Biomimicry

Bullet trains. Air conditioning. Wind turbines. All brilliant inventions - but can we truly take all the credit for these advancements? Biomimicry, the act of applying nature-inspired designs to solve human problems, has been the catalyst for some of our most monumental achievements; kingfisher bird beaks gave rise to the speed and noiselessness of bullet trains, termite mounds kindled the design of environmentally-friendly building ventilation, and humpback whale fins brought about wind turbines with reduced drag and doubled performance. When the observation of nature stands to teach us so much about medicine, engineering, and materials science, it begs the question; if we are biologically animals, why do we refuse to see ourselves as such?