a man is standing in the desert.

一個人站在沙漠中。

He's thirsty, parched, and surrounded by fresh water

他口渴了，乾渴了，周圍都是淡水。

but he can't drink.

但他不能喝。

Why?

為什麼？

He's surrounded by fog.

他被霧氣包圍了。

This isn't actually a riddle, it's a real problem

這其實不是一個謎語，而是一個真正的問題。

scientists have been trying to solve for years.

科學家們多年來一直試圖解決。

And the solution might just be this little beetle.

而解決辦法可能就是這隻小甲蟲。

It might not look like much,

它可能看起來不大。

but it can pull water out of thin air.

但它能憑空拉出水來。

Two-thirds of people on Earth face an extreme water shortage

地球上有三分之二的人面臨著極度缺水的問題。

at least one month a year.

每年至少有一個月的時間。

Half a billion don't have enough water year-round.

5億人常年沒有足夠的水。

And these numbers are only expected to rise

而這些數字預計只會上升

as climate change takes its toll.

由於氣候變化造成的損失。

But what many of these regions lack

但這些地區中的許多地區缺乏的是

in traditional water sources, they make up for in fog,

在傳統水源中，他們彌補了霧。

like the Namib Desert.

如納米布沙漠。

It's one of the oldest and driest places in the world.

這裡是世界上最古老、最乾燥的地方之一。

Depending on how far you are from the coast,

取決於你離海岸有多遠。

rainfall averages about a half-inch to two inches per year.

每年平均降雨量約為半英寸至兩英寸。

But it's what we would consider a fog desert,

但這是我們認為的霧霾沙漠。

a place where fog is the main water source

霧區

for plant and animal life, like the Namib Desert beetle.

為動植物生命，如那密比亞沙漠甲蟲。

At first glance, this group of beetles

乍看之下，這群甲蟲

would seem to be really bad at capturing fog.

似乎真的不擅長捕捉霧氣。

It's tiny, it's round,

很小，很圓。

and our current fog-collecting technology

和我們現在的霧氣收集技術。

looks nothing like it.

看起來一點也不像。

Fog meshes right now are based on leaves

現在的霧狀網格是基於葉子的

and blades of grass,

和草葉。

and their efficacy is determined

而它們的功效決定於

by this complicated formula.

通過這個複雜的公式。

Where these two basically confirm

其中這兩個基本確認

that fast winds, big droplets,

那快的風，大的水滴。

and slender targets across a large area

和大面積細長目標

are the best conditions for collecting.

是收藏的最佳條件。

And this one represents the mesh's ability

而這個代表了網格的能力

to drain the collected droplets into a reservoir

將收集到的液滴排入蓄水池中

without clogging.

而不堵塞。

So, based on the formula, the Namib Desert beetle

所以，根據這個公式，那密比亞沙漠甲蟲

shouldn't be able to do what it does.

不應該能做到它所做的事情。

Since, you know, beetles aren't made of mesh.

因為，你知道，甲蟲不是網眼做的。

And yet, when fog rolls in,

然而，當霧氣滾滾而來的時候。

the beetle climbs to the top of a dune

蠹蟲上山

and fog basks, leaning down and into the wind.

和霧的沐浴，俯身入風。

Water droplets collect on its back

水滴聚集在它的背上

and roll down to its mouth.

並滾落到其口中。

As simple as that sounds, it's very literally

雖然聽起來很簡單，但從字面上看，它是非常簡單的

like trying to catch a cloud and pin it down.

就像想抓住一朵雲，然後把它釘在上面。

Hunter King: If you wave your fingers through mist,

獵人王：如果你在霧中揮指。

you don't see just a path where your fingers were

你看不到的只是一條你手指的路

and all the water collected.

以及所有收集的水。

It just flows with the air, right through them.

它只是隨著空氣流動，直接穿過它們。

Narrator: But the beetle manages to do what we cannot.

但甲蟲能做到我們做不到的事但甲蟲卻能做到我們做不到的事。

The secret is in its exoskeleton.

祕密就在於它的外骨骼。

And it's very much a secret.

而且這是個非常大的祕密。

King: We are far away from that still,

金。我們離這一點還很遠。

or we're getting closer.

或者我們越來越接近了。

Narrator: A lot of research has been done

旁白：已經做了很多研究

on how the water moves to the beetle's mouth,

關於水如何移動到甲蟲的嘴裡。

but almost none has covered

但幾乎沒有一個人涵蓋

how the droplets get there in the first place.

水滴是如何到達那裡擺在首位的。

Hunter King and his team tried to find the answer

獵人王和他的團隊試圖找到答案。

but hit an unexpected bump in the road.

