How This Beetle Could Help Solve Our Water Crisis | Evolutionary Tech

Water from Thin Air: Fog Harvesting

In this video, we learn about the problem of water scarcity and how fog harvesting can be a solution. We explore the Namib Desert beetle's ability to collect water from fog and how scientists are studying its exoskeleton to improve fog-collecting technology.

The Problem of Water Scarcity

• Two-thirds of people on Earth face an extreme water shortage at least one month a year.

• Half a billion people don't have enough water year-round.

• Many regions lack traditional water sources but make up for it in fog.

The Namib Desert Beetle's Ability to Collect Water from Fog

• The Namib Desert is one of the driest places in the world but is also a fog desert where fog is the main source of water for plant and animal life.

• The Namib Desert beetle can collect water droplets from fog by climbing to the top of a dune and leaning down into the wind.

• Despite not looking like current fog-collecting technology, which is based on leaves and blades of grass, the beetle can collect more efficiently than these technologies.

Studying the Exoskeleton of the Namib Desert Beetle

• Scientists have been studying how droplets move to the beetle's mouth but have not covered how they get there in the first place.

• Hunter King and his team discovered that bumps on an unrelated beetle's exoskeleton improved efficiency in capturing fog droplets.

• They 3D-printed spheres with various surface textures and found that those with bumps captured 2.5 times more fog than smooth spheres.

• Further research using computational fluid dynamics experts developed a computer model that tested droplets' ability to bump into surfaces. They found that rougher textures resulted in more droplets bumping into surfaces.

Implications for Fog Harvesting Technology

• Understanding the beetle's game can lead to playing it differently for greater effect.

• Even a slight increase in efficacy could improve the lives of people who rely on current fog capture tech, including opening agricultural doors.

Modifying Tents for Refugee Camps

In this section, King discusses proposals for modifying tents in refugee camps to make them more suitable for the environment.

Wind-Driven Fog Modification

• King proposes modifying tents in refugee camps by adding bumps to the surface of the tent.

• The bumps would be effective if there is enough wind-driven fog in the area.

• This modification could potentially improve living conditions for refugees.