Human Body Re-Designed to Survive on 1 Oz H2O Daily

How could you re-design your body so that instead of requiring over 2 litres per day of water, you suddenly need only about 30 ml?

Such a radical reduction in daily water requirements suddenly opens up large areas of the planet for human habitation.

In addition, reducing human water requirements makes it easier for humans to live in outer space habitats and long-distance spaceships, and in undersea habitats.

Video via Takram (h/t Popsci)

The video describes the Shenu Hydrolemic System, which works to limit water losses through perspiration, urination, and feces through multiple body implants and prostheses.

We were given a vision of cathartic future. A world in which humanity experiences a cataclysmic sequence of events that will bring us to the brink of annihilation. Afflicted by manmade causes, the rising sea level, radioactive emissions and release of hazardous materials into the environment, art and culture cease to exist. This provides an opportunity, not lament, to re-evaluate what constitutes art, design, culture and the quality of life itself when all prejudices and preconceptions vanish.

With this premise, takram was tasked to design a water bottle.After a period of thorough research and analysis, takram reached an uncanny solution. Our conclusion was that it would make more sense, in fact, to regulate how much water the human body can retain and recycle in this dire environment. This revelation resulted in the Hydrolemic system, a set of artificial organs. _Takram

Watch the short video, and follow the link above for more information.

The human body is in for some radical re-design, as humans attempt to expand their activities into more and more extreme environments. From the polar regions to the deep seas, to high altitude atmospheric regions, to the many environments available off-planet -- humans are looking to extend their reach and expand their practical vision.

We were not evolved for most of those environments, however. We can compensate for some of these evolutionary deficiencies by creating artificial environments around us. Submarines allow us to live and work at depth undersea. Spaceships can protect us from vacuum and temperature extremes in space, with partial protection from radiation hazard. Pressurised capsules could allow us to live at high altitudes either on mountaintops or in large high altitude lighter than air habitats.

But we are the naked ape, and we would rather be able to face these exotic environments with a minimum of artifact between us and the environment -- if we could do so safely.

That is why reducing the daily water requirement is just the beginning for the grand project of re-designing humans for the challenges ahead of us.

Much more on this topic in future postings.

Pitcher-Style Home Water Purification System

H/T ImpactLab
The Homedics water purification utilises both filtration and light-wave germicidal action to kill 99.9999% of bacteria, 99.99% of viruses and 99.95% of microbial cysts in your drinking water (and costs $99.99 as well). It is like a Brita activated charcoal filter plus germicidal ultraviolet, so it removes more of the potentially harmful products that sometimes find their way into a drinking water supply.
Homedics website

UVC light, with wavelengths between 100 and 280 nm, is commonly referred to as “germicidal light” due to its effectiveness in destroying microorganisms. UVC light acts as a natural outdoor air purification system by deactivating the DNA of microorganisms and destroying their ability to multiply.

UVC light has been used to effectively disinfect and sanitize in water treatment plants, hospitals and laboratories, and food and drug facilities for years. In addition, this technology has been used in a number of consumer products.

Utilizing the germ-killing benefits of UVC light, HoMedics, the leader in health and wellness products, developed Restore®, a complete water purification system in an easy to use pitcher. Restore combines UV Clean technology to remove bacteria, viruses and microbial cysts with a filtration system to reduce heavy metals, chlorine (taste and odor), and some industrial and agricultural pollutants.

Restore includes an internal filtration system with an activated carbon and ion exchange resin. Once water has passed through the filter, the water is purified by the built-in UV lamp by activating a 60-second germ-killing cycle. _Homedics PDF