Beetle Bottles

One little bug might be the start of a big change

In a bleak, lonely desert on Africa's southwestern coast, black insects push up their shells toward the sun. But these Namib Desert beetles aren't just trying to relax - this action gives them much needed water in one of Earth's driest areas.

On their raised backs, the beetles collect moisture from the morning fog, which beads and rolls directly into their mouths. While these remarkable creatures are built for survival, some young scientists think that the beetles inspire a solution to human water stress today.

NBD (Namib Beetle Design) Nanotechnologies is the name of this ambitious group, giving credit where it is due.

Though the little Namibian creatures were the stimulus for the development of several water-collection materials or devices, NBD Nano is putting their own stamp on the idea. They want to create a portable bottle that will collect water from the air as the beetles do. To achieve this, they have created a nano-designed surface imitating the beetle's wings, made up of both water-attracting and water-resisting parts.

Once they have a working prototype, it will likely first be sold to green consumers, military groups and greenhouses. However, ND Nano really hopes these sales will allow "beetle bottles" to be donated to Third-World countries - a very honorable goal.

Grammar Gym
to put one's stamp
stamp: a way to show that something belongs to you or has your unique quality
- NBD Nano is putting their own stamp on the idea.
- The band put their stamp on a popular children's song, and the song became a hit overnight.
- The restaurant put its stamp on a traditional Chinese dish by adding western ingredients to it.

Info Cloud
Third-World countries

二次世界大戰後, 冷戰時期的觀點:
First World 第一世界, 以美國為主的西方資本主義國家
Second World 第二世界, 被蘇聯支配的共產國家
Third World 第三世界, 其他國家都被歸類為此
在蘇聯瓦解之後, First World/ Second World 就成為歷史名詞,
而此後, Third World 泛指亞洲, 非洲, 等比較落後的國家 developing countries 開發中國家


Language Lab
bleak adj.荒涼的; 無遮蔽的, 遭受風吹雨打的
/ˈbli:k/
 cold and without any pleasant or comfortable features
- You can see homeless people wandering around on the bleak inner-city streets.
你可以看到無家可歸的人在荒涼的巿中心流浪
bleak adj.  陰暗的, 無希望的
not warm, friendly, cheerful, etc. ; not hopeful or encouraging
without anything to make you feel happy or hopeful
- The outlook of the country's economy remains bleak.
這個國家的經濟前景仍然一片暗淡

nanotechnology n.奈米科技 [nano奈米/technology科技]
/ˌnænoʊtɛkˈnɑ:ləʤi/
the science of working with atoms and molecules to build devices (such as robots) that are extremely small;
a science which involves developing and making extremely small but very powerful machines
- The bioengineers used the most recent nanotechnology to create this device.
這些生物工程師運用了最新的奈米科技發明了這個儀器

stimulus n. 刺激; 刺激品; 興奮劑 (字尾有S但是卻是單數形)
/ˈstɪmjələs/
stimuli n. plural
/ˈstɪmjəˌlaɪ/
something that helps a process to develop more quickly or more strongly
- Low interest rates were one of the stimuli for the past few years' economic growth.
- The plant is very sensitive to external stimulus.

prototype n.原型; 標準; 模範 [proto 第一個/ type 類型]
1 the first form that a new design of a car, machine etc has, or a model of it used to test the design before it is produced
2 someone or something that is one of the first and most typical examples of a group or situation
- The prototype of the aircraft is still under construction.
- William is the prototype of old fashioned scholars.
William 是傳統學者的典範

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