The water detected on the Moon over the past couple of decades is absolutely central to building a human base there. By extracting water from rocks and dust, astronauts could produce breathable air and rocket fuel. But it is still not very clear what type of water it is, and how and where it would best be extracted.

The term water isn’t just used for molecular water, but also for mixes of hydrogen and hydroxyl. Although the latter two could be combined by astronauts to form molecular water at the lunar surface, it is important to know in what forms of water are present. For example, molecular water in the form of water ice would be easier to extract than hydroxyl locked in rocks.

Now two new studies, published in Nature Astronomy, have strengthened the case for exploring the Moon by demonstrating that there is indeed water ice there – and that water supplies are likely more abundant than previously thought.

Meanwhile, little has changed when it comes to stereotyping people based on their accents in England, where the standard higher-class accent – “received pronunciation” – is consistently rated as more intelligent than others. And it turns out the war against plastic may be overshadowing greater threats to the environment.

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