Nobody knows ….. how dry I am

The never-ending saga of water on the Moon continues apace. In the latest revelation, it is now claimed that the Moon is indeed “dry” after all and never had much water (this new finding is only in regard to endogenous lunar water contained inside the Moon, not to water that has been or is being [...]

Apollo 16 sample 60095, "Rusty Rock" -- contamination or Moon water?
The never-ending saga of water on the Moon continues apace. In the latest revelation, it is now claimed that the Moon is indeed “dry” after all and never had much water (this new finding is only in regard to endogenous lunar water contained inside the Moon, not to water that has been or is being added to the lunar surface from impacting debris). Details of the controversy illuminate not only how science is done, but also how science is reported to the public by the popular press.
The current study by scientists at the University of New Mexico did not measure lunar water directly, but rather a chemical proxy for it, the element chlorine. Chlorine is “hydrophylic” (water-loving) and in theory, its abundance and variations should track with those of water inside the ...