Perhaps the strongest argument for conserving wildlife and natural landscapes is that our goods and services ultimately come from raw materials and organisms, so a strong argument can be made that conserving natural landscapes and biodiversity is crucial to conserving a civilization’s health or well being. We can benefit from Nature in two ways—through (1) ecosystem services and by (2) observing and applying Nature’s structures, systems, and tools to our own civilization.

We can continue to capitalize from ecosystem services by preserving them. For example, it is wise to conserve wetlands, because wetlands act as a barrier, filtration system, and sponge. As a result, when wetlands are drained and mangroves are removed, the changed landscape is susceptible to flooding (think the major natural disasters that wrecked New Orleans and Burma).

We also capitalize from Nature by directly observing and studying Nature. For example, we find medicines from plants through ethnobotanical studies. However, perhaps the most exciting area of study is the field of biomimetics. Biomimetics infuses adaptations and applications found in Nature into everyday engineering. These services from Nature illustrate how we must continue to strive to save biodiversity.

The results of evolution provide efficient adaptations or solutions that allow organisms to survive. As a result, we can adapt Nature’s solutions to our own problems, and the utility provided by goods, machines, or tools that were made by using Nature as a template is enormous, but the process of taking, selecting, or applying observations from Nature into something people can utilize can be complex and difficult. From National Geographic:

But the main reason biomimetics hasn’t yet come of age is that from an engineering standpoint, nature is famously, fabulously, wantonly complex. Evolution doesn’t “design” a fly’s wing or a lizard’s foot by working toward a final goal, as an engineer would—it blindly cobbles together myriad random experiments over thousands of generations, resulting in wonderfully inelegant organisms whose goal is to stay alive long enough to produce the next generation and launch the next round of random experiments. To make the abalone’s shell so hard, 15 different proteins perform a carefully choreographed dance that several teams of top scientists have yet to comprehend. The power of spider silk lies not just in the cocktail of proteins that it is composed of, but in the mysteries of the creature’s spinnerets, where 600 spinning nozzles weave seven different kinds of silk into highly resilient configurations.

The multilayered character of much natural engineering makes it particularly difficult to penetrate and pluck apart. The gecko’s feet work so well not just because of their billions of tiny nanohairs, but also because those hairs grow on larger hairs, which in turn grow on toe ridges that are part of bigger toe pads, and so on up to the centimeter scale, creating a seven-part hierarchy that maximizes the lizard’s cling to all climbing surfaces. For the present, people cannot hope to reproduce such intricate nanopuzzles. Nature, however, assembles them effortlessly, molecule by molecule, following the recipe for complexity encoded in DNA. As engineer Mark Cutkosky says, “The price that we pay for complexity at small scales is vastly higher than the price nature pays.

Nonetheless, biomimetics is an exciting field for any young person interested in biology, sustainability, and engineering to enter. Consider these six technological advances that were inspired by observing and studying Nature.

Velcro

Velcro is a revolutionary fabric, and it is perhaps the most well-known biomaterial, which has many uses. Swiss agricultural engineer George de Mestral accidentally discovered it when he observed some “burs plucked from his pants and dog’s coat after a hike in 1948.” Velcro has household, industrial, space program, and medical applications.

PHOTO INFORMATION: The bur photograph is by Robert Clark, and it was found in a National Geographic article, “Biomimetics: Design by Nature,” by Tom Mueller. The scanning electron Velcro image is via Jim Ekstrom, and it was found here.

Mercedes-Benz’s bionic concept car

An unlikely candidate inspired Mercedes-Benz’s bionic concept car. At first blush, the boxfish’s design doesn’t seem efficient. However, the boxfish-inspired design has resulted in more fuel-efficient cars. From Daimler:

There is more to the boxfish than meets the eye: despite its angular body, it is an excellent swimmer whose cube-shaped structure is by no means a hindrance. On the contrary, the boxfish possesses unique characteristics and is a prime example of the ingenious inventions developed by nature over millions of years of evolution. The basic principle of this evolution is that nothing is superfluous and each part of the body has a purpose – and sometimes several at once.

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The results are impressive. Despite its angular structure, the boxfish has almost as good streamlining qualities as the water drop shape which specialists consider to be the standard for the ideal aerodynamic form. When exposed to an open flow, this streamlined shape has a Cd value of 0.04. Using computer calculations and wind tunnel tests with an accurate model of the boxfish, the Mercedes engineers achieved a value which came very close to this ideal, namely 0.06 – an outstanding result. It explains why the boxfish is such a good swimmer and is so manoeuvrable with minimal effort.

PHOTO INFORMATION: The boxfish photograph is by Robert Clark, and it was found in a National Geographic article, “Biomimetics: Design by Nature,” by Tom Mueller. The image showing Mercedes-Benz’s bionic boxfish concept car was found here.

