Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

by Janine M. Benyus

Repackaged with a new afterword, this "valuable and entertaining" ( New York Times Book Review ) book explores how scientists are adapting nature's best ideas to solve tough 21st century problems. Biomimicry is rapidly transforming life on earth. Biomimics study nature's most successful ideas over the past 3.5 million years, and adapt them for human use. The results are revolutionizing how materials are invented and how we compute, heal ourselves, repair the environment, and feed the world. Janine Benyus takes readers into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; harness energy by examining how a leaf converts sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; and many more examples. Composed of stories of vision and invention, personalities and pipe dreams, Biomimicry is must reading for anyone interested in the shape of our future.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Design, Sustainability, Nature, Biology, Environment

308 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 1997

About the author

Janine M. Benyus is an American natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author.

Benyus graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with degrees in natural resource management and english literature/writing. Benyus teaches interpretive writing, lectures at the University of Montana, and works towards restoring and protecting wild lands. She serves on a number of land use committees in her rural county, and is president of Living Education, a nonprofit dedicated to place-based living and learning.


Biomimicry

Benyus has authored six books on biomimicry, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In this book she develops the basic thesis that human beings should consciously emulate nature's genius in their designs.
In 1998, Benyus co-founded the Biomimicry Guild, the Innovation Consultancy, which helps innovators learn from and emulate natural models in order to design sustainable products, processes, and policies that create conditions conducive to life. She is also President of the The Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit organization whose mission is to naturalize biomimicry in the culture by promoting the transfer of ideas, designs, and strategies from biology to sustainable human systems design.



Authored works

Biomimicry : Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus, Sept. 1, 1997, (ISBN 0-06-053322-6)
Beastly Behaviors: A Zoo Lover's Companion by Janine M. Benyus and Juan Carlos Barbery (1990-now WL VA) (Oct 1993) (ISBN 0-201-62482-6)
Northwoods Wildlife: A Watcher's Guide to Habitats by Janine M. Benyus (Jul 1989) (ISBN 1-55971-003-9)
The Secret Language & Remarkable Behavior of Animals by Janine M. Benyus and Juan Carlos Barberis (Jan 10, 1998) (ISBN 1-57912-036-9)
The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Eastern United States by Janine M. Benyus (Jun 15, 1989) (ISBN 0-671-65908-1)
Wildlife in the upper Great Lakes Region a Community Profile (SuDoc A 13.78:NC-301) by Janine M. Benyus (1992)
Christmas Tree Pest Manual by Janine M Benyus (Jan 1, 1983)


Awards and honors

Women of Discovery Award (2006), WINGS WorldQuest
Rachel Carson Environmental Ethics Award
Lud Browman Award for Science Writing
Science Writing in Society Journalism Award
Barrows and Heinz Distinguished Lectureships
Design Futures Council Senior Fellow
[edit]See also

Reviews

[Mario the lone bookwolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore nature and science should do the same to get behind all those secrets and abilities shaped by evolution.

The sheer speed of technological progress, that leads to the unleashing of faster and faster scientific insights, has already confirmed and refuted some of the ideas of this already over 20-year-old book, but the future will show if the new results won´t have to be reconsidered again. And again. And...

It is simply logical long-time, less economic, thinking to focus on the use of up to billions of years old nature concepts instead of generating fictional trillions of cash and messing the whole earth system thing up. Just by copying prototypes that showed to be successful in million-year long evolutionary arms races and adapting the function to the wanted field of application and bingo, time, money and probably the planet are saved.

The author shows some examples of how she believes nature might inspire us in the future, taking real nature examples that are just the tip of the iceberg. Spidersilk or natural adhesives used by mussels have manifold potential and there are vast quantities of both undiscovered wonder substances and potential purposes.

Like instinctively finding cures like chimps, elephants and many other animals that are, in unknown ways, capable of consuming the foods they need in certain situations in the right amounts. Copying and understanding the chemical structures and possible applications of all those plants and fungi could be the key to finding cures for many diseases and even the aging process.

"Energy harvesting like a leave" shows the potentials of photosynthesis and in this way, alternative energy in general. Because there are so many processes that could be made useable, especially chemical ones that run 24/7 for energy production by optimizing physical processes.

