A Nobel Prize-winning chemist has developed a machine that can harvest up to 270 gallons of clean drinking water daily directly from dry, desert air.
The innovative system, developed by 2025 Nobel laureate in chemistry Professor Omar Yaghi and his company Atoco, utilizes molecularly engineered, porous materials that act like 'molecular sponges' to trap water vapor from the atmosphere. Unlike traditional desalination methods—which require massive amounts of energy and produce environmentally harmful salty brine—Yaghi’s machine utilizes ultra-low-grade heat to release the trapped molecules as pure liquid water.
Contained in a unit the size of a 20-foot shipping container, the system can function completely off-grid, ensuring a reliable water source even when natural disasters or severe droughts knock out centralized electricity and municipal water supplies.
For Yaghi, a chemistry professor at UC Berkeley, this scientific breakthrough is deeply personal. Having grown up in a Jordan refugee community with no running water or electricity, he spent his childhood rushing to fill containers during scarce, bi-weekly water deliveries.
Driven by these early struggles, Yaghi designed this technology to foster water independence for the 2.2 billion people worldwide who lack safely managed drinking water.
Because atmospheric water harvesting operates wherever there is moisture in the air, the technology offers a highly resilient and sustainable alternative for isolated island nations, remote desert communities, and areas devastated by hurricanes.
source: Duncan, N. (2026). 'Reimagining matter': Nobel laureate invents machine that harvests water from dry air. The Guardian.
When your at the traffic lights and it's still flashing red for pedestrians, but there are no cars in sight
You decide to take the risk and stroll across as everyone scuttles behind
...
That was no ordinary feat
u Glorious Legend
You just led a revolution
My sister, an F1 doctor, went to @OxfordMosque after a long shift, and was denied iftar because she is a woman.
This is disgusting behaviour from Oxford mosque during this holy month. Shameful.
@ba9ates time is relative therefore I also do this when the internet connection is loading--- physics hacks not appearing to show any trace of efficacy
i literally think everyone is most themselves from ages 5-8 and then they find their way back to that self over the course of the next 20 years or so does that make sense
Some people turn to Allah when calamities befall them while others turn away. Seeing this video makes one emotional: this man prayed for 5 years while being tied to these wires! If you’re in a calamity, think: Allah might have written Firdous for you if you bear it with patience.
I asked my MP to speak out for an immediate ceasefire, and a path to long term peace for all Palestinian and Israeli civilians. Will you join me? It takes a minute and we can make sure the voices of civilians are heard: https://t.co/Rpv2pVPt6U
I condemn all violence and will not stand by while Palestinian and Israeli civilians pay the price for political failure. Please sign Oxfam's petition and make your voice heard. https://t.co/3BknlIhFnf
These past few days have been so bright that it is hard to believe a depressed person
When they say they are
Depressed from 23rd - 27th June
Especially since it is the day of Arafah tomorrow.