T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

1 . T H E W R I T I N G O N T H E W A L L . . . .

2 . N A T U R E L E N D S A H A N D . . . . . . . . .

3 . H U M A N N A T U R E G A P . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 . W I L D I D E A S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 . C O M I N G B A C K T O E A R T H . . . . . .

“A human being is a part of the whole

called by us universe, a part limited in

time + space. He experiences himself,

his thoughts + his feeling as separate

from the rest, a sort of optical

delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us,

restricting 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 all living creatures + the whole

of nature in its beauty.”

A. Einstein

4

8

1 2

1 8

2 8

2

the wild ideas workshop// an exhibit sponsored by:

T H E B I O M I M I C R y I N S T I T U T E 3 . 8

3

H U M A N N A T U R E

T H E

W R I T I N G

O N T H E

W A L L4

“don’t

go around

saying

the world

owes you

a living

the world

owes you

nothing

It was here

first”

M. Twain

5

T H E W R I T I N G O N T H E W A L L

H O M O I N D U S T R I A L I S ,

finally having R E A C H E D

T H E L I M I T S O F N A T U R E ’s

tolerance, is now seeing his

shadow on the wall, along

with shadows of rhinos, polar

bears, + other species H E I S

T A k I N g D O w N with him.

Shaken by the sight, we are

hungry for instructions on how

to live sanely and sustainably

on this place called Earth. The

good news is that wisdom is

widespread- not just in people,

but in T H E S p E C I E S T H A T

H A v E w A L k E D T H E E A R T H

F A R L O N g E R T H A N U S .

I n f a c t , if the age of the

Earth were a calendar year

+ today were just a breath

before midnight on New Year’s

Eve, we showed up a scant

15 minwutes ago, + all of our

recorded history has blinked

by in the last 60 seconds.

Luckily for us, o u r p l a n e t

m a t e s - the plants, animals,

+ microbes that came before

us h a v e b e e n p a t I e n t l y

p e r f e c t I n g t h e I r w a r e s

since March, 3.8 billion years

s I n c e t h e v e r y f I r s t

b a c t e r I a a p p e a r e d .

In that time, life has learned

how to fly, circumnavigate

the globe, live in the depths of

the ocean and atop the highest

peaks, craft miracle materials,

light up the night, lasso the

sun’s energy, and even build a

self-reflective brain.

In short, l i v i n g t h i n g s

h a v e a l r e a d y d o n e

e v e r y t h i n g w e d e s i r e

t o d o , + without guzzling

fossil fuels, polluting the

planet, or mortgaging their

future. Truthfully, what better

models could there be?

“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 OURignorance, one

to the other, we have

mistaken it

for knowledge.”

T. Regan

“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 OURignorance, one

to the other, we have

mistaken it

for knowledge.”

T. Regan

6

T A S M A N I A N T I G E R : 1 9 3 6

C A R I B B E A N M O N K S E A L : 2 0 0 8

G O L D E N T O A D : 1 8 8 9

J AVA N T I G E R : 1 9 8 0

T E C O PA P U P F I S H : 1 9 7 3

B A I J I R I V E R D O L P H I N : 2 0 0 6

B U B A L H A R T E B E E S T : 1 9 2 3

Q U A G G A : E X T I N C T 1 8 8 3 PA S S E N G E R P I G E O N : 1 9 1 4

7

H U M A N N A T U R E

“For a human

being,

nothing

comes

naturally-

NATURE

8

L E N D S A H A N D-We have

to learn

everything

that we do.”

P. Pullman

9

N A T U R E L E N D S A H A N D

In these pages, you’ll find men

+ women who are exploring

nature's many masterpieces,

including photosynthesis, self-

assembly, natural selection,

sustainable ecosystems, eyes

and ears and skin and shells,

natural medicines, and more,

+ then copying these designs

and manufacturing processes

to solve our own problems

T H E I R Q U E S T I S called

B I O M I M I C R y , the conscious

emulation of life’s genius, or

I N N O V A T I O N I N S P I R E D B y

N A T U R E . For a society that’s

used to trying to control and

better nature, this respectful

imitation is A R A D I C A L L y

N E W A P P R O A C H -- a

revolution, really.

