00:00What if you could actually cool a building by spending less on electricity?
00:08I know that sounds far-fetched yes but it is doable and it's already been tested in
00:17more than 30 countries and regions. Developed by scientists in Hong Kong this
00:22solution comes from an unexpected place, a can of paint. The research team at
00:29City University of Hong Kong found their inspiration in an unlikely survivor of
00:35one of the hottest places on earth, the Saharan silver ant.
00:44Yeah there's a silver ant that lives in the Sahara Desert. Do you know how much
00:49degrees Celsius in the Sahara Desert? Nearly. Yeah it's around 60 to 70 degrees Celsius.
00:55Well it's quite hot, they can still survive. Because of the skin structure of the silver ant,
01:01it can convert the internal body energy into mid-infrared emission.
01:08This is the key. The ant's unique skin doesn't just reflect sunlight. It actively cools the ant by
01:14transforming its body heat into a specific type of infrared wave that can easily escape into the cold universe.
01:21The mid-infrared is 8 to 13 micron wavelength. And why this wavelength?
01:27Because the wavelength is very special. It can transmit the atmosphere and the temperature of the universe is low,
01:35close to absolute zero. It is like minus 270 degrees Celsius.
01:39The challenge was to take this natural blueprint and turn it into a human technology.
01:44We are very interested in this area. And then we use the computer simulation technology to simulate all this silver ant structure.
01:57The result of this biomimicry is a nano powder that can be mixed into a water-based paint.
02:03When applied to a rooftop, it does two things simultaneously. It reflects over 95% of the harsh sunlight,
02:10and it radiates a building's internal heat directly into space.
02:15This is what sets it apart. Other cooling paints might reflect sunlight, but they lack this emission capability.
02:23That's why this electricity-free cooling paint can cut air conditioning costs by up to 40%, offering a real and sustainable way to fight the heat.
02:34This also shows us that nature has already written some of the most advanced solutions to our biggest challenges, like climate change.
02:43We just have to look closely enough to learn.
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