Biomimicry
Page 40
indigenous peoples’ respect for, 1, 3, 9, 11, 293, 294–295, 297
nine basic laws of, 7
reductionist views of, 236–237
Naval Research Center, 216–217
Nelson, Richard, 294
neural nets, 196–198
neurotransmitters, 194, 199, 222
New Alchemy Institute, 39
Newsweek, 234
Newton, Isaac, 226
New York Botanical Garden, 173–174
nitrates, 19
Nixon, Richard, 17
Odum, Howard T., 251
Office of Naval Research, 106
Old Dominion University, 140
olfactory senses, 156–157
oligio machines, 208
One Straw Revolution (Fukuoka), 37
opportunistic systems, 249–250
ozone layer, CFC destruction of, 122–123, 281
Pacific Northwest Laboratories, 112
packaging, waste reduction in, 256–257
Pagels, Heinz, 185
paint, primers for, 119–120, 121
Papago agriculture, 43
paper industry, 95
parallel processing, 190, 191, 196–198, 231, 234
Patagonia, 257–258
pattern recognition, 190, 195, 203
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 91–92
Penrose, Roger, 220, 226, 227, 228
pesticides, 13, 14, 18–20, 47, 48–49, 179
petroleum products:
in agriculture, 18–20
photosynthesis as source of, 61
Pfizer, Inc., 173–174, 179
pharmacology, see medicines
phase inversion, 124
pheromones, 130
Phillips-Conroy, Jane, 166
photosynthesis, 60–94
artificial models of, 62–83, 86–94
defined, 60
digital technology and, 84–86
early studies on, 60
efficiency of, 59, 79, 80–81, 90, 260
molecular process of, 62–63, 215, 217
photozyme creation and, 86–93
photovoltaics (PVs), 62
photozyme, 86–93
Picattiny Arsenal, 123, 124
Pimentel, David, 19
Pimm, Stuart, 31, 32
Piper, Jon, 15–16, 23–26, 29–35, 46, 47, 51, 56
plants:
animal fertility and, 170–172
annual vs. perennial, 12, 14, 17, 20, 25, 26–30, 46–47, 249–251
extinctions of, 147
medicinal use of, 161–169
photosynthesis of, 59–94, 215, 217
poisonous, 147–149, 150
see also agriculture
plastics industry:
solid foam production in, 122–124
toxic emissions produced by, 95
plowing, damage from, 13, 16
polarizing light microscope, 133, 141
pollution, see environmental degradation
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 91–92
polystyrene, 113, 123–124
population levels, 240, 249, 292
prairie ecosystems, 12
four classic plant types of, 26
lack of soil damage in, 14–19, 25
sustainable agriculture modeled on, 20–35, 44–53
pregnancy, dietary preferences in, 157
Priestley, Joseph, 60
primates, dietary choices of, 147, 149–172
discrimination abilities for, 156–159, 169
medicinal plants in, 161–169
nutritional values vs. toxic levels in, 149–151
sampling behaviors in, 158
for seasonal fertility, 169–172
soil ingestion and, 153–154
primers, 119–121
productivity, optimal vs. maximal, 263–264
Profet, Margie, 157
profitability, environmental costs considered in, 278–281
proteins:
digestion of, 148–149, 170
self-assembly of, 103–104
sequencing research on, 105–106, 107, 108–109, 111
as structural templates, 102–105, 110–117
synthesis of, 106–108, 109–111, 208
see also computing, molecular
PVs (photovoltaics), 62
quantum theory:
brain function and, 225–228
parallel scanning and, 206, 226–227
radar, 6
Rámon y Cajal, Santiago, 185
Reenchantment of the World, The (Bergman), 236
Reidel, Evie Mae, 55
resource levels, maintenance of, 269–271
rhinoceros, 139–145
rice, 17
Richter, Curt P., 152
Ride, Sally, 273
Rieke, Peter C., 112–114
Risch, Steve, 34
Rittmann, Stephanie, 45–46
Roberts, Pat, 49
Rodale family, 44
Roddick, Anita, 257
Rodriguez, Eloy, 146, 165, 166, 182
Ryan, Christopher, 282, 284
Sachs, Aaron, 95
salad dressing, emulsified, 123–124
Sales, Kirkpatrick, 277
SAMs (self-assembled monolayers), crystal growth on, 112–114
Sapolsky, Robert M., 182
Sarikaya, Mehmet, 95, 99, 101, 105
Sauther, Michelle L., 159
Schapiro, Mark, 19
Schrödinger, Erwin, 227
Schultes, Richard Evans, 177
Science, 62, 176, 230, 233, 234
Science News, 132
Sciences, The, 177, 182
Scientific American, 199
Scientific Revolution, 5, 241
Scott, Thomas, 157
Scripps Research Institution, 209
SCS (Soil Conservation Service), 16–17
Seifu, Mohamedi, 161
