Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature
Topic

Biomimetics

duckweed
design
Photo: Duckweed, by Klaus J. Appenroth, via EurekAlert!

Clever Designs in Nature Worth Imitating

As the biomimetics movement accelerates, scientists keep providing more and more examples of intelligent design in organisms great and small. Read More ›
kingfisher
Darwinism
Photo: Azure Kingfisher, by JJ Harrison, [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Read Carefully, Nature News Conspires to Refute Darwinism

The kingfisher bird has to dive after fish rapidly without busting its beak. Japanese scientists looked into the physics of this, and redesigned the noses of their bullet trains. Read More ›
Froghopper
insect

Small Wonders: Scientists Reveal the Secrets of Amazing Little Insects and Crustaceans

It often seems that the closer you need to look, the greater the wonder. It’s as if someone set it there to hide, waiting for us. Read More ›
gecko toes
design
Photo: A gecko displays its superbly designed toes, by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons.

Is Biology Approaching the Threshold of Design Acceptance?

A recent biology paper inches up to the edge of design advocacy, without using the phrase “intelligent design.” Read More ›
BioBits-Thumbnail-Option-8

Biomimetics Moves STEM Education in an Intriguing Direction

An initiative by a major biomimetics lab to prepare students for careers in STEM introduces them to biological coding. Read More ›
chick-hatching

Eggshell’s Remarkable Design — A Tribute to Mindless Evolution?

The key lies in a triple-layered structure and a protein called osteopontin. Read More ›
damselfly
Photo: A damselfly, by fir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.auCanon 20D + Sigma 150mm f/2.8 + Canon MT 24-EX (Own work) [GFDL 1.2], via Wikimedia Commons.

Masters of Physics in the Living World

Plants and animals display proficiency in dynamics — the physics of movement. Read More ›
Hatchling
turtle
Photo: Sea turtle hatchling, from Living Waters, courtesy of Illustra Media.

Bats, Algae, Beetles, Turtles: Cool Design Tricks from Nature

Almost every phylum of life provides inspiration for engineers and inventors. Read More ›
3D printing with bacteria

Flink Fast! Here’s a Biodesign Paper for Happy ID Holidays

Two highly complex creatures, humans and bacteria, team up for a new future, using 3D printing with “functional living ink” — Flink. Read More ›
eyes have it

Telescope-Like Eyes in a “Simple” Mollusk

Scientists were dumbfounded to find shellfish looking at them with hundreds of elegantly designed eyes. Read More ›

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