Water is the most familiar substance in our lives, and the most important. Every cell in our bodies is plumped full of water; every heartbeat, every thought — including thoughts about water — happens only because of the cascade of chemistry that water makes possible. Yet we know almost nothing about water, starting with such basics as: Where does our water come from? Where does it go once it disappears down the drain? In fact, even what we think we know about water is often wrong.
1. We’re running out of water.
We see it in the headlines almost every day: Drought in Texas and China. Nevada’s Lake Mead in danger of going dry. The Colorado River and the Rio Grande no longer flowing to the sea.