Lotus Effect

Water collecting on a lotus leaf illustrates superhydrophobicity properties, but what is harder to observe with the naked eye is how the lotus leaf stays clean (see the top image). In fact, “in some Eastern cultures, the lotus plant is a symbol of purity.”  The second image or computer graphic of the lotus leaf below illustrates the lotus effect or how water droplets collect particles as they move over the lotus’s surface, thus keeping the surface clean.  A normal smooth surface will not produce this effect, instead dirt or particles will remain adhered to the surface (think how a white car is easily dirtied). The applications of materials with self-cleaning properties are obvious. From MoreInspiration:

The self-cleaning natural characteristic of the lotus leaf has been mimicked by Sto AG in its painting systems and decorative plasters. StoLotusan contains perfected water-repellent binding agents and fine pigment particles. When a surface is coated with StoLotusan, raindrops automatically bead up and roll off so that the surface, and thus the entire building, stays drier.

A surface coated with this microstructure makes it almost impossible for dirt particles to cling to it; they are simply carried off along with the raindrops rolling down it. This means that the surfaces are not only drier but remain clean longer. And it takes far longer for unattractive discolouration caused by algae, fungi and bacteria to become visible on façades treated with StoLotusan. In addition to StoLotusan Color G wall paint, there is also StoLotusan K decorative plaster.

PHOTO INFORMATION: The water droplets on a lotus leaf was photograph by budak on Flickr. The computer graphic was found here.  The top image was found here.

VIDEO: Lotus Effect, nanotechnology, and real-world applications

Solar Biomimicry

The flexible photovoltaics below not only capture the sun’s energy, but the flexibility of these photovoltaics permits energy to be collected from motion. The idea is taken from leaves moving in the wind. From the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design:

After all, thousands of years of evolution can’t be wrong: if a more efficient design for gathering solar energy lay in developing huge slabs (see most existing solar panels installed on houses these days), trees ought to produce a single huge leaf! However, as trees very elegantly demonstrate, there are multiple forces at work in nature beyond the mandate to collect solar energy.

PHOTO INFORMATION: The image showing the oak leaves is by Dominic’s pics on Flickr. The other images illustrating various photovoltaics engineered to or mimicking tree leaves was found in a blog post—”Solar Biomimicry“—published by Dave Chiu of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.

Turning whale power into wind power

The “tubercles on the leading edge of humpback whale flippers” help humpbacks glide through the ocean with greater ease. This idea has been applied to wind power in order to increase efficiency. From NextEnergyNews.com:

In one of the first major studies of this effect, U.S. scientists tested a model of a humpback’s flipper against a smooth flipper found on other whales. They found 32 per cent less drag and an 8 per cent rise in lift from the bumpy model. The bumps help to channel water flow across the flipper, whereas more of the water that hits a smooth flipper is pushed along the flipper’s length to its leading edge, creating more resistance. A Harvard study published last month in the journal Physical Review Letters, and highlighted in the latest Nature, confirmed the aerodynamic effects.

PHOTO INFORMATION: The photograph of a whale’s flipper was found here, and the image showing the tubercle technology (inset) was found here. The top image was found here.

RoboClam Anchor

The typical ship’s anchor has been improved and completely changed by using the razor clam as a template, (Ensis directus). From Discovery News:

The RoboClam, as the device is called, digs itself into the ground in two ways, similar to how a razor clam digs.

First, the RoboClam vibrates, changing the relatively solid seabed into a quicksand-like fluid that is easier to dig through. Then the two “shells” of the machine expand, locking the anchor in place, while a worm-like foot pushes down. Once the foot is embedded, the shells contract and the foot pulls the rest of the machine down.

The team is still testing and refining the machine. For now, the RoboClam can push down with about 80 pounds of force, 36 times greater than a razor clam, and dig up to 15 inches deep. The researchers hope the RoboClam will eventually dig twice as far as a razor clam, which can reach depths of more than 28 inches at a rate of about 0.4 inches per second.

PHOTO INFORMATION: The photograph showing the RoboClam (right) and its template, the razor clam (left), is by Donna Coveney, and the image was found here.

VIDEO: A razor clam burrowing into the substrate. Courtesy: MIT

Do you need more research or information on biomimicry? More biomimicry information and projects can be found at these links:

1. The Biomimicry Institute
2. Biomimicry clips: Gecko Tape and Beetle Tape
3. ‘RoboClam’ Anchor Holds Ships Steady
4. Can you dig it? Robotic clam burrows into ocean floor: MIT’s RoboClam could be used as smart anchor or to detonate underwater mines
5. The Bionic Car project
6. Gaps in adhesion
7. Superglue from the sea
8. Scientists find that squid beak is both hard and soft, a material that engineers want to copy
9. Self-repairing aircraft could revolutionise aviation safety
10. New gecko-like adhesive shakes off dirt
11. As Sticky as a Gecko – but Ten Times Stronger!
12. The bombardier beetle, power venom and spray technologies
13. Biomimicry of Scorpion Venom Fights Cancer
14. Wind Turbine That Imitates Flippers Could Increase Efficiency
15. And on Wikipedia: (1) Biomimicry and (2) Bionics
16. Biomimicry captures imagination of green builders
17. Whalepower

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