"Running a business like a redwood forest" is a bit romantic, but comprises the main ingredients for a sustainable and fair economic system without losers.

"Computing like a cell" has already become a big topic and seemed close to impossible when the book was written, but is now already in its´starting block. It will be interesting which of the three contestants, old school computing with circuities that are getting closer and closer to the nanoscale, quantum computing or biological DNA- or another kind of nature-inspired or "alive" computing may become the most effective one. And that is just the hardware, the algorithms that could be won by copying nature and its creatures are also full of potential.

There are not only the technological and economic applications, but the military ones too that could be especially useful with new technologies and spaceflight so that it might be that we will find the way to other worlds by copying the processes that made our life, the functioning of our bodies, biospheres, everything around us, possible.

A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real-life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomime...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthet...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio-ins...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...

[Smellsofbikes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to like this book, and I agree with her underlying theses. I enjoy reading all the gee-whiz almost-there projects that are going to supplant petroleum-based agriculture, energy, and the like, any day now. But no matter how many stories she tells about projects that *could* be better than what we use now, she never seems to touch on the fundamental problem that we, as a species, use all the food and energy we produce, so anything that is going to replace that needs to have the same productivity as the processes it's replacing, and natural, nature-imitating processes live by the same rules, only making just about as much as they need. Foodstuff and energy production that support humans require a vast excess, because we are, fundamentally, parasites on our foodstuffs and our energy sources, and with the population pressure we have, there aren't any natural processes that can sustain themselves and us too. This is the difficult truth: there are too many people for the world to support sustainably, given what we currently have and know. All the gee-whiz stories founder on that underlying problem, which neither she nor anyone else has any idea how to address, save the wingnuts who propose just killing all the poor and foreigners.

Plus I am irrationally annoyed when I read sentences like: "mammoth wildrye... a stout cool-season relative of wheat that the Mongols used to feast on when drought claimed their annuals" -- they didn't feast. They ate wildrye because they were starving because their normal crops had failed. That wording is the sort of institutional bias that runs rampant in this book, and in many other books and magazines in the future-utopia genre, and it never fails to irritate me, in exactly the same way that the phrase "unborn people" irritates me. Science stands on its own, but choosing soothing words to support your ideas is putting the prop in propaganda.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapter of this 1997 book should be mandatory curriculum in... something - whatever discipline you can lock this philosophical framework for technical applications of environmental science. It is engineering, biology, and philosophy wrapped up into one.

Her premise isn't the standard concept of "biomimicry": that nature learns from its own mistakes and evolves, and that mimicry is one way species learn.

She instead posits that over billions of years, nature has developed vastly superior technology than humans. Here, "technology" has a broad meaning, including sustainable self-regulating systems. Think of pest-free, regenerating and durable prairie landscapes instead of massive mono-crop agriculture. In many cases, these technologies are in plain sight: the photosynthetic properties of a leaf cell are vastly more efficient than any synthetic solar cell we can reproduce. Moreover, we are barely able to map how photosynthesis works on an atomic level - we have a long way to go.

I saw Janine speak at a green building conference (just think about the connections!), and I would recommend her lecture just as I recommend the book. Her prose is vivid although she digs deep into technical detail on her subjects. It is not so readable as a result, and the chapters are highly episodic as opposed to cumulative.

There is much more to this book. I had to return it to the library before I was able to finish, but I consider my decent skim to constitute completion. And now, evangelization!

[Ammar Naaimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tackles biomimicry in agriculture, synthetics and material science, economica and even computing by taking us through the works of researchers in this topic.

The thing I LOVED about this book was how it also explores changes in how we can and should think as people.

The writing can be relatively dense, but I believe that has more to do with the topic. On the contrary Benyus has a beautiful writing style, full of metaphor, poetry, and discussion.

I can honestly say this book will remain on the back of my mind for a while.

