WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Do You Find Water In The Wild?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hi, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren volc Obam, and I've got a classic brain

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<v Speaker 1>stuff episode for you today. Our erstwhile host, Christian Sagar,

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<v Speaker 1>has a practical one for you. Three ways that you

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<v Speaker 1>can find water in the wild. Hey, brain Stuff, it's

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<v Speaker 1>Christian Sagar here. Lots of situations can leave you stranded

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<v Speaker 1>in the wild without supplies. You could have camping miscommunications,

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<v Speaker 1>unexpected side quests, or I don't know, alien abductions with

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<v Speaker 1>imprecise return drops. You know, all that stuff. Whatever the

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<v Speaker 1>reason you find yourself out there, you're gonna need to

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<v Speaker 1>find water and a minimum of two quarts per day

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<v Speaker 1>to maintain good health. That is, to keep your blood circulating,

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<v Speaker 1>which you know you want to do. And that brings

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<v Speaker 1>us to today's question, how do you find water in

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<v Speaker 1>the wild. Well, I'm gonna walk through three methods. There's

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<v Speaker 1>well digging, solar still making, and transpiration collection. But first

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<v Speaker 1>I should mention that this information is for your education

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<v Speaker 1>only use it at your own risk. Legally speaking, I

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<v Speaker 1>can't recommend that you do anything I say. So, all right,

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<v Speaker 1>we got past that. Let's assume that you can't find

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<v Speaker 1>any large sources of fresh water. There's not a rain

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<v Speaker 1>cloud in the sky and no streams, rivers, or lakes nearby.

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<v Speaker 1>That is, you've looked for animal tracks, lush green vegetation,

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<v Speaker 1>and swarming insects to no avail. You can't find any water,

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<v Speaker 1>you can't hear it, and you've checked out the local

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<v Speaker 1>valleys and other low lying areas. But you can dig

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<v Speaker 1>a well. Look for mud or damp soil in a

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<v Speaker 1>dry river bed. There may be groundwater near the surface,

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<v Speaker 1>so dig a hole about a foot wide and a

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<v Speaker 1>foot deep. If there's water, you're well will start filling up.

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<v Speaker 1>Even in the desert, you can try digging at the

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<v Speaker 1>low point between dunes near vegetation. Put rocks in the

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<v Speaker 1>bottom of your well to keep sediment from stirring up

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<v Speaker 1>into the water, and line the sides with wood to

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<v Speaker 1>prevent the walls from caving in. You should never drink

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<v Speaker 1>salt water, but you can dig a fresh water well

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<v Speaker 1>near saltwater. Starting at the shoreline, walk about a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>feet back from the water and dig a hole three

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<v Speaker 1>to five feet deep. If the water that collects there

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<v Speaker 1>is still salty back away even further. Well water needs

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<v Speaker 1>to be purified before you drink it, give it a

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<v Speaker 1>boil for ten minutes. Even water that looks clean can

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<v Speaker 1>harbor nasty microbes that will make you sicker than a dog.

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<v Speaker 1>But if your wells turn up dry, you can create

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<v Speaker 1>structures to collect water from thin air. This is a

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<v Speaker 1>solar still. You'll need some plastic sheeting, a container to

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<v Speaker 1>collect the water, and one rock. Having a length of

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<v Speaker 1>tubing or some definitely non poisonous vegetation would you know

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<v Speaker 1>also be a bonus. Choose a damp bit of ground

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<v Speaker 1>that gets sunlight for most of the day. Dig a

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<v Speaker 1>bowl shaped whole about three ft across us and two

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<v Speaker 1>feet deep in the bottom. Dig out enough space to

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<v Speaker 1>place your container. If you have a tube, place one

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<v Speaker 1>end at the bottom of the container and secure the

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<v Speaker 1>other end on the surface outside the hole. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have some leaves or other greenery that you know for

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<v Speaker 1>sure are not toxic, tear them up and add them

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<v Speaker 1>to the walls of the bowl. Place the plastic loosely

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<v Speaker 1>over the hole and hold down the edges with rocks.

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<v Speaker 1>Put your rock in the center of the sheet so

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<v Speaker 1>that it SAgs in a little more than a foot

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<v Speaker 1>directly over the container. Add more rocks and soil to

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<v Speaker 1>the edges of the sheet to give it stability. The

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<v Speaker 1>heat of the sun will evaporate moisture in the ground,

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<v Speaker 1>producing condensation on the plastic. It'll drip and collect in

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<v Speaker 1>your container, and you can either sip it directly through

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<v Speaker 1>your tube or retrieve the container at sunset. But if

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<v Speaker 1>your energy is low, you'll want to avoid all that digging.

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<v Speaker 1>Then that's when the transpiration technique comes in and it

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<v Speaker 1>yields less water. But all it requires is tying a

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<v Speaker 1>knot in a plastic bag. Find a you know, definitely

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<v Speaker 1>non poisonous leafy tree again or a shrub that will

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<v Speaker 1>be in the sun for most of the day, and

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<v Speaker 1>you tie the bag around one of its branches. Over

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<v Speaker 1>the course of the day, this plant will exhale or

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<v Speaker 1>transpire water vapor that will collect at the bottom of

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<v Speaker 1>the bag. Untie it or poke a hole in it

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<v Speaker 1>to collect the water, then tie it off again and

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<v Speaker 1>reuse the bag. Plants transpire a lot. About ten per

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<v Speaker 1>cent of the moisture in our air comes from transpiration.

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<v Speaker 1>So there you have it, three different ways to get

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<v Speaker 1>water in the wild. Today's episode was produced by Tyler

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<v Speaker 1>Clang and written by me for Brainstuffs YouTube series. If

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<v Speaker 1>you miss Christian and want to hear more from him,

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<v Speaker 1>tune into his new pop culture podcast, super Context. And

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<v Speaker 1>if you like our show and also like not being naked,

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<v Speaker 1>check out our merch store at t public dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Slash brain stuff. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other survival topics, visit our home planet, how stuff Works

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<v Speaker 1>dot com