BACKGROUND: Inspired by the Namib Desert beetle that lives in
one of the driest regions of the world, researchers at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, have
developed a new material that can capture and control tiny
amounts of water, just like the beetle does. Applications
include its use for self-contaminating surfaces that could
channel and collect harmful substances, such as germs, that
could then be easily killed or deactivated. It could also be
used for lab-on-a-chip diagnostics of DNA screening. ABOUT
DESERT BEETLES: The desert beetle has a built-in water
collection system that allows it to survive where there is no
water to be found, even when the humidity in the air is close to
zero. This is important since normal condensation can't take
place in the Namib Desert because the fog is too light. When fog
blows across the surface of the beetle's back, water droplets
begin to gather on top of the bumps on the insect's back These
bumps attract water. They are also surrounded by waxy, w