Art of Play - Wonder by Design

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature - Main image
$11 $22 In stock

Category: Architecture

If chaos theory transformed our view of the universe, biomimicry is transforming our life on Earth. Biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature – taking advantage of evolution’s 3.8 billion years of R&D since the first bacteria. Biomimics study nature’s best ideas: photosynthesis, brain power, and shells – and adapt them for human use. They are revolutionising how we invent, compute, heal ourselves, harness energy, repair the environment, and feed the world.

Science writer and lecturer Janine Benyus names and explains this phenomenon. She takes us into the lab and out in the field with cutting-edge researchers as they stir vats of proteins to unleash their computing power; analyse how electrons zipping around a leaf cell convert sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they’re sick; study the hardy prairie as a model for low-maintenance agriculture; and more.

Customer Reviews (4.8 / 5 · 19 reviews)

Edward E. ★★★★★

The case studies alone—from spider silk to abalone shells—are worth the price, but it’s the way the book reframes design problems that really sticks with you. I picked it up for a work project and ended up highlighting half the chapters. It makes you see every park or building in a totally new light

Hazel ★★★★★

I’ve been rereading chapters on how termite mounds inspire passive cooling in buildings; the way Benyus frames evolution’s 3.8 billion years of R&D really changes how you look at any design problem. It’s dense in places, but every page makes you want to go outside and study something for an hour. De

Eva ★★★★★

The case studies on how engineers and architects borrowed from termite mounds and kingfisher beaks are fascinating—I’ve already dog-eared half the pages. It’s dense reading at times, but the way it frames evolution’s 3.8 billion years of R&D makes you see every leaf and shell differently.

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