[T.M. Mullin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of biomimicry and the author are featured prominently in Prince Charles’ TV documentary project “Harmony”. The book Biomimicry was written in 1997 and the science is a little stale, but the idea is still very interesting. Biomimicry is largely happening in the subtleties of biology, so be prepared for a heavy dose of biochemistry. For me, Benyus’ evangelical writing style is poetic but out-of-context for such a scientific topic. I appreciate natural beauty and an elegant design solution as much as the next guy, and clearly natural designs often demonstrate extreme economy of necessity. Yet Benyus occasionally loses sight of the fact that the nature we see today is the result of 3.8 billion years of trial and error, rather than some particular design genius. The second of Benyus’ three principles of Biomimicry - nature as a measure for what is right and appropriate - is extending an appreciation for nature into moral territory best reserved for other fields. Benyus is at her best describing the elegance of certain natural processes and how scientists in some fields are using nature as a model and nature as mentor.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to the work of Janine Benyus by a student of mine about a year and a half ago, and have been meaning to read this book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, ever since. This summer, I decided it was going to be a priority for my summer reading list, and it is the first one that I get to cross off.
The first thing I have to say about this book is that the concepts behind it are fabulous... if you want to learn more about Janine Benyus and what she does, check out her ted.com talks: Janine Benyus shares nature's designs and Biomimicry in action. The second thing is that this book is a little outdated; no fault of the author, just my fault for not reading it until 13 years after it was first published. This means that some of the ideas she has or predictions she made never did pan out the way she hopes, which almost puts the reader into some new reality where the present is still the future.
Anyways,... the whole premise of this book is that our society and our globe would be so much better off if we would model our actions after the natural world (mimicking biology = biomimicry) instead of doing things how we currently are (which is completely inefficiently and with lots of waste). The book is split into several sections, each answering a question of how we will tackle an obstacle of our life if we no longer follow the rules of a modern society, but instead follow only the rules of nature. The sections include: How will we feed ourselves?, How will we harness energy?, How will we make things?, How will we heal ourselves?, How will we store what we learn? and How will we conduct business. These are all questions that we will likely be presented with in the forseeable future if we continue to pollute and use resources at current rates.
The first section I absolutely loved, especially as I am really into sustainable agriculture. She mentions permaculture, the way of farming that tries to mimic a nature ecosystem, as well as Masanobu Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution (also on my summer reading list), which is a farming method that involves little human manipulation. The second section which focused on harnessing energy, however, made me realize that she is a biologist (and I am not), and although the overall information was interesting, there was a whole lot of detail on the process of photosynthesis (way more than I care to remember). I started to feel like this chapter was long and drawn out and found my attention span waivering. The section on how will we make things again had some interesting ideas again had some fascinating concepts, like talking about how mussels adhere to rocks underwater and how spider silk is stronger than steel yet made without intense heat, pressure, or nasty chemicals. However, I once again started to feel bogged down by the overload of biology that went with the concepts.
How will we heal ourselves was awesome. My favorite chapter of this book. It talked about finding natural medicines by watching how animals heal themselves; what they eat when they have a parasite infection for example. There is even a section on a certain type of monkey that seems to be able to choose the gender of their offspring by eating alkaline or acidic food during mating season. Amazing stuff. The section on storing our ideas basically focused on using a carbon based system instead of a silicon based system to "compute" ideas... so in essence, replacing computers as we know them by living organisms that could produce similar results, and even better results because these biological computers could "think" more than today's versions. This was where I started to feel like I was in a time warp, as she talked about the biological computers and suggested that early version may be available in the next 5 years or so.... that would have been 7 years ago from today, and the idea still sounds kooky to me. The last section on conducting business was again a bit outdated. A lot of the concepts that were talked about clearly haven't worked, as here we are 13 years later, and we are still destroying our environment at a sprinter's clip. The book mentions the buying and selling of pollution permits (which had just gone into effect when the book was piblished) as the ah-ha moment that was going to change industry, and now, looking back, we know that is not the case.
Anyways, despite this book being a bit outdated, and despite a few sections of way-too-drawn-out-biology for my liking, I still really enjoyed this book. Benyus writes eloquently and presents many ideas to learn from. Ecosystems are completely efficient role models and after reading this, I am certainly questioning how we got so far off the right path, and what it will take for our development to get back on the correct path and to follow the designs of nature.

[aza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this book in the beginning of my undergrad in env science and biology. It felt overly fluffly and anecdotal at the time but the writing was soothing enough for finishing. However, as I continued thru school there were times I'd recall this book and think that the author was too opinionated.

Picking the book up again 4 years later and I hate it. The main topic of the book is essentially that we ~must return to nature ~ (Benyus' closing argument) and against our current technologies. The actual book doesn't really have much on biomimicry at all? It feels like the author stood near other scientists then wrote this.

