This TEDTalk from Janine Benyus on Biomimicry - Innovation Inspired By Nature really hit me on many levels. It is about the way evolution and nature has solved different problems in ways which we can use for solving our human problems. Highly imaginative and recommended ! This is also the first TED video I have seen in which the speaker is encouraged to continue her speech after closing. Just like I felt watching it :-)
Ever since I read the classic Out of Control by Kevin Kelly in 1994 my professional view on nature has changed and my hunger for books, articles and posts on biology has increased steadily. The 21st century clearly is the century of biology (biotech, nanotech, bioinformatics, neurobiology of the brain). On top of that, in 1996 during my first 11-week trip in South East Asia I discovered the sheer beauty of nature. It was like the difference between looking and seeing. The seeing of nature and its beauty (rafting, diving, hikes, jungle trips, birding, views, sunsets etc.) enchanted and inspired me. There was a certain depth and emotion to it, living in the moment. Seeing nature for what it truly is, not rushing by, looking at it as if it were decoration only. And this great video from Janine Benyus shows that this openness and curiosity towards nature is crucial for cross-fertilization of ideas and solutions, especially in a world of increasing environmental issues like global warming, water management, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, loss of corals, air pollution and synthetic waste.
A landmark video !
Saw it aswell.. Needed to post about it..I agree with the biology part. Is the reason that we become a human centric society?
Posted by: Raimo van der Klein | Thursday, 05 April 2007 at 23:51
Raimo,
In my view it is not so much about a human centric society as it is about looking at how nature has solved problems that might inspire people dealing with advancing and humanizing technology and creating more sustainable solutions to pressing issues.
Posted by: Yuri van Geest | Sunday, 08 April 2007 at 00:50
Obviously biomimicry may also provide design methodologies and techniques to optimize engineering products and systems. An example is the re-derivation of Murray's law, which in conventional form determined the optimum diameter of blood vessels, to provide simple equations for the pipe or tube diameter which gives a minimum mass engineering system
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