A wooden solution to metal satellites polluting space. Water woes create droughts in 48 of the 50 U.S. states—and climate change is of course a culprit. Microplastics could make wastewater recycling more challenging. And researchers figure out how mud from a secret spot off the Delaware River makes baseballs easier to grip.

Recommended reading:

How Baseball Got Faster but Riskier

Microplastics Linked to Heart Attack, Stroke and Death

Space Junk Is Polluting Earth’s Stratosphere with Vaporized Metal

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Baseball Mud Bath, Water Woes and Wooden Satellites