And the best part is, unlike

the Industrial Revolution, the

Biomimicry Revolution will

introduce an era that isn’t

based on what we can extract

from nature, but on what we

can learn from her. Biomimics

are finally discovering what

works I N T H E N A T U R A L

W O R L D , + more importantly,

what lasts. After 3.8 billion

years of research, failures are

fossils W H A T S U R R O U N D S

U S I S T H E S E C R E T T O

S U R V I V A L . The more O U R

W O R L D looks + functions like

the natural world, the more

likely we are to be accepted on

this place that I S O U R S , B U T

N O T O U R S A L O N E .

10

As you’ll see, D O I N G I T

N A T U R E ’ S W A y H A S T H E

P O T E N T I A L T O C H A N G E a

lot: the way we grow food,

make materials, harness our

energy, heal ourselves, store

information even how we run

business. It has the potential

to change E V E R y T H I N G .

In each case, nature would

provide the models: solar cells

copied from L E AV E S , steely

fibers woven S P I D E R- S T y L E ,

shatterproof ceramics drawn

from M O T H E R O F P E A R L ,

superior displays compliments

of B U T T E R F L I E S , + computers

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

T H E H U M A N

12

N A T U R E G A P

13

T H E H U M A N N A T U R E G A P

Although I T W O U L D S E E M

perfectly sensible for us to

echo our biological ancestors,

W E ’V E B E E N T R AV E L I N G I N

T H E O P P O S I T E D I R E C T I O N ,

biologically driven to gain our

independence. Our journey

begins 10,000 years ago with

the Agricultural Revolution,

W H E N W E B R O K E F R E E

from hunting + gathering and

learned, F O R T H E F I R S T

T I M E , to stock our pantries.

It then accelerated with the

Scientific Revolution, when

W E L E A R N E D , in Francis

Bacon’s words, “ H O W T O

T O R T U R E N A T U R E F O R

H E R S E C R E T S . ” When the

afterburn of the Industrial

Revolution kicked in, machines

replaced muscles A N D W E

L E A R N E D T O R O C K T H E

W O R L D . But these measly

revolutions were simply a

warm-up for our real break

from Earthly orbit-- the

Petrochemical and Genetic

Engineering Revolutions.

N O W T H A T W E A R E A B L E

T O S y N T H E S I z E W H A T W E

N E E D + R E A R R A N G E T H E

G E N E T I C A L P H A B E T T O

O U R V E R y L I K I N G , we have

gained what we think of as

autonomy. Strapped to our

juggernaut of technology, W E

F A N C y O U R S E LV E S G O D S - -

very far from home indeed.

A N D I N R E A L I T y, we

haven’t escaped the gravity

of life at all. W E A R E S T I L L

O B L I G A T E D T O all of the

ecological laws, same as all

other living creatures. Perhaps

the most important of these

laws states that there has to

be S O M E S H A R I N G . A

S P E C I E S C A N ’ T occupy a

niche that appropriates all of

it’s resourches. Any species

that ignores this law will end

up D E S T R O y ing I T S W H O L E

C O M M U N I T y T O S U P P O R T

I T S O W N E X P A N S I O N .

Tragically, this has been our

path. We began as just a small

population in a very large

world + expanded in number

and territory until we were

bursting the seams of that

world. T H E R E A R E T O O

M A N y O F U S , A N D O U R

H A B I T S A R E S I M P L y

T O O U N S U S T A I N A B L E .

14

15

H U M A N N A T U R E

The new sciences of

tell us that a system that is

far from stable is a s y s t e m

r i p e f o r c h a n g e . The

whole theory of evolution itself

is that it was believed to have

occurred in sudden fits +

starts, plateauing for millions

of years and then leaping to

a w h o l e n e w l e v e l o f

c r e a t i v i t y after crisis.

||

+Reaching our limits, then, if

we c h o o s e t o admit them

to ourselves, may be the

perfect opportunity for us to

leap to a new phase of coping,

in which we a d a p t t o t h e

e a r t h rather than the other

way around. The changes we

make now, no matter how

small they seem, may be the

CHAOS complexity

nucleus for this new reality.

