http://vimeo.com/biomimicry/biomimicry
has shared wised words of wisdom and logic. IUNC has found that the red list contains 7,500 conservatives who are holding on to the last of what is left of the old paradigm. There are clouds of worry on peoples' faces as they come to terms to the destructive forces that have worked to vanish over 90% of species on earth. They recognize that the economic quake that has soon to hit will be the largest in human history, with smaller quakes already proven to reek havoc on societies and the human web.
What they have forgotten to look at is the inherent wisdom of Nature's power and experience. Rather than fighting against Nature, we must look to become Nature's apprentice. Her pupil, student, and child.
We must return to the source of creation and stop fighting against it. Surrender is on its way, with resistance close behind her.
The failed paradigm of the old design is catching up to the modern world.
The failed paradigm of the old design is should not be cast aside as a failure, rejected from consideration and acknowledgment. No the unraveling paradigm of the past is merely a showing of our young, often times proud and stubborn, species. We fumble and forget how much is put into the system. How much work is needed to create the structures and plans for the future.
Did you know, cement makes up six to eight percent of the world's CO2 emissions? That is a large contribution if you think about it.
The total contribution of aircraft emissions to total anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions was considered to be about 2 percent in 1990 (IPCC, 1990).
The point is, ground asphalt and buildings made of cement are a significant contributor to green house gases and rising CO2 levels. The point is, the architectural designs of the past, especially through mainstream construction have greatly been poor and incomplete. If people were wise they would realize how designing using principles and patterns in nature, is the smarter and more effective way of constructing reality.
Benyus offered an extensive list of examples in how learning the patterns and designs created by nature can have a leading influence in the designs and scientific efficiencies in the future. She says, the beauty of the scientific path is that we have found the knowledge in the study. This knowledge, or wisdom, tends to reduce friction. This wisdom lets things flow. What some wise people call, the state of harmony. Benyus inspires by reminding us, there is still abundance left and the wisdom of the Earth is waiting for us to re-enter the conversation.
The dialogue is beginning.
Break down
Chemically break down
Catalyze chemical reactions (6)
Cleave halogens from organic compounds (0)
Cleave heavy metals from organic compounds (2)
Enzymes detoxify mercury compounds: bacteria
Mining metals: marine bacteria
Other inorganic compounds (4)
Other organic compounds (30)
Polymers (4)
Physically break down
Get, store, or distribute resources
Capture, absorb, or filter
Distribute
Expel
Store
Maintain community
Cooperate and compete
Coordinate
Provide ecosystem services
Maintain physical integrity
Manage structural forces
Prevent structural failure
Protect from abiotic factors
Protect from biotic factors
Regulate physiological processes
Make
Chemically assemble
Generate/convert energy
Physically assemble
Reproduce
Modify
Adapt/optimize
Modify chemical/electrical state
Modify physical state
Move or stay put
Attach
Permanently (49)
Temporarily (68)
Sticky proteins serve as glue: blue mussel
Adhering to multiple substrates: blackberry
Sticky proteins serve as glue: mammals
Eggs glued to leaves: coddling moth
Capillary action aids adhesion: European blowfly
Hooked beak snags flowers: flowerpiercer
Pollen fastens to a bee's head: orchids
Feather parts reattach: birds
Sucker-mouths help tadpoles stick: torrent-stream frog
Suckers allow fine attachment: octopus
White blood cells adhere closely: mammals
White blood cells roll and stick: mammals
Threads adhere underwater: sea cucumber
Foot adaptations climb rough and smooth surfaces: insects
Adhesion occurs in varying conditions: keyhole limpet
Special tongue captures soft prey: long-beaked echidna
Spinal column has strength and flexibility: armored shrew
Proboscis forms a flexible, sealed cylinder: butterfly
Poisonous tooth shoots into prey: cone snail
Suction used to attach to prey: lamprey
Hooks attach in water currents: caddisfly
Claws hold on at high current velocities: riffle beetle
Hooks aid underwater attachment: blackfly
Sticky berries adhere: Australian mistletoe
Feet adhere temporarily: aphids
Eggs adhere in and out of water: midwife toad
Tentacles adhere underwater: octopus
Mucus takes on adhesive qualities: dusky arion slug
Feet stay put: perching birds
Running up and down trees: treecreepers
Mouthparts manipulate food: insects
Beak holds fish: puffin
Employing frictional devices: tenebrionid beetles
Footpads stick to vertical surfaces: great green bushcricket
Resisting shearing forces: limpets
Setae enhance temporary adhesion: leaf beetles
Disklike structures adhere to smooth surfaces: Spix's disk-winged bat
Modified leaves assist climb: passion flower
Tendrils stick to various surfaces: Virginia creeper
Running on waxy leaves: Arboreal ants
Tube feet attach in marine environment: echinoderms
Leaves modified for climbing: glory lilies
Stem used for climbing: honeysuckle
Stem sends out climbing gear: cheese plant
Feet grip waxy leaves: leaf beetle
Wings work in unison: insects
Design features aid efficient attachment: lice
Sucker-like structure used to attach: remora
Low-energy perching: mousebird
Orchids capture pollen: bucket orchids
Feet maintain traction: mountain goat
Seeds are dispersed long distances: South African grapple plant
Sticky proteins serve as glue: green mussel
Feet prevent slipping: insects
Foot adhesion prevents capture: palm leaf beetle
Receptors adhere selectively: microbes
Glue fibers form underwater: caddisfly
Pads attach to smooth surfaces: Madagascar sucker-footed bat
Organs serve multiple adhesive functions: camel spider
Tyrisonase enzymes aid crosslinking: organisms
Secretions gain adhesive/cohesive qualities: marine invertebrates
Larvae adhere temporarily underwater: barnacles
Hooks adhere to wooly coats: burdock
Toe pads adhere and clean themselves: White's tree frog
Silk threads adhere underwater: marine amphipod
Flagella facilitate swimming and attaching: Giardia
Secretion attaches eggs: saturniid gum moth
Caterpillars roll leaves: Striglina scitaria
Prehensile tail holds tight: seahorse
Move
In gases (43)
In/on liquids (65)
In/on solids (60)
Process information
Compute
Encode/decode
Learn
Navigate
Process signals
Send signals
Sense signals/environmental cues