essay

Biomimicry is a fairly new word for an ancient practice. It means, “imitation of life,” and describes the practice of adopting natural structures and strategies to solve human problems. Through billions of years of evolution, organisms have faced and met the challenges of living on earth, over and over again. The stunning diversity of microbes, animals, and plants means that for every problem, nature has already produced many solutions. Biomimicry view the natural world as a vast laboratory filled with completed experiments that can be adapted to make human activities more efficient. It can be as simple as merely copying a shape, such as building fan blades that look like and perform much like whale flippers. It can also be extremely complex, as in engineering filtering systems that pull salt out of seawater based on the chemical and mechanical reactions that operate across cell membranes.

Biomimicry At Work

One of the oldest and most widespread examples of biomimicry is camouflage – the use of objects, colors, or illumination to conceal or confuse an observer. Animals use camouflage to help them eat and avoid being eaten. Humans have long mimicked natural camouflage techniques in hunting and warfare. More recently, camouflage techniques have also been applied to fashion, architecture, and industrial design.

There are many different methods of camouflage. Octopi and lizards match the color and texture of their skins with nearby rocks and vegetation to blend into the background, and manmade hunting gear is painted or woven to do the same thing. Zebras have wild stripes that disrupt their outlines especially when they move in groups and so did dazzle-painted warships in World War 1. (Figure 1.1)

Moths and caterpillars are shaped like leaves and twigs to fool predators, while cell phone towers are built like trees to hide their industrial clutter from neighbors. (Figure 1.2)

Gazelles and whales have counter-shaped sides that flatten and minimize rounded shapes, as do color-blocked dresses. (Figure 1.3)

Unit 6A-1