2014_12_11_CIE_tenebrionind
When the Tenebrionind evolved
Maybe you're not interested in beetles. You've probably never considered their role on this planet. Surely if someone talks to you about evolution you imagine Darwin, the great apes and how everything is connected. But nature has a funny way of acting and sometimes the tiniest animal can open up a whole spectrum of the future and research.
Some beetles of the Tenebrionind family live in the Namib Desert; an inhospitable territory somewhere in southwest Africa where sand, sun and heat mean only one thing: water scarcity. In this uncomfortable environment, these insects have found a way to collect water not only from the fog, but also from the dew. Some species, which are known as Tok, in particular the tokies, have made great strides in their evolution and developed a nanostructure that functions as a micro-condenser, financial aid, in the face of drought or absence of fog, and thus get the water they need to survive.
This incredibly complex yet dwarf mechanism is not only a great sample of what adaptation and evolution means for the planet's species, but also implies a breakthrough in the collection of drinking water from moisture in the air. Thus, University of Navarra researchers José Guadarrama Cetina and two others, as part of an international partnership with researchers from French and British institutions, believe that the finding could improve the collection of water from condensers if it could mimic the structure of the beetle.
Human-built water condensers in plenary session of the Executive Council 21st century should include three ingredients core topic: improved and more efficient cooling and radiation, a micro-structured surface and a backside that serves as a wind shield. Some fields such as engineering and architecture could benefit from this research and become more sustainable.
So, the fact that an insect can collect water from the dew and the relationship with our civilization may be a mystery... or not anymore. But one thing is for sure, the Tenebrionind will never be the same.