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

6 months 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

Samsung Galaxy Ring Wearable Will Launch In Eight Sizes

A recent Korean report reveals the model numbers of the new health tracking device, as well as details of its key features.

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Nour Nasir

samsung galaxy ring wearable will launch in eight sizes

The global launch of the Samsung Galaxy Ring is hotly anticipated, with details about the next-gen wearable gradually emerging since the company’s teaser announcement back in January. Now, a report has also unveiled the model numbers for the device, suggesting it will be available in eight different sizes.

While Samsung has yet to divulge detailed specs and features of the Galaxy Ring, it’s likely to feature an array of health and sleep monitoring functionalities, while boasting a battery life of up to nine days on a single charge.

As per a Galaxy Club report, there are currently eight confirmed variants of the Galaxy Ring: SM-Q500, SM-Q501, SM-Q502, SM-Q505, SM-Q506, SM-Q507, SM-Q508, and SM-Q509.

However, the mystery shrouding two absent model numbers persists, leaving speculation as to whether they signify additional sizes or if Samsung plans to unveil a later ninth variant of the ring, as previously hinted. There’s conjecture that these models may correspond to US ring sizes 5 and above, commencing with the SMQ500, with subsequent numbers potentially indicating larger ring sizes, possibly reaching up to size 13, aligning with model number SM-Q509.

Also Read: Adobe Reveals New AI Tools That Will Wow Photoshop Novices

Recent Korean reports have shed light on how Samsung’s Mobile eXperience division (MX) collaborated with the Home Appliance department to integrate Samsung Food with the Galaxy Ring: Tailored for daily activity tracking, the Galaxy Ring, when paired with Samsung Food and an intelligent Samsung refrigerator featuring AI vision, delivers personalized dietary guidance based on calorie intake and BMI.

Samsung is banking on the user-friendly interface and high durability of the ring to redefine the healthcare wearables landscape. Meanwhile, Apple is also making strides in the development of a smart ring, aimed at monitoring users’ health biometrics discreetly when worn on the finger. According to the Electronic Times report, Apple has been closely monitoring market interest in this more inconspicuous alternative to a traditional watch.