“A
human
being
is a part of the whole
called by us universe, a part
time + space. He
experiences
his thoughts + his feeling as
from the rest, delusion
limited
in
himself,
separate
a sort of optical
of his consciousness.
TA B L E O F CO N T E N T S This delusion is a kind of
restricting
prison
for us,
us to our personal desires
+ to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our task must be to
free ourselves
from this prison by widening our compassion to
embrace of
nature
A. Einstein 2
all living creatures + the whole
in its
beauty.�
1. THE WRITING ON THE WALL ....
4
2 . N AT U R E L E N D S A H A N D . . . . . . . . .
8
3 . H U M A N N AT U R E G A P . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
4. WILD IDEAS ..........................
18
5. COMING BACK TO EARTH......
28
H U M A N N AT U R E
the wild ideas workshop // an exhibit sponsored by: T H E B iomimicr y I N S T I T U T E 3 . 8
3
THE WRITING ON THE WALL 4
“don’t go around saying the world owes you a living the world owes you
nothing It was here
first”
M. Twain 5
THE WRITING ON THE WALL
“Because we have viewed other animals through the
myopic lens
of our
self-importance we have
misperceived
who and what they are. Because we have
repeated
OUR
ignorance,
one
to the other, we have
mistaken for
knowledge.”
T. 6
it
Regan
HOMO INDUSTRIALIS,
I n f a c t , if the age of the
In that time, life has learned
finally having R E A C H E D
Earth were a calendar year
how to fly, circumnavigate
T H E L I M I T S O F N A T U R E ’s
+ today were just a breath
the globe, live in the depths of
tolerance, is now seeing his
before midnight on New Year’s
the ocean and atop the highest
shadow on the wall, along
Eve, we showed up a scant
peaks, craft miracle materials,
with shadows of rhinos, polar
15 minwutes ago, + all of our
light up the night, lasso the
bears, + other species he is
recorded history has blinked
sun’s energy, and even build a
ta k in g do w n with him.
by in the last 60 seconds.
self-reflective brain.
Shaken by the sight, we are
Luckily for us, o u r p l a n e t
In short, l i v i n g t h i n g s
hungry for instructions on how
m a t e s - the plants, animals,
h av e a l r e a d y d o n e
to live sanely and sustainably
+ microbes that came before
on this place called Earth. The
us h a v e b e e n p a t i e n t l y
t o d o , + without guzzling
good news is that wisdom is
perfecting their wares
fossil fuels, polluting the
widespread- not just in people,
since March, 3.8 billion years
planet, or mortgaging their
but in the s p ecies that
since the very first
future. Truthfully, what better
ha v e W A L K E D T H E E arth
bacteria appeared.
models could there be?
far lon g er than us .
everything we desire
H U M A N N AT U R E
QUAGGA: EXTINCT 1883
GOLDEN TOAD: 1889
PA S S E N G E R P I G E O N : 1 9 1 4
BUBAL HARTEBEEST: 1923
TA S M A N I A N T I G E R: 1 9 3 6
T E C O PA P U P F I S H : 1 9 7 3
J AVA N T I G E R : 1 9 8 0
BAIJI RIVER DOLPHIN: 2006
CARIBBEAN MONK SEAL: 2008
7
“For a human being,
nothing comes
naturally-
N AT U R E 8
LENDS A HAND -We have to learn
everything that we do.�
P. Pullman 9
N AT U R E L E N D S A H A N D
In these pages, you’ll find men
T heir quest is called
+ women who are exploring
B iomimicr y , the conscious
nature's many masterpieces,
emulation of life’s genius, or
including photosynthesis, self-
innovation inspired b y
assembly, natural selection,
nature . For a society that’s
sustainable ecosystems, eyes
used to trying to control and
and ears and skin and shells,
better nature, this respectful
natural medicines, and more,
imitation is a radicall y
+ then copying these designs
new approach -- a
and manufacturing processes
revolution, really.
to solve our own problems
10
And the best part is, unlike
what lasts. After 3.8 billion
the Industrial Revolution, the
years of research, failures are
Biomimicry Revolution will
fossils what surrounds
introduce an era that isn’t
us is the secret to
based on what we can extract
survival . The more our
from nature, but on what we
world looks + functions like
can learn from her. Biomimics
the natural world, the more
are finally discovering what
likely we are to be accepted on
works in the natural
this place that is O U R S , B U T
world , + more importantly,
not ours alone .
As you’ll see, doing it
In each case, nature would
nature ’ s wa y has the
provide the models: solar cells
potential to change a
copied from L E AV E S , steely
lot: the way we grow food,
fibers woven S P I D E R - S T Y L E ,
make materials, harness our
shatterproof ceramics drawn
energy, heal ourselves, store
from M O T H E R O F P E A R L ,
information even how we run
superior displays compliments
business. It has the potential
of B U T T E R F L I E S , + computers
to change ever y thing .
that signal like C E L L S .
11
“People are
stupid. they think they’ve got the whole
puzzle figured out. but really, they’re so
f a r off.”
