  
Namibia's Stenocara beetle, whose bumpy back gathers moisture from fog, is teaching architects in arid lands to build better roofs. Oxford biologist Andrew Parker has discovered that the slightly flattened peaks on the bug's back attract water. Droplets then run into waxy, water-repellent valleys and are channeled into the mouth. With physicist Chris Lawrence, Parker has duplicated and enlarged this design for tents and rooftops, increasing fog-harvesting efficiency. " Animals are master engineers, so we copy them," says Parker, who has also modeled a nonreflective plastic after the eye of a 45-million-year-old old fossil fly.
—Jennifer Steinberg |