self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), crystal growth on, 112–114
Shadows of the Mind (Penrose), 220, 228
Shaman Pharmaceuticals, 177
shark, dogfish, 180
Sigsted, Shawn, 167
silanes, 121
silk, 97, 127, 129–139
silkworms, 131
smart materials, 6
Smith, Adam, 279
Smith, Ben, 21–22
Smith, J. Russell, 12–13, 41–43
soap, chemistry of, 90–91
sodbusters, 16
soil:
agricultural impact on, 14–19, 25
dietary ingestion of, 153–154
Soil Conservation Service (SCS), 16–17
solar energy:
man-made efforts in usage of, 59, 81–82
in photosynthesis, 59–94
solaron beads, 92
solid foam, 122–124
sorghum, milo grain, 29
Spanish dancer, 180–181
spider, golden orb weaver, 129
spider silk, 97, 129–139
production process for, 132–136
protein synthesis research based on, 136–138
Stealth bomber, 142
steel industry, 95
Stegner, Wallace, 46
Strange, Marty, 50
Strier, Karen B., 146, 163–164, 170–171, 178, 182
Stuckey, Galen, 111, 112
Styrofoam, 122, 123–124
Sunshine Farm project, 51–53, 55
superconductivity, 22
superimposition of states, 226–227, 228
Swan, James A., 238
Swan, Roberta, 238
symbiosis, 258–259
Syracuse University, 216
tactilizing processors, 203–207, 208–209, 229
take-back laws, 256–257, 278
Tallgrass Prairie Producers, 55
Tate, Ann, 216–217, 235
teeth, crystalline structure of, 101
tendons, structure of, 99–100, 119, 125
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, 258
termites, 6
thin-film technology, 112–114
3M, 267–268
Tibbs, Hardin B., 239, 241, 246, 247, 254
Todd, John, 39–40
Todd, Nancy, 39
torsional strength, 143
Total Quality Management (TQM), 243
toxins:
in animal defense systems, 179–181
dietary avoidance of, 147–149, 150–151, 158–159, 178, 183
in self-medication, 168–169
Tree Crops (Smith), 41–43
Tributsch, Helmut, 200–201
Trimble, Stephen, 288
Twain, Mark, 8
Type I systems, 249–253
Type II systems, 250
Type III systems, 250–253
Ubby, Russell, 56
Uenohara, Michiyuki, 259
Ulmer, Kevin, 231
Ultimate Computing (Hameroff), 230
Understanding Chimpanzees (Goodall and Wrangham), 164–165
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 174
Van Orden, Ann, 140–145
Velcro, 4
Vermeer, Donald E., 154, 183
vervets, 151
Viney, Christopher, 129–136, 138–139, 141
Voisin, André, 45
von Neumann, John, 192, 196, 224
Waite, J. Herbert, 118–129
Washington, University of, 99, 106, 129
waste:
annual tonnage of, 240–241
industrial output of, 95, 243, 246
public awareness on, 244–246
as resource, 254–258, 274
water, chemistry in, 90–94
Waterman, Peter, 151
water supply, pesticide residues in, 19
Watt, Rich, 222–223
wave function, quantum, 227, 228
wheat cultivation, 13, 16
Whiten, Andrew, 151
wildrye, mammoth, 28, 33
Wilson, E. O., 285, 289–290, 296–297
With Bitter Herbs They Shall Eat It (Johns), 154
Woodbury, Neal, 70–74, 80, 83, 88, 91
Worman, Jack, 53
Wrangham, Richard, 146, 151, 156, 159, 162, 163–165, 166, 168, 178, 182
Wyoming, University of, 127, 133, 138
X-ray crystallography, 71
Young, John E., 95
Zasloff, Michael, 180
zoopharmacognosy, 166, 182
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to express my appreciation to all the biomimics I interviewed and especially to those kind enough to review a portion of the manuscript. The reviewers were: Dr. Wes Jackson, Dr. Jon Piper, and Dr. Marty Bender of The Land Institute; Dr. J. Devens Gust, Jr., Dr. Thomas Moore, Dr. Ana Moore, and Dr. Neal Woodbury of Arizona State University; Dr. Clement Furlong, University of Washington; Dr. Paul Calvert, University of Arizona; Dr. J. Herbert Waite, University of Delaware; Dr. Christopher Viney, Oxford University; Dr. David Kaplan, U.S. Army Research; Dr. Kenneth Glander, Duke University Primate Center; Dr. Richard Wrangham, Harvard University; Dr. Karen Strier, University of Wisconsin; Dr. Michael Conrad, Wayne State University; Dr. Braden Allenby and Dr. Thomas Graedel of AT&T; and Thomas Armstrong of Matfield Green, Kansas. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Dr. Christopher Viney, who critiqued the entire manuscript with a rare combination of enthusiasm and a fine-tooth comb.
