A desalination plant in Hamburg, Germany. (Credit: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock)

In places like San Diego and Dubai where freshwater is
scarce, humans turn to machines that pull the salt out of seawater,
transforming it into clean drinking water.

This process, called desalination, has been turning sea and brackish groundwater into potable water since the mid-20th century. The technology could become increasingly important in the near future, as the rising temperatures and erratic rain pat