Water capture by a desert beetle
Top Cited Papers
- 1 November 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 414 (6859) , 33-34
- https://doi.org/10.1038/35102108
Abstract
Some beetles in the Namib Desert collect drinking water from fog-laden wind on their backs1. We show here that these large droplets form by virtue of the insect's bumpy surface, which consists of alternating hydrophobic, wax-coated and hydrophilic, non-waxy regions. The design of this fog-collecting structure can be reproduced cheaply on a commercial scale and may find application in water-trapping tent and building coverings, for example, or in water condensers and engines.Keywords
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