I was fortunate to have a literary agent, Jeanne Hanson, and an editor, Toni Sciarra, who really understood this field-without-a-name and were biomimicry champions from the start. For transcribing my notes with a curious mind, I thank Nina Maclean. My flock of friends and family were tremendous, as always.
Many people shaped my understanding of this book, both while I was writing it and afterward. In particular, I thank Wes Jackson and Wendell Berry for recognizing themselves as biomimics years ago and thinking so clearly and carefully about what it all means. Emily Hunter, also of The Land Institute, was waiting in an eddy for me when I finished. With her help, I was able to reflect and recharge for the next phase.
Finally, I want to thank Laura Merrill, who, with patient ear and open heart, helped midwife the birth of biomimicry. Her otterlike joy and rock-steady support has meant the world.
About the Author
JANINE BENYUS is a biological sciences writer and the author of six books, including her latest—Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature; an animal behavior guide entitled Beastly Behaviors; and three field guides: The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Western United States, The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Eastern United States, and Northwoods Wildlife: A Watcher’s Guide to Habitats.
A graduate of Rutgers University, New Jersey, with degrees in natural resource management and English literature/writing, Benyus acts as a “biologist at the design table” for various sustainable companies and governments, and lectures widely on biomimicry. She lives in the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana.
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Praise for Biomimicry
“The colors of Benyus, a splendid Stevensville, Montana, science writer with a grasp of several sciences, contain far more shades of green than of chrome…. Valuable and stimulating.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Beautifully written and told with the passion of a true believer…. Benyus delights us with the cleverness and inventiveness of nature in dealing with our greatest technological challenges.”
—San Jose Mercury News
“Benyus writes like an angel from the moment of her opening sentence.”
—Vancouver Sun
“An enlightened alternative to Darwinism…. The scientific effort to discover how we can live lightly and sustainably by learning from nature may well be the most important task now going on. If we cannot answer this question, the other answers may not matter much in the long run.”
—Christian Science Monitor
“The author ably brings together many disparate tracks of biomimetic work in a wide-ranging overview of this emerging and still speculative field.”
—Scientific American
“This book will help bridge the dangerous chasm between technophiles and environmentalists.”
—Booklist
“In the months and years to come you are going to be hearing a lot about biomimicry—the design of human technological systems on a nonhuman biological basis—and this will have been the book that started all the talk.”
—SUE HUBBELL, author of A Country Year
“Biomimicry is a book like no other: It is a primer that will teach you how to think like a blade of grass, a duck pond, a wheat field, a redwood forest, and thus to live within the natural order. It is not about ecological thinking; its instructions and revelations come straight from nature. This book may save your life.”
—GRETEL EHRLICH, author of This Cold Heaven
“Don’t be fooled by the gentle humor, earthy stories, and graceful writing—this is a revolutionary book! Biomimicry fires the imagination with the exciting possibility of taking the best designs from nature’s storehouses of invention and applying them to the challenge of building a sustainable and creative future.”
—DUANE ELGIN, author of Voluntary Simplicity
ALSO BY JANINE M. BENYUS
Beastly Behaviors: A Watcher’s Guide to How Animals Act and Why
Northwoods Wildlife: A Watcher’s Guide to Habitats
Northwoods Wildlife—Knapsack Edition
The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Eastern United States
The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Western United States
Copyright
BIOMIMICRY. Copyright © 1997 by Janine M. Benyus. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be
reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition June 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-195892-2
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