A self-proclaimed nature nerd, Janine Benyus is the author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, a book that has galvanized scientists, architects, designers and engineers into exploring new ways in which nature's successes can inspire humanity.
Why you should listen to her:
In the world envisioned by science author Janine Benyus, a locust's ability to avoid collision within a roiling cloud of its brethren informs the design of a crash-resistant car; a self-cleaning leaf inspires a new kind of paint, one that dries in a pattern that enables simple rainwater to wash away dirt; and organisms capable of living without water open the way for vaccines that maintain potency even without refrigeration -- a hurdle that can prevent life-saving drugs from reaching disease-torn communities.
Most important, these cool tools from nature pull off their tricks while still managing to preserve the environment that sustains them, a life-or-death lesson that humankind is in need of learning.
Much more than a reporter, Benyus is a champion of biomimicry; she's become one of the most important voices in a new wave of designers and engineers inspired by nature.
"The sophisticated, almost pro-growth angle of Benyus shows the great potential profitability of copying some of nature's time-tested, nonpolluting, room-temperature manufacturing and computing technologies."New York Times
Blog Posts on TED
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Biomimicry in National Geographic and on TED.com – April 11, 2008
This month's National Geographic has a great story on biomimetics, or biomimicry, the art of studying nature's engineering. If you're inspired by this story, check out these TEDTalks for more on biomimicry. Clicking on a name (or an image above) will launch the TEDTalks player >> + Scientist Robert Full (whose work with geckos is explored in the National Geographic story) shares his obsession with animal feet + Biologist Sheila Patek plays high-speed video that captures some extreme engineering from nature -- the superefficient structures that allows a tiny shrimp to move at hyperspeed + Journalist Janine Benyus shares her top 12 designs that we can steal from nature, from self-assembly to self-smoothing paint + Oceanographer David Gallo shares some amazing animal abilities that we humans might someday want (couldn't you use a little bioluminescence?) More
