Comment by matt4077

Back at university I dreamt of creating bacteria to do desalination, powered by the sun. All the necessary components exist–in fact, a seemingly endless number of genes code for channels and transports that selectively target the charged ions (Na^2+, Cl- mostly, but also Potassium and Magnesium). It's partially the legacy of life having arisen in saltwater, and many biological processes are controlled with ion concentration gradients. Signal transmission along a nerve? -> Ions. Want to get all this water out of here? -> Transport the salt across the membrane, and the water follows voluntarily.