Asking Nature for Advice

originally published in The English Reader for Senior High School: Book Three by The Far East Books Co., Ltd. 原文引自遠東高中英文第三冊課文。

Some frogs naturally freeze solid in winter, then thaw and hop away in the spring. In Ottawa, Canada, scientists are studying these frozen frogs. They believe these frogs hold the secret for safer organ transplants. Hearts, for example, could be safely frozen and then thawed when needed.

These Canadian scientists aren’t the only ones looking to nature for inspiration. More and more inventors are also discovering that the natural world contains many useful designs. These inventors are not looking for what they can take, but rather what they can learn, from nature.

Inventions based on nature are nothing new. Over a century ago, the Wright brothers, the inventors of the airplane, studied how birds fly. They watched details such as how flying birds adjusted their wings to turn. By applying their observations to their new invention, the Wright brothers were able to fly like a bird.

In the 1940s, a Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, noticed burs sticking to his pants. He examined one of these burs under his microscope and found tiny hooks on the end of it. Based on this concept, Mestral invented Velcro.

Today, inventors are still finding great ideas in nature’s designs. Take, for example, the lotus. This plant often grows in muddy environments, but remains dry and clean. German scientists discovered that its leaves are covered with tiny needles. Dust and dirt fall on the needle tips and readily wash away when it rains. Lotusan, a German company , used this same concept to make “self-cleaning” house paint. When dried, the paint surface resembles bumps on a lotus leaf. Scientists are now hoping to create a similar paint for cars.

Imagine a string as thick as a pencil stopping a flying jet. No, it's not a cartoon. In theory, it could work. Spider silk is five times stronger than steel. It's even stronner than Kevlar---the toughest man-made material.

Spiders, however, can't be farmed. They'd eat each other. So scientists put spider genes inside goats. Then they collected and processed the goat's milk. The result? Spider silk from milk! Its uses may include stronger bulletproof vests and safer bridges.

Learn from nature. You'll be surprised by its great designs.