Biomimetics is a fascinating -- and fast-emerging -- field of research. Simply stated, it's the science of looking for solutions that have been engineered by nature. Previous biomimetics efforts lead to the development of velcro, and now an entire expo called "Nature's Wisdom" is dedicated to showcasing breakthroughs created by nature and recognized by scientists.
I'm a huge supporter of this sort of science: nature has much to teach us, and if we would have the patience to look at the solutions already provided by nature rather than trying to reinvent everything from scratch, we'd be richly rewarded for doing so.
Nowhere is this more true than in medicinal herbs, where nature has already provided an abundance of disease-preventing herbal medicines all around us -- in the deserts, forests, plains and jungles of the world. And yet only around 2% of the world's plant species have even been studied for possible medicinal benefits. Clearly, there are miraculous phytochemicals just waiting to be discovered and leveraged for the healing of chronic disease.
Yet biomimetics is really more about the physics of nature rather than the chemistry. Using biomimetics, scientists have created temperature-sensing clothing materials that mimic the adaptation response of pinecones. They've also studied the aerodynamics of insect wings to gain insight into advances for machine-powered flight.
Biomimetics is promising, fascinating, and essentially free. Nature has already conducted the research over the last few million years! All we have to do as humans is be smart enough to recognize that nature has already solved all sorts of problems that we are only beginning to encounter.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams launched NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a veteran of the software technology industry, having founded a personalized mass email software product used to deliver email newsletters to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Email this article to a friend
Share this article on: 
Now Available from 
