摘要: Fog basking by Namib Desert weevils Namib Desert darkling beetles (Onymacris unguicularis) capture water droplets from fog using a highly specialized behavior called “fog basking”. This has applications in biomimetics (the study of biology-inspired technology, which can be utilized to solve complex human problems). In short, synthetic surfaces that mimic the external texture of fog-dependent organisms can be used to extract water from the atmosphere, thereby helping to address the critical and growing human demand for water in arid regions. In April 2019, my colleagues and I visited a site within the Namib Sand Sea approximately 18.7 km due east of the Atlantic seaboard, near Walvis Bay. At the time, heavy fog was being carried over the dunes by a westerly breeze. Near the base of a large sand dune, we encountered several clumps of dune grass (Stipagrostis sabulicola) and observed many Namib Desert …