Here are a few examples! One pound (450 grams) of beef requires 1,799 gallons (8,178 liters) of water to produce. One slice of processed bread requires 11 gallons (50 liters) of water. And one apple requires 18 gallons (68 liters) of water.
It’s estimated that households in the US lose 11 trillion gallons (50 trillion liters) in water leaks every year.
The human body loses around one cup of water per day simply by exhaling. Interesting, right? We normally don’t notice the moisture in our breath until we step outside on a cold winter's day and can literally see it in front of us.
There are still many people around the world who don’t have direct access to a clean water source. For instance, it’s estimated that the number of women collecting water for their families amounts to 200 million hours of work each day.
The human body is 60% water, but the brain is made up of 70% water. That’s a lot of liquid sloshing around up there!
Water is without a doubt the most essential resource we have here on Earth. Humans, animals, and the Earth itself are made up almost entirely of water, so it stands to reason that H2O is pretty important! Indeed, water does countless amazing things like regulate the Earth’s temperature and hydrate all living things.
Many of us take water for granted, but it's actually a fascinating substance. Click through the following gallery to learn some surprising facts about the magical stuff.
Precious water: amazing facts about our most important resource
Did you know the human brain is 70% water?
LIFESTYLE Science
Water is without a doubt the most essential resource we have here on Earth. Humans, animals, and the Earth itself are made up almost entirely of water, so it stands to reason that H2O is pretty important! Indeed, water does countless amazing things like regulate the Earth’s temperature and hydrate all living things.
Many of us take water for granted, but it's actually a fascinating substance. Click through the following gallery to learn some surprising facts about the magical stuff.