Biomimicry

For millions of years, plants and animals have slowly developed clever ways to survive in a difficult world. Today, scientists and engineers are studying these natural designs and using them to solve human problems. This idea — learning from nature in order to design better things — is called "biomimicry." Some of the most useful inventions of recent years have been （ 1 ） by the natural world.

There are many famous examples. One engineer noticed that certain seeds stuck firmly to his dog's fur after a walk in the fields. He looked at them closely under a microscope and saw tiny hooks. （ 2 ）, he invented a kind of tape covered with tiny hooks that can stick to cloth, which is now used on shoes and bags all over the world. In another case, the long, pointed nose of a high-speed train was designed to copy the beak of a bird, so that the train could move more quietly and smoothly.

Biomimicry is useful for the environment as well. Plants and animals usually use very little energy and produce almost no waste, so copying their methods can help people build things that are cleaner and more efficient. （ 3 ）, as we face serious problems such as climate change, many scientists believe that nature still has a great deal to teach us. New buildings are now being designed to stay cool in the way that the nests of certain insects do, and scientists are studying how leaves use sunlight in the hope of making better solar panels. After billions of years of slow change, the natural world has become a vast library of clever ideas, and we are only just beginning to read it.