L.F. Stolarz 12
THE HUMAN
N AT U R E
GAP
13
T H E H U M A N N AT U R E G A P
Although it W O U L D S E E M
It then accelerated with the
from Earthly orbit-- the
A N D I n realit y, we
up destro y ing its whole
perfectly sensible for us to
Scientific Revolution, when
Petrochemical and Genetic
haven’t escaped the gravity
communit y to support
echo our biological ancestors,
we learned , in Francis
Engineering Revolutions.
of life at all. W e are S T I L L
its own expansion .
we ’ ve been traveling in
Bacon’s words, “ H O W T o
N ow that we A R E A B L E
obligated to all of the
Tragically, this has been our
the O P P O S I T E direction ,
torture nature for
T O s y nthesi z e what we
ecological laws, same as all
path. We began as just a small
biologically driven to gain our
her secrets . ”
need + rearrange the
other living creatures. Perhaps
population in a very large
independence. Our journey
afterburn of the Industrial
genetic alphabet to
the most important of these
world + expanded in number
begins 10,000 years ago with
Revolution kicked in, machines
our ver y liking , we have
laws states that there has to
and territory until we were
the Agricultural Revolution,
replaced muscles and we
gained what we think of as
be some sharing . A
bursting the seams of that
when we broke free
learned to rock the
autonomy. Strapped to our
species can ’ t occupy a
world. T here are too
from hunting + gathering and
world . But these measly
juggernaut of technology, we
niche that appropriates all of
man y of us , and our
learned, for the first
revolutions were simply a
fanc y ourselves gods - -
it’s resourches. Any species
habits A R E S I M P L Y
time , to stock our pantries.
warm-up for our real break
very far from home indeed.
that ignores this law will end
too U N S U S T A I N A B L E .
14
When the
H U M A N N AT U R E
15
T H E H U M A N N AT U R E G A P
The new sciences of
CHAOS
+complexity tell us that a system that is
Reaching our limits, then, if
nucleus for this new reality.
far from stable is a s y s t e m
we c h o o s e t o admit them
When we emerge from the fog,
r i p e f o r c h a n g e . The
to ourselves, may be the
our hope is that we’ll have
whole theory of evolution itself
perfect opportunity for us to
turned this mess around, A N D
is that it was believed to have
leap to a new phase of coping,
i n s t e ad o f f l e e i n g the
occurred in sudden fits
in which we a d a p t t o t h e
Earth, instead we’ll be home
starts, plateauing for millions
E a r t h rather than the other
bound, letting na t u r e l e ad
of years and then leaping to
way around. The changes we
u s t o o u r l and ing, as the
a whole new level of
make now, no matter how
orchid leads the bee.
c r e a t i v i t y after crisis.
small they seem, may be the
||
16
+
H U M A N N AT U R E
17
WILD IDEAS
18
“We shall
require
a
substantially
new manner of
thinking if mankind is
to
survive �
A. Einstein 19
WILD IDEAS
“Because we have viewed other animals through the
myopic lens
of our
self-importance, we have
misperceived
who and what they are.
Because we have
REPEATED
OUR
IGNORANCE,
one to
the other, we have
mistaken for
it
knowledge.”
T. 20
Regan
It could be a bad conscience
of our gaze: new telescopes
that’s pushing us toward
and satellites allow us to
home, say the B iomimics ,
witness nature’s patterns
but the mass amount of new
from the intercellular
information in the natural
to the I N T E R S T E L L A R . We
sciences is also providing an
can probe a buttercup with
equally important pull. Our
the eyes of a T E R M I T E , feel
fragmented grasp of biology
the shiver of a N E U R O N in
is doubling every five years,
thought, or watch in color as
growing similarly to the
a S T A R is born. We are now
pointillists transformation to
able to see, more clearly than
a recognizable whole. Equally
ever before, how nature
unprecedented is the intensity
works her miracles .
When we stare this deeply
steady 86 degrees F. Even our
into nature’s eyes, it takes
most stealthy radar is hard of
our breath away, and in a
hearing when compared to a
good way, it bursts our
BAT ’s multifrequency system.
bubble . We realize that all
And our “smart materials”?
of our inventions have already
Hah! They can’t hold a candle
appeared in nature in a more
to SHARK’S SKIN or a
elegant form and at a lot less
BUT TERFLY ’S PROBOSC IS.
cost to the planet. Our most
Even the wheel, which we
clever architectural struts and
always took to be a uniquely
beams are already featured in
human creation, has been
lilypads + bamboo stems. Our
found in the tiny rotary motor
own central heating and
that propels the world’s most
air-conditioning are challenged
ANC IENT BAC TERIA.
H U M A N N AT U R E
by the TE R MITE TOWE R’s
21
WILD IDEAS
Humbling also are the hordes of organisms that casually perform feats we can only dream about...There’s
poisoning themselves on their
BIOLUMINESCENT ALGAE
urea! Meanwhile, their P O L A R
splash chemicals together to
B E A R cousins stay active,
light their body lanterns.
with a coat of transparent
A R C T I C F I S H and F R O G S
hollow hairs covering their
to instantly blend with their
freeze solid and then spring
skins like the panes of a green-
surroundings. B I R D S A N D
back to life, having protected
house. C H A M E O L E O N S A N D
B E E S navigate without maps,
their organs from ice damage.
