Harvest water from the atmosphere

The Namibian fog basking beetle – Stenocara – has a remarkable ability to survive in the Namib Desert which receives only around 1cm of rainfall annually. It has developed an elegant way of harvesting water from fog that rolls off the Atlantic Ocean in the very early morning. The tiny bumps on his black back shell, both hydrophobic (water-repelling) and hydrophilic (water-attracting), draw droplets of water from the fog-laden winds. Scientists have been inspired by the beetle’s shell to create surface and texture material innovations that can be used for gathering water in arid and dry climate conditions.

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