When we emerge from the fog,

our hope is that we’ll have

turned this mess around, A N D

i N s t e A D o f f l e e i N g the

Earth, instead we’ll be home

bound, letting N A t u r e l e A D

u s t o o u r l A N D ing, as the

orchid leads the bee.

T H E H U M A N N A T U R E G A P

16

17

H U M A N N A T U R E

W I L D I D E A S

18

“We shall

require a

substantially

new

manner of

thinking

if mankind

is to

survive”

A. Einstein

19

It could be a bad conscience

that’s pushing us toward

home, say the B I O M I M I C S ,

but the mass amount of new

information in the natural

sciences is also providing an

equally important pull. Our

fragmented grasp of biology

is doubling every five years,

growing similarly to the

pointillists transformation to

a recognizable whole. Equally

unprecedented is the intensity

of our gaze: new telescopes

and satellites allow us to

witness nature’s patterns

from the I N T E R C E L L U L A R

to the I N T E R S T E L L A R . We

can probe a buttercup with

the eyes of a T E R M I T E , feel

the shiver of a N E U R O N in

thought, or watch in color as

a S T A R is born. We are now

able to see, more clearly than

ever before, H O W N A T U R E

W O R K S H E R M I R A C L E S .

W I L D I D E A S

“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 it

for knowledge.”

T. Regan

“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 it

for knowledge.”

T. Regan20

When we stare this deeply

into nature’s eyes, it takes

our breath away, and in a

good way, I T B U R S T S O U R

B U B B L E . We realize that all

of our inventions have already

appeared in nature in a more

elegant form and at a lot less

cost to the planet. Our most

clever architectural struts and

beams are already featured in

lilypads + bamboo stems. Our

own central heating and

air-conditioning are challenged

by the TERMITE TOWER ’s

steady 86 degrees F. Even our

most stealthy radar is hard of

hearing when compared to a

BAT ’s multifrequency system.

And our “smart materials”?

Hah! They can’t hold a candle

to SHARK’S SKIN or a

BUT TERFLy’S PROBOSCIS.

Even the wheel, which we

always took to be a uniquely

human creation, has been

found in the tiny rotary motor

that propels the world’s most

ANCIENT BACTERIA.

21

H U M A N N A T U R E

W I L D I D E A S

Humbling also are the hordes

of organisms that casually

perform feats we can only

dream about...There’s

B I O L U M I N E S C E N T A L G A E

splash chemicals together to

light their body lanterns.

A R C T I C F I S H and F R O G S

freeze solid and then spring

back to life, having protected

their organs from ice damage.

B L A C K B E A R S hibernate all

throughout winter, without

poisoning themselves on their

urea! Meanwhile, their P O L A R

B E A R cousins stay active,

with a coat of transparent

hollow hairs covering their

skins like the panes of a green-

house. C H A M E O L E O N S A N D

C U T T L E F I S H are able to hide

without moving, by magically

changing the pattern their skin

to instantly blend with their

surroundings. B I R D S A N D

B E E S navigate without maps,

while W H A L E S and S H A R K S

effortlessly swim without any

kind of scuba gear.

22

“If man

could be

crossed

with

a cat,

it would

improve

man, but

deteriorate

the cat.”

M. twain

23

H U M A N N A T U R E

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

in an arabesque, continually

juggling resources w i t h o u t

w a s t e . And after decades of

faithful study, ecologists have

even begun to fathom hidden

likenesses among many of the

i n t e r w o v e n s y s t e m s .

From their notes, we can begin

to create a canon of nature’s

l a w s , s t r a t e g i e s , a n d

p r i n c i p l e s that resonate in

the pages of this book:

N A T U R E R U N S O N S U N L I G H T.

N A T U R E U S E S O N L y T H E E N E R G y I T N E E D S .

N A T U R E R E C y C L E S E V E R y T H I N G .

N A T U R E R E W A R D S C O O P E R A T I O N .

N A T U R E F I T S F O R M T O F U N C T I O N .

N A T U R E B A N K S O N D I V E R S I T y.

N A T U R E D E M A N D S L O C A L E X P E R T I S E .

N A T U R E C U R B S E X C E S S E S F R O M W I T H I N .

N A T U R E T A P S T H E P O W E R O F L I M I T S .

