Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

Biomimicry is a revolutionary new science that analyzes nature's best ideas -- spider silk and prairie grass, seashells and brain cells -- and adapts them for human use. Science writer and lecturer Janine Benyus takes us into the lab and out in the field with the maverick researchers who are applying nature's ingenious solutions to the problem of human survival: stirring vats of proteins to unleash their signaling power in computers; analyzing how spiders manufacture a waterproof fiber five times stronger than steel; studying how electrons in a leaf cell convert sunlight to fuel in trillionths of a second; discovering miracle drugs by observing what animals eat -- and much more.

The products of biomimicry are things we can all use -- medicines, "smart" computers, super-strong materials, profitable and earth-friendly business. Biomimicry eloquently shows that the answers are all around us.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Fascinating topic, covered in the right amount of detail, 2008-11-24
Overall, I loved this book. I appreciated it from a scientific innovation perspective and for its vision of how society could flourish in symbiosis with nature. There were several sections where I just couldn't put it down. For the most part the level of detail was just right, the science was well explained, and the writing was engaging. I found parts of the biological computation section less than satisfying (too much analogy, not enough specifics), but I might be biased because that topic was closest to my field and I probably wanted more gory detail than the average reader. Even that section, however, included plenty of references and food for thought so I really can't complain. I'm trying to make all of my friends and family read this book if that's any indication about how much I liked it.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Book End for Zero Waste, Brilliant Introduction, 2008-09-23
20081214 DEPARTED AMAZON WITH OUTRAGE OVER THE MANIPULATION OF VOTES.

I was introduced to this concept at BIONEERS, an annual event with satellite nodes convenient to all, and was just blown away. This book is a superb introduction to the common sense recognition that nature has over all the billions of years, figured out how to not only do stuff with energy efficiency, but also with a zero waste footprint.

Check out World Index for Social and Environmental Responsibility (WISER) for many other leads.

Other books that I recommend outside the standard ones that Amazon points to:
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
The Age of Missing Information
In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations
Getting to Zero Waste
High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
High Noon: Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them
The Future of Life


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Biomimicry - innovation inspired by nature , 2008-08-07
have as yet not read the book but will within the next few weeks as I travel abroad and have some quality time while traveling. Thank you for asking, Jan


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Nature Revelation, 2008-05-01
This book is an exellent read that provides insightful commentary on the work of several leading scientists and communities. Our understanding of current industralized communities is explored, and the effects on nature are considered. Alternative solutions in various fields are investigated that allow people from all walks of life to connect with the messages in the book. The topics are structured in a easy to read and logical fashion that leads you through the discussion of redesigning our solutions for food, energy, materials, computing, bio-diversity, recycling, industry and co-habitation with nature in educative and highly engaging tone.

I love Janine's prose as it engenders a rich connection with nature, and the hope that we can change our systems towards a sustainable future. This book is an essential read for each one of us, and we can all learn to appreciate the true value of bio-diversity, and of conserving as much of it as we can, in its truest, unmaligned form.

I've been able to consider how I lead my life and the materials I am dependent upon. I hope to change my habits to better conserve the precious gifts that Nature has provided. I've come to appreciate the roots of our immense knowledge and lessons continually being learnt from Nature, and hope that we can continue to utilise this to create a happier future for generations to come.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

First impression, 2008-03-24
I'm still reading through, but I was expecting less theory and more practical features/examples. I already had the general background and needed a methodology to put into practice. So far I haven't found it.

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