Nature knows best: How the natural world is inspiring new innovations

• When we look at the world around us, we see what has survived the test of time. In other words, nature doesn't just show us results - it shows us the most optimal ideas available.

• As a result, scientists are creating more products that are inspired by nature.

The BlackBerry phone was inspired by a butterfly's

wing.

Nature-inspired designs

Bio-inspiration, also known as biomimicry, is a discipline that studies and learns from nature's best ideas to generate breakthrough products and technologies.

Solar Leaf

A Speedo swimsuit line

inspired by shark's skin

Nature knows best: How the natural world is inspiring new innovations

• Go to the Following Website for Examples: http://www.biotrue.com/world.html

http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/

A new car design

inspired by a boxfish

3rd Law: Nature knows bestRead your article and write examples forLaw #3:

Mothers milk vs. milk formula http://video.answers.com/formula-vs-breast-milk-for-infants-169789702

Real food vs. vitamins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cti0dfsSEyY&feature=related

Pesticides vs. natural enemies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXvmrD99mMw

Wild (or prescribed) fires vs. stopping fireshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hQvxq5XC-E

How does the availability of resources affect the number

of deer over time?

Oh Deer Game

1) Populations will increase as much as they can.

-For instance, as long as pike have enough food (i.e. yellow perch) to eat in Lake Winnipeg they will continue to grow, reproduce and add to their population.

2) But, populations will not grow forever due to limiting factors (Some form of resistance from the environment will stop the population’s growth)

-For example, the lack of food for pike is a form of resistance or a limiting factor. If pike do not have enough food to eat their population will begin to decrease.

EARTH IS A CLOSED SYSTEM

LIMITING FACTORS:

factors that controls an organisms growth or size of a populationEx: food, water, living space, disease, predators

Source:http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/human_pop/human_pop.html

CARRYING CAPACITY = #

the population size that the environment can support indefinitely, given the limiting factors

How does the availability of resources affect the number

of deer over time?

Oh Deer Game

Oh Deer Game

DEER HABITAT

Food

Water

Shelter

Space

(Not limited)

Resources:Needs:

Eat

Drink

Protection

Effect of Resource Availability on Deer Population over Time

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (Months)

Num

ber o

f Dee

rs Natural World

Human Impact

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/RabbitsAndWolves/

4th Law: “There is no such thing as a free lunch”

This law basically means you have to do something in order to get

something in return.OR

Everything has consequences.

Everything you do, must have a reason behind it.

For example, a “free” pizza party. In order to win the party, you have to fill out a survey.Survey info gets sold off… you get annoying texts from companies ….you have zero load now….don’t get the message about….

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”

Because the global ecosystem is a connected whole, in which nothing can be gained or lost,

This ecological law embodies the previous 3 laws.

Payment of this price cannot be avoided; it can only be delayed.

anything extracted from it by human effortmust be replaced.

World Watch magazine reported that 18 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas

emissions attributable to livestock -cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs and poultry (chicken) and their byproducts

actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year,

or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions

“A shocking 45 percent of all land on Earth is today used for raising

livestock and growing crops to feed them. But most land used for

livestock and crops can grow trees instead. - Robert Goodland, World Bank Group environmental adviser

It takes about 12,000 liters of water to produce one kg of

beef, compared with just 850 liters to produce the same

weight of wheat.

4th Law: “There is no such thing as a free

lunch”

Livestock’s carbon footprint ‘catastrophic,’ say climate experts

Read full article…

EXAMPLE #1: Tall smokestacks

• Tall stacks were originally designed to take local pollutants that resulted from manufacturing processes and put them just high enough into the atmosphere that they would be dispersed away from the local area.

The phrase used at the time to describe this process was “The solution to pollution is dilution.”

EXAMPLE: Tall smokestacksOver time, however, people in downwind locations complained that they were the victims of pollutants from elsewhere and they reacted politically to have the process stopped.

Hence, there was a call for the enforcement of a “polluter pays” principle: those causing the harm from pollution to others must pay for the cleanup and removal of the pollutants and the repair of their adverse impacts on the built as well as natural environment.

EXAMPLES: Things may seem free, but have hidden “costs”. HOW?

• Oil comes shooting out of the ground.

• Free phones with a 3 year plan.

• Oil comes shooting out of the ground.

• Free phones with a 3 year plan.

•Free samples at grocery stores. •Love. Admiration. Respect.