W I L D I D E A S

24

25

H U M A N N A T U R E

T H E L A S T L E S S O N I S T H E

M O S T opaque to us because

we humans regard limits

almost as a universal dare,

something to overcome so that

we may continue our more

I M P O R T A N T expansion.

Other Earthlings T A K E their

L I M I T S M O R E S E R I O U S L 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 M A I N T A I N

A N E N E R G y B A L A N C E that

cannot be borrowed against.

Within these lines, life unfurls

her colors with virtuosity,

using limits as a source of

power. And because N A T U R E

spins her spell in such a small

space, her creations read like

a poem that S A y S O N L y

W H A T I T M E A N S .

W I L D I D E A S

26

Studying these poems day

in and day out, B I O M I M I C S

develop a high degree of awe,

even bordering on reverence.

Now that they are able to see

what nature is truly capable

of, these N A T U R E - I N S P I R E D

innovations seem like a hand

up out of the abyss. However,

as we reach up to grab it, I

can’t help but wonder how we

will use these new designs and

processes... What makes us

so sure that the B I O M I M I C R y

R E V O L U T I O N will be any

different from the Industrial

Revolution? Who’s to say we

won’t simply steal nature’s

thunder + use it in the ongoing

campaign against life?

This is not an idle worry. The

last really famous biomimetic

invention was the airplane

(the Wright brothers watched

vultures to learn the nuances

of drag and lift). We flew like a

bird for the first time in 1903,

and by 1914, we were dropping

bombs from the sky.

27

H U M A N N A T U R E

“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 B A C K

DOWNT O

E A R T H29

C O M I N G B A C K D O W N T O E A R T H

Perhaps, I N T H E E N D , it

won’t be A S I M P L E change in

technology that brings us to

this Biomimetic future, but a

C H A N G E O F H E A R T . A

quiet humbling that A L L O W S

U S T O B E M O R E A T T E N T I V E

T O N A T U R E ’ S L E S S O N S .

If we want to use our tools

in the service of fitting in on

Earth, that means that our

basic relationship to nature,

even the stories we tell ours

elves about who we are in the

universe, has to change.

The rub is, I F W E W A N T T O

remain in Gaia’s good graces,

that’s exactly how we have

to think of ourselves, as just

one vote in a parliament

of thirty million, a species

amongst species. Although it’s

true that we’re different, and

for certain, as a species, we’ve

had a run of spectacular luck,

we are not necessarily the

best survivors over the long

haul, nor are we immune to

the idea of natural selection.

The real successful survivors

are the Earth inhabitants that

have learned how to S U R V I V E

over millions of years without

consuming their resources.

T H E y ’ R E T H E O N E S W E

S H O U L D B E L I S T E N I N G T O .

30

31

H U M A N N A T U R E

C O M I N G B A C K D O W N T O E A R T H

It's nearly midnight, and the

ball is dropping -- and it’s a

wrecking ball aimed at the

Eiffel Tower of squirming,

flapping, dancing life. But at

heart, this is a hopeful book.

Beacuse at the same time that

ecological science is showing

us the extent of our folly, it is

also revealing the pattern of

nature's wisdom reflected in

all life. So this time, we come

not to learn about nature so

that we might circumvent or

control her, but to learn from

nature, so that we might fit in,

at last and for good, on the

Earth from which we sprang.

We have a million questions.

How should we grow food?

How should we make these

materials? How should we

power our technology, heal

ourselves, store what we

learn? How do we conduct

business in a way that both

honors and respects the Earth?

As we discover the things

nature already knows, we

will remember how it feels to

roar like a jaguar, or swim

like a shark--to be a part of,

not apart from, the genius that

surrounds us.

It is time for us. as a culture

to walk in the forest again.

Once we see NATURE AS OUR

MENTOR, our relationship

with the living world changes.

We realize that the only way

to keep learning from nature is

to safeguard naturalness, the

wellspring of good ideas.

And at this point in history, as

we C O N S I D E R the very real

possibility of losing a quarter

of all species in the next thirty

to forty years, B I O M I M I C R y

becomes more than just a new

way of looking at nature: it

becomes a race and a rescue.

32

33

H U M A N N A T U R E

34