05/29/08 Bio Mimicry

You've heard the old adage, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Well, how about in this case the whale, lizard or beetle, teaching us some new tricks. Whale hearts could very possibly guide us to developing better pacemakers, while the wings of desert beetles could teach us how to improve water conservation, and lizard skins are showing how to reduce friction in electrical appliances. As science works to discover more efficient and cost effective ways to realize these and other potential advances in medical as well as water and energy saving technologies they have begun to use nature's blueprints through a process known as "Biomimicry". Nature has long been an inspiration to mankind, encouraging us to think beyond our own limited boundaries. And nature has also proven time and time again that it will adapt and reinvent itself in order to survive. We as humans are now facing some hefty challenges as our world changes on a daily basis. But as we are discovering "old dogs" can learn some new tricks.