卻遇到了意想不到的坎坷。

The original beetle

原來的甲蟲

that scientists started researching first had exactly that,

科學家們首先開始研究的正是有。

bumps on its exoskeleton.

它的外骨骼上的凸起。

And those bumps were theorized to have an impact

而這些顛簸理論上是有影響的。

on the efficiency of fog collection.

對霧氣收集效率的影響。

But...

但是...

King: It turns out the beetle that has the bumps

王：原來是有疙瘩的甲蟲。

is not one of the fog-basking beetles.

並不是霧障甲蟲中的一種。

Narrator: King and his team decided to move forward

旁白：King和他的團隊決定繼續前進

with their experiment anyways.

與他們的實驗反正。

In the lab, they 3D-printed spheres and cylinders

在實驗室裡，他們3D打印了球體和圓柱體。

with various surface textures, smooth, ridged, and bumpy.

具有不同的表面紋理，光滑、有脊、有凹凸。

They then put the spheres in a foggy wind tunnel.

然後，他們把這些球體放在一個霧氣繚繞的風洞裡。

Turns out the sphere with one millimeter bumps

原來球體上有一毫米的凸點

captured fog 2.5 times better than the smooth sphere.

捕獲的霧氣比光滑球體好2.5倍。

- If you add ridges

- 如果加上脊

that are maybe a little bit like the beetle

也許有一點像甲蟲

that we found is the fog basker,

我們發現的是霧盆客。

you go up to something like a factor of two,

你去的東西像兩個因素。

so it's still not small.

所以還是不小。

Narrator: Further research in partnership

敘述者：進一步的合作研究

with computational fluid dynamics experts

與計算流體動力學專家

at the University of Illinois, zoomed in even closer.

在伊利諾伊大學，更近距離放大。

They developed a computer model

他們開發了一個計算機模型

that tested droplets' ability to bump into a surface.

測試液滴撞擊表面的能力。

Tiny water droplets have very little inertia,

小小的水滴有很小的慣性。

and have to squeeze a film of air out of the way

擠出一層空氣

before making contact.

在接觸之前，。

The model found that the less squeezing droplets have to do,

該模型發現，擠壓液滴要做的事情越少。

the more that bump into the surface,

撞到表面的越多。

which is what you should get with rougher textures.

這是你應該得到的更粗糙的紋理。

These tiny details are important

這些微小的細節很重要

for harnessing and recreating these properties

駕馭和重現這些特性的方法。

into a usable technology.

變成一種可用的技術。

King: If we understand the beetle's game,

王：如果我們瞭解甲蟲的遊戲。

then we can play it differently towards greater effect.

那麼我們可以用不同的方式來發揮更大的效果。

Narrator: Even a slight increase in efficacy

旁白：哪怕是功效的輕微增加

could improve the lives of people

可以改善人們的生活

who rely on current fog capture tech.

誰依靠目前的霧氣捕捉技術。

And we're not just talking drinking water here,

而且我們不只是在談論飲用水。

fog capture can open agricultural doors,

霧氣捕捉可以打開農業大門。

allowing people to raise more crops and livestock.

讓人們能夠飼養更多的農作物和牲畜；

Identifying these properties is one thing.

識別這些特性是一回事。

But once scientists are able to harness them,

但一旦科學家能夠駕馭它們。

engineers should be able to design

工程師應該能夠設計

all sorts of fog collectors.

各種各樣的霧氣收集器。

Stand-alone fog-collecting structures, for sure.

獨立的集霧結構，是肯定的。

But they could also use the material

但他們也可以使用材料

to coat existing objects

來塗抹現有的對象

to turn anything into a fog collector.

把任何東西變成霧氣收集器。

King: There have been proposals about modifying tents,

金。有人提出了關於修改帳篷的建議。

say for refugee camps,

難民營的說法。

if we were to say that these tents

如果說這些帳篷

are going to be in a place

將要在一個地方

where there is enough wind-driven fog,

在有足夠的風動霧的地方。

then you could make bumps on the surface of it.

那你就可以在它的表面上做凸起。

Narrator: Both King's semi-accidental bump discovery

旁白：都是King的半意外碰撞發現的

and the still-unknown qualities

和尚不為人知的品質

of the actual fog-basking beetle

霧化甲蟲的實際情況。

could help solve the riddle,

可以幫助解開謎底。

giving that man in the desert a better way to drink.

給那個沙漠裡的人一個更好的喝水方式。

And, potentially, ending water scarcity for good.

而且，有可能徹底結束水資源短缺。