Water capture by a desert beetle. |
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Authors: | A R Parker C R Lawrence |
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Institution: | Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. andrew.parker@zoo.ox.ac.uk |
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Abstract: | Some beetles in the Namib Desert collect drinking water from fog-laden wind on their backs. 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. |
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