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Warsaw's mussels act as living water monitors

A living organism can respond to a change in water that a sensor for one specific chemical may miss. Warsaw's water operator monitors freshwater mussels electronically, using changes in shell opening as an early-warning signal that prompts investigation. A comparable system has been described in Minneapolis: the animals signal a possible problem, while laboratory tests help identify it.

3–5 min

Questions you could explore

  • What can a living alarm tell an operator that it cannot diagnose by itself?
  • How can changes in the mussels' opening behavior become a signal for a water-treatment operator?

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Environment and climate

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3–5 min

Why can a city be warmer than nearby countryside?

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4–5 min

A trip through a wastewater treatment plant

Environment and climate4–5 minWater disappearing down a drain begins another journey before it returns to a river or the sea. Inside a wastewater treatment plant, screens, settling tanks, and microbes tackle different kinds of pollution. Conventional sewage treatment produces effluent for controlled discharge; making recycled water suitable for drinking requires additional treatment and safeguards.

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