biomimicry

Biomimicry, according to the Biomimicry Institute, is the search for sustainable solutions to human problems by mimicking solutions that are already found in nature. This practice has been coupled with…

When asked to picture a bird’s nest, most people will immediately go to the same image: a small, round structure, created from twigs, grass and other scavenged bits, with an…

Yesterday, the law firm of Benesch Attorneys at Law held its third annual 3D Printing Conference, an event geared towards keeping legal professionals up to date on 3D printing and the…

The golden tortoise beetle is a beautiful insect. I don’t often say that about many insects, but you can’t deny that the golden tortoise beetle, or goldbug, is a pretty,…

Just about everyone loves butterflies, I think, even people who hate insects in general. It’s hard not to be amazed by their beauty and the incredible variety of colors they…

There’s so much more that goes into a 3D print than many people realize. To those unfamiliar with how the process works, it looks like simple magic – but there…

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…Batman! In my humble opinion, this is how that phrase should really go; Superman has always been a little…

Soft robotics are becoming increasingly common as researchers and engineers develop new ways to fabricate robots from materials that range from flexible plastics to silicones. A team of engineers at MIT, however,…

3D printing may be one of the newest methods of fabrication, but in many cases, it also takes cues from the oldest fabrication techniques in the world – older than…

Sometimes science can be really, really adorable – while teaching us important things, as well. While putting tiny goggles on a small parrot may seem to be good for nothing…

My dogs go crazy when we bring Chinese food home, because they can smell the wontons my husband will eventually feed them. They won’t give him any peace until he…

It’s no secret that we often steal the magic of nature for our own purposes, whether that’s literally in taking animals for their fur and other parts, often tragically, or…

The rainbow-colored mantis shrimp is gorgeous to look at – to humans, anyway. To its fellow crustaceans, it’s a purple-eyed horror. The mantis shrimp is a brutal killer that dispatches its…

As with most politically aware, socially conscious citizens of the world, you have probably caught yourself wondering: “I know that sea urchins are nice and all…but what have they done…

Nature in its infinite forms seems at first blush to be random and chaotic. There doesn’t seem to be an overriding logic to it all. And yet, looking closer we see…

“Bees are the world’s first 3D printers,” says Jennifer Berry. An ecologist, landscape designer, artist, teacher, Berry is the founder of Berry Design Ecology, her personal consulting practice. Her work…

If you are interested in the field of sustainability, you have most likely run across the work of Janine Benyus before. She is a natural science writer and author of…

Designer Ammo Liao moved from his home of 28 years in Tainan, Taiwan where the buildings and culture inspired him to develop his design skills, and he took those influences…

Probably one of the first things that we learn about animals and insects is how adaptive they are to their environments. The animal that taught me this lesson well was…

Personally, I hate spiders. Even though they’re impressive, versatile creatures with a surprising amount of benefits to the environment and general circle of life, they’re just creepy. Walking into spiderwebs…

3D printing is by definition all about replicating ‘things.’ The technology is impacting the world due to its ability to work as a replacement for many required things from body…