0:00:02 > 0:00:04'Animals are amazing.'
0:00:04 > 0:00:05That's astonishing.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10'And the more we find out about them, the more amazing they seem.'
0:00:10 > 0:00:11That feels pretty harsh.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16'That's why scientists all over the world are trying their best
0:00:16 > 0:00:17'to copy them.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:18This is in the future.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21'Making brand-new inventions...' Tomato juice.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'..based on what animals can do.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26'Some are astounding...'
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We've just dived under the sea.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29'..some bizarre....'
0:00:29 > 0:00:31This is not at all pleasant.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Yes, it's gone!
0:00:34 > 0:00:39'..but they're all inspired by the Miracles Of Nature.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42'Episode Nine.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50'How one tiny butterfly could help waterproof electronics.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Can we be frank just for a minute? Because this is important.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We need to address an embarrassing social problem.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Has this ever happened to you?
0:01:09 > 0:01:13An amazing 19% of us admit to having, at one time or another,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17dropped our mobile phone down the loo.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Actually, it's worse than that, because only 40% of us overall
0:01:20 > 0:01:24admit to taking our phone in with us in the first place.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26So if 19% drop it down...
0:01:26 > 0:01:29That's half of everybody who takes their phone into the loo
0:01:29 > 0:01:30drops it down there.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33I'm afraid to say it seems to be predominantly women.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Must be the whole, you know, sitting-down thing. Whatever!
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Anyway, ultimately it leads... well, to this.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Yeah. Telecommunications and toilets.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Not something with which you'd imagine the genius of nature
0:01:59 > 0:02:00could really help.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02But it can.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07And the answer can be found
0:02:07 > 0:02:10deep in the heart of the South American rainforest.
0:02:13 > 0:02:20As the name suggests, the rainforest gets an enormous amount of rainfall,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23so much that many of the plants and animals there
0:02:23 > 0:02:25have had to learn ways to cope.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33These leaves use layers of wax to stop water ever settling on them.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41It just rolls away like liquid silver balls.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52This spider uses its dense covering of tiny hairs to stay dry.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The hairs trap a thin layer of air...
0:02:58 > 0:03:01..meaning this spider can swim.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09And when it leaves the water, it's completely dry.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16But there is one creature even more ingenious.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26This Morpho butterfly is a master of repelling water.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30And with good cause.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36If just one of those heavy raindrops was to settle on its wing,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40it would become so unbalanced, it would fall out of the sky.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45And if just a fraction of a drop was absorbed,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48it could damage the wing permanently.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Lucky, then, that the water just beads up and runs off...
0:03:58 > 0:04:03..allowing the butterfly to find safety and shelter.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Despite the shiny appearance of the wing,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13this is not some sort of rubberised coating.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It's something far cleverer than that.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20But to find out what, we need to look closer.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22A thousand times closer.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Because although the wing looks totally smooth,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33it's actually covered in millions of tiny waffle-shaped ridges.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40This model represents that distinctive pattern,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and this balloon represents a water droplet.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47If it lands on the wing, only the tiniest part of it
0:04:47 > 0:04:49would ever come into contact with the actual surface
0:04:49 > 0:04:52because it balances on these ridges.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56In fact, less than 1% of any raindrop
0:04:56 > 0:05:00ever even touches the butterfly's wing.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02They call this property "hydrophobia" -
0:05:02 > 0:05:05literally "water-hating" -
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and it's a property so impressive
0:05:08 > 0:05:10and so potentially useful,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13that it's no surprise we've tried to copy it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This laboratory in Oxfordshire thinks it's succeeded.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30They've worked out a way to spray an artificial hydrophobic coating
0:05:30 > 0:05:33onto, well, just about everything.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37And if you don't believe me, just watch.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42We've put together a machine to explore this hydrophobic quality
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and all it needs to get it started is a couple of drops of water.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We've created this machine
0:05:51 > 0:05:56out of things we thought might benefit from being hydrophobic.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58A newspaper that never gets soggy.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02An egg carton that never gets sticky.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10A teapot that never dribbles.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Kitchen utensils, spatulas, spoons and mixing bowls
0:06:17 > 0:06:19that never get dirty.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Gloves that stay dry
0:06:22 > 0:06:25whether you're gardening or snowballing.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31And summer blockbusters that you can read by the pool.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44And, finally, the piece de resistance...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50..hydrophobic clothes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54So I've had THIS made.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56It's a suit, but it's been hydrophobically coated,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00which means, technically, I should be able to spill anything on it.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Coffee.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Red wine.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Mustard - English.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Tomato juice.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Mango juice.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14Soy sauce.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18You see, it all just flies off. Brilliant.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Right, hope there's nothing else.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Because the thing we really want to repel water is our phone.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Back to the lab.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34We've put a standard model into an airtight chamber,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36where it's subjected to a vacuum.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Next, it's exposed to charged gas particles which prepare
0:07:41 > 0:07:44every surface for the hydrophobic coating.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52And I do mean every surface, both outside and in.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59Moving parts, electrical contacts, circuit boards, processors
0:07:59 > 0:08:02all get covered by a thin layer of textured plastic,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05a thousand times thinner than a human hair.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Which is all very impressive, but does it work?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Let's start again, shall we?
0:08:15 > 0:08:20This is my old phone, and it's ruined.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23I dropped it in the loo, You saw me do it.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25This is my new phone. It's exactly the same,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29but it's been treated with a special hydrophobic coating.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Not a waterproof cover, remember. Water will still get in.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It's just it should then run off every component inside.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Should. That's the theory.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41So let's do it again.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And I really hope this does work because this is getting expensive.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53PHONE RINGS
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Hello.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Yeah, can you get me some antibacterial wipes?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Yeah.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08No, a lot.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Just imagine if any electrical device could be waterproof.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19No more water-damaged phones.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21No more flood-damaged televisions.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And no more coffee-damaged keyboards.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29And all thanks to the South American rainforest...
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and one small butterfly.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38That's definitely one of the miracles of nature.