Biomimetics mania

What do geckos, burrs, and humpback-whale flippers have in common? Answer: they have all inspired clever inventions. Studies of the gecko's ability to walk upside down across a ceiling led to the invention of "gecko tape", described as, "A new material covered with nanoscopic hairs that mimic those found on geckos' feet [which] could allow people to walk up sheer surfaces and across ceilings". Pretty amazing stuff. Likewise, burrs stuck in his pants after a hike led Swiss engineer George de Mestral to invent Velcro after discovering tiny hooks at the tips of the burr's spines. As for whale fins, well, their scalloped edge has been shown to generate force when their owner banks tightly; inspired by the innovation, biomechanist Frank Fish is testing the efficiency of wind turbine blades with serrated edges to see if they can generate power more effectively than standard straight-edged blades.

Enter the wondrous, relatively-new world of biomimetics - seeking to mimic nature's (read, God's) ingenious solutions to nature's challenges in solving practical engineering problems. As stated in the latest National Geographic article, "Biomimetics: Design by Nature", "Biomimentics brings in a whole different set of tools and ideas you wouldn't otherwise have". More and more, biologists are discovering that every living organism is a masterpiece of engineering design. Quoting leader in the field of biomimicry, Andrew Parker, the article speaks of museum collections as "a treasure-trove of brilliant design". Waving towards a room of specimens, Parker said that, "I could look through here and find 50 biomimetics projects in half an hour". Surprised? We shouldn't be. Believers harbor no doubt that natural design originated in the infinitely brilliant mind of God.

The list of practical applications derived from studying God's revealed thoughts through creation goes on and on. Engineers are developing more efficient airplane wings by studying the finger-like primary feathers of raptors. Termite mounds are yielding clues to ways of building more comfortable buildings. Every child should rejoice to know of Japanese plans to produce less painful hypodermic needles by mimicking the serrations on the proboscis of mosquitoes. We may wonder why God created mosquitoes at all, but we can be grateful He gave them a relatively painless pricking proboscis.

Nature's wonders contain engineering models that hold enormously valuable potential. For example, as reported in Current Biology (Vol 17, No. 2), certain wasps that coat their bee prey in a film of unsaturated hydrocarbons secreted from a postpharygeal gland may provide a basis for important technological applications in the field of food preservation ("Fighting fungi with physics: Food wrapping by a solitary wasp prevents water condensation"). Untold billions of dollars are lost every year to molds that attack almost every organic substance known. For fungal mold spores to germinate and develop, the object they attach themselves to must get covered with tiny droplets of moisture. Atmospheric water condenses on "nucleation points" on objects - ragged edges or tiny protuberances which act as irresistible sirens to water molecules. The wasp secretion fills all the nooks and crannies and smooths every sharp edge with a water-repelling substance that keeps the wrapped bee dry almost indefinitely, preventing the formation of mold and thus providing the wasp grubs with an enduring fresh supply of meat. As the psalmist put it, "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise?" (Ps. 106:2).