News

Meet The Desert Shrub That Absorbs Water From The Air

The Tamarix aphylla plant has the potential to revolutionize our approach to water collection and management.

Published

1 year ago

November 2, 2023

Nour Nasir

meet the desert shrub that absorbs water from the air

NYU Abu Dhabi

In the unrelenting heat of the UAE desert, scientists from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Smart Materials Lab have discovered the secret of one of the plant world’s most interesting and possibly useful species — Tamarix aphylla. This unassuming desert shrub can extract water from thin air, and tears up the rulebook on survival in one of the world’s harshest environments.

Marieh Al-Handawi, a Postdoctoral Associate, and her partner, Professor Panče Naumov, have made a groundbreaking discovery about Tamarix aphylla that could revolutionize our approach to water collection in arid regions. The desert shrub’s roots absorb hyper-saline water from the sandy soil, carefully filtering away the salt and expelling it as a concentrated solution onto the outer surface of its leaves as a mixture of over ten different minerals.

tamarix aphylla desert shrub

The crystalized minerals on the plant’s leaves possess a remarkable ability to attract further moisture from the air, even at humidity levels of just 55%. This collected moisture condenses on the leaves’ surface and is rapidly absorbed, creating a cyclical process that can continue indefinitely.

Lead author of the research, Marieh Al-Handawi, has high hopes for the team’s findings, explaining: “They also open prospects for designing environmentally benign formulations based on a biogenic salt mixture that could be used for efficient harvesting of aerial water or cloud seeding at low humidity. This holds the promise of revolutionizing cloud seeding practices by rendering them more effective and environmentally friendly while also aligning with our responsibility to use the planet’s scarce water resources wisely”.

Also Read: Canadian University Dubai Students Create Smart Garbage Bin

In a world where fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce, Al-Handawi and her team’s research could prove to be game-changing, with alternative water-harvesting technologies becoming a hot topic in the MENA region in particular.

News

UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.

Published

5 days ago

December 17, 2024

Nour Nasir

uae prepares to launch two satellites thuraya-2 and mbz-sat

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.

The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.

خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024

Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.

Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.

Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.

Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth

The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.

The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.