C U T T L E F I S H are able to hide
while W H A L E S and S H A R K S
B L A C K B E A R S hibernate all
without moving, by magically
effortlessly swim without any
throughout winter, without
changing the pattern their skin
kind of scuba gear.
22
H U M A N N AT U R E
“If man could be crossed with a cat, it would
improve man, but
deteriorate the cat.�
M. twain
23
WILD IDEAS
But the most inspiring of all is that, in ensemble, all living things maintain a d y n a m i c s t a b i l i t y, like dancers
N ature runs on sunlight .
in an arabesque, continually
N ature uses onl y the energ y it needs .
juggling resources w i t h o u t
N ature rec y cles ever y thing .
w a s t e . And after decades of
N ature rewards cooperation .
faithful study, ecologists have
N ature fits form to function .
even begun to fathom hidden
N ature banks on diversit y.
likenesses among many of the
N ature demands local expertise .
interwoven systems.
N ature curbs excesses from within .
From their notes, we can begin
N ature taps the power of limits .
to create a canon of nature’s l a w s , s t r a t e g i e s , AND p r i n c i p l e s that resonate in the pages of this book:
24
H U M A N N AT U R E
25
WILD IDEAS
the last lesson is the most opaque to us because we humans regard limits almost as a universal dare, something to overcome so that we may continue our more important expansion.
Other Earthlings take their limits more seriousl y, all the while knowing that they must function within a tight range of life-friendly temperatures, harvest within the specific carrying capacity of the land, and maintain an energ y balance that cannot be borrowed against.
Within these lines, life unfurls her colors with virtuosity, using limits as a source of power. And because nature spins her spell in such a small space, her creations read like a poem that sa y s onl y what it means .
26
H U M A N N AT U R E
Studying these poems day
different from the Industrial
in and day out, B iomimics
Revolution? Who’s to say we
develop a high degree of awe,
won’t simply steal nature’s
even bordering on reverence.
thunder + use it in the ongoing
Now that they are able to see
campaign against life?
what nature is truly capable of, these nature - inspired
This is not an idle worry. The
innovations seem like a hand
last really famous biomimetic
up out of the abyss. However,
invention was the airplane
as we reach up to grab it, I
(the Wright brothers watched
can’t help but wonder how we
vultures to learn the nuances
will use these new designs and
of drag and lift). We flew like a
processes... What makes us
bird for the first time in 1903,
so sure that the B iomimicr y
and by 1914, we were dropping
R evolution will be any
bombs from the sky.
27
“Claiming we are
superior
to the rest of
creation
is like saying that the Eiffel Tower
was built so that the scrap of paint at the top would have somewhere
to sit.�
M. Twain 28
COMING BACK DOWN TO EARTH 29
COMING BACK DOWN TO EARTH
30
Perhaps, in the end , it
to think of ourselves, as just
won’t be a simple change in
one vote in a parliament
technology that brings us to
of thirty million, a species
this Biomimetic future, but a
amongst species. Although it’s
change of heart . A
true that we’re different, and
quiet humbling that allows
for certain, as a species, we’ve
us to be more attentive
had a run of spectacular luck,
to nature ’ s lessons .
we are not necessarily the
If we want to use our tools
best survivors over the long
in the service of fitting in on
haul, nor are we immune to
Earth, that means that our
the idea of natural selection.
basic relationship to nature,
The real successful survivors
even the stories we tell ours
are the Earth inhabitants that
elves about who we are in the
have learned how to survive
universe, has to change.
over millions of years without
The rub is, if we want to
consuming their resources.
remain in Gaia’s good graces,
T he y ’ re the ones we
that’s exactly how we have
should be listening to .
H U M A N N AT U R E
31
COMING BACK DOWN TO EARTH
32
It is time for us. as a culture
It's nearly midnight, and the
Earth from which we sprang.
to walk in the forest again.
ball is dropping -- and it’s a
We have a million questions.
Once we see N ATURE A S O UR
wrecking ball aimed at the
How should we grow food?
M E N TO R, our relationship
Eiffel Tower of squirming,
How should we make these
with the living world changes.
flapping, dancing life. But at
materials? How should we
We realize that the only way
heart, this is a hopeful book.
power our technology, heal
to keep learning from nature is
Beacuse at the same time that
ourselves, store what we
to safeguard naturalness, the
ecological science is showing
learn? How do we conduct
wellspring of good ideas.
us the extent of our folly, it is
business in a way that both
And at this point in history, as
also revealing the pattern of
honors and respects the Earth?
we consider the very real
nature's wisdom reflected in
As we discover the things
possibility of losing a quarter
all life. So this time, we come
nature already knows, we
of all species in the next thirty
not to learn about nature so
will remember how it feels to
to forty years, B iomimicr y
that we might circumvent or
roar like a jaguar, or swim
becomes more than just a new
control her, but to learn from
like a shark--to be a part of,
way of looking at nature: it
nature, so that we might fit in,
not apart from, the genius that
becomes a race and a rescue.
at last and for good, on the
surrounds us.
H U M A N N AT U R E
33
34