
The Whale and the Wind Turbine: Innovation Inspired by Animals

[Using] biomimicry as a path to conservation requires us to exercise a different way of seeing the natural world.
Setup
Luckily for us, a truly sustainable world already exists. Life on Earth had been in perfect balance for 3.8 billion years, and the secrets to that sustainability are still all around us. Biomimicry is the emulation of nature’s genius in design, engineering, even business. Today, biomimics are learning to repel bacteria like a shark, gather fog like a desert beetle, and circulate resources like a forest. The resulting designs are beautiful, functional, and — not surprisingly — sustainable. Biologist Janine Benyus champions the idea that we should take cues from the natural world, because what better mentor can there be?
- 2018 Festival
- Science
- Environment
Explore More
Science



On November 9, 2020, as coronavirus cases surge, President-elect Joe Biden named a COVID-19 Advisory Council. Aspen Ideas has been honored to host several of the council membe...



How are climate change and a history of inequity posing problems for Native American tribes in the Western United States?

To help combat climate change, one entrepreneur is working to shift mindsets and change behavior around the way people eat.




Earth is as resilient as it is fragile. From single species to whole ecosystems, scientists are studying the incredible ways our oasis in space responds to unprecedented human...



Women's History Month is an opportunity to honor the indelible contributions women have made in societies around the world. But don't wait until remarkable women are in histor...



A 2018 UN report on climate change urged swift and unprecedented action to curb the rise of the planet’s temperature. Experts argue that avoiding a crisis will require signifi...

A changing climate means a changing diet.