Water capture by a desert beetle
Thu, 08/11/2007 - 15:03 | 
Thomas Hesselberg
| Title | Water capture by a desert beetle |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Other Author Affiliations | 2001 |
| Authors | Parker, A. R.; Lawrence, C. R. |
| Journal | Nature |
| Place Published | 414 |
| Edition | 33-34 |
| Issue | eng |
| Pagination | 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. |