Spiders Fly with Electricity
July 10, 2018
Scientists have known about spider "ballooning" for a long time, but only recently have they determined that spiders use electricity to fly.
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Smart Scientists Borrow Natural Designs
August 3, 2016
Scientists and engineers are back in school, learning from the best teachers: plants and animals.
Design Inspires Scientific Advances
May 9, 2016
When you see cutting-edge science in materials and methods, you are likely to read "Inspired by Nature."
News to Enhance Your Birding
December 23, 2015
Birdwatching is more fun when you learn what's going on in those feathered bodies.
Biomimetics Still Trending Up
March 28, 2015
The imitation of nature's designs (biomimetics) is all the rage, and shows no sign of slowing down.
Lost Civilizations: Human History Hidden in Plain Sight
February 18, 2015
New imaging techniques have revealed extensive ancient human settlements in two very different remote environments.
Biological Systems Provide Infinite Design Inspiration
November 11, 2014
It's not likely engineers and biologists will run out of inspiration from biology anytime soon. The source is infinite.
Beat the Competition with Natural Design
August 27, 2014
Want to engineer something right the first time and beat the competition? Find out how life does it.
Entrepreneurs Find Gold in Nature
August 8, 2014
Inspiration for invention comes from everywhere in nature's engineering. At every level, there are designs worth imitating.
Biomimetics Is All About Design Inspiration
April 8, 2014
Scientists wouldn't rush to design things after nature's examples if they weren't well designed.
Follow the Leader: Nature
June 21, 2011
Ever since biomimetics (the imitation of nature) gradually emerged around 2002 and really took off in 2005, it has not slowed down. Over 90 previous entries in these pages have reported teams all over the world seeking out natural designs for ideas. The reports have accelerated in recent years to the point where there is only space for short summaries that give a taste of the wide variety of engineering work taking inspiration from plants, animals, and even cells. You yourself might inspire some inventor. Here are a few more highlights from recent adventures in biomimetics.