These microscopic invaders enter the body via droplets either in the air we breathe, or when we touch our eyes, noses, or mouths after touching a contaminated surface.
The net's mesh is designed to mimic the lichen hairs, because in this coastal strip of the Atacama desert they have a lifeline to moisture — the Pacific Ocean.
These molecules oxidize to form sulfates, which condense with water vapor in the air to form a blanket of fine particles that impair visibility and cause severe lung damage.
Now the great salt plain stretched before his eyes, and the distant belt of savage mountains, without a sign anywhere of plant or tree, which might indicate the presence of moisture.