Noah Kayser-Hirsh 9/1/13 Ted Talk Reaction

Biomimicry is the process of studying nature and using the structures that nature uses to apply to human problems. The structures and processes found in nature can be used to solve problems in engineering, health, and many other things. One example of biomimicry comes from bullet trains. Originally they had a rounded top, which would cause a pressure buildup in tunnels and a loud noise when they came out. Kingfishers are birds that dive into water without making a splash in order to see fish. The bullet trains then started to use a shape, which is the same as the beak of a kingfisher and the trains saw significant improvement. This is interesting because of the way both have to travel between two different mediums. A second example of biomimicry is the insect in the Namibian desert. This insect has no source of fresh water and thus coats its wings in such a way that it catches fog and water builds up and goes to the insects mouth. We as humans are using this in buildings, gathering water by the same method. This is interesting because it is more effective than the fog catching nets we used before this method. Ecosystem services are the methods of biomimicry which come from ecosystems. We use these to build cities in a way that is efficient and similar to the ecosystem that would be there if we were not building. One problem that could be solved with biomimicry is the problem of aerodynamics of cars. Many birds have designs which allow them to soar at great speeds, such as peregrine falcons, and these could be applied to cars