It's really just a long winded propaganda piece. Not to mention at this point it is very dated. Skip

[Nujood AlMulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be an extremely inspiring read written by what you can only describe as a truly passionate creature equipped with wonder and wander. Every part of the book was written with so much heart to communicate a simple, yet profound message “Listen to the earth, it knows the way” - the geeky scientific take on the phrase at least, not the manifestation infused, astrology enthusiast horoscope obsessed take on it. Biomimicry is an incredible concept and the book is filled with anecdotes and observations about the resemblance between modern civilisation and the natural ecosystem that birthed it. It asks us kindly to push away our prejudice and our superiority complexes and make room to be still, observe nature intently and analytically and learn from it, truly learn from it, internalise those lessons and create a world that not only fits within its laws but is also completely inspired by it, shoving our human ingenuity to the side and carefully repeating by example with humbleness and gratitude. We were given delicate instructions, it just seems that our precious pride has prevented us from even taking a look at the guide. The rise of Biomimicry Janine suggests has emerged as a path to counter the damage we have caused for so long with our un-eco behaviours, hitting the biological limits due to our belief that “limits are a universal dare, something to be concurred” whilst other beings work within these universal limits set by Mother Nature herself. Walking in the forest again, we can find solutions to the most pressing of our issues, revealing that the right path was suggested all along, we just chose to look the other way.

HOW WILL WE FEED OURSELVES? Farmers are taking a slower approach to growing crops, instead of an industrial infested process that only cares for the quantity of the yields and the rate at which they can grow, farmers are now taking a step back, a no machine, no chemical, no artificial fertiliser process that has proven with enough diligence to be a more efficient, long lasting nature based farming approach, taking a “cure from the genius of the place” in the most literal sense. “Once again regarding the act of growing food as a sacred, biological act”.

HOW WILL WE HARNESS ENERGY? Oh that’s simple PHOTOSYNTHESIS, the most efficient process ever witnessed in the world to the production and use of energy. The solar revolution has started once again and this time, it is going no where. Efficient catalysts that mimic the separation process done casually by plants are being invented to support paint that can generate electricity, we would literally be able to paint our rooftops and streets with paint that could generate electricity by interaction (Need to read more about this device called PENTAD which changes charge distribution and might be used for future computing to help electrons switch at the speed of light - HOW COOL). By taking a page form how our own bodies work, we can retrofit existing membranes in industrial complexes to produce hydrogen or any source of energy that pleases us with lightning speed and fewer cost. We could even use PHOTOZYME, go a bit more microscopic and use bacteria for energy generation, special bacteria that does its own photosynthesis and with that we would be simply expanding our natural resource energy mix, and oh there was something about artificial duckweed that I can’t recall but it was interesting (Again, a natural energy producing process that needs a proper read).

HOW WILL WE MAKE THINGS? AN EVOLUTION IN MATERIALS, don’t mind if I do. We’re talking about observing how organisms manage to grow and mimicking THAT process, we’re talking taking a page out of the INDESTRUCTIBLE shell that houses pearls and creating supersonic materials, we’re talking genetic engineering in a lab filled with nerds that “mail order parts to build their own computers”. Recreating the natural process of how our bodies build protein, mimicking not the end result but following the evolution of genome growth step by step, not to mention new adhesiveness copying one of nature’s slimy creatures and using strengthening composite spider web fibres in our own materials. They all made it to the mix of magical natural compounds that will revolutionise our good old standard reliable materials.

HOW WILL WE HEAL OURSELVES? Oh mainly plants or better yet animals using these healing plants to show us the way, apparently if you spot an ape community and to your misfortune there’s one who is sick, observe the healing leaves being scavenged by the community, like it’s a natural thing to search for the right medicine. They even know which plants to use and which ones to avoid, apparently with time, we lost our own naturally endowed abilities to tell plants apart through our elongated pampering in our modern world. The propagation of knowledge also seems to be more natural, there is no in-house doctor in the animal kingdom, creatures are self sufficient, they learn, like we learn, by mimicry. Animals are much more in tune with their bodily functions, they seem to crave what their bodies actually need, even dirt is on the menu for some species. One worrying fact about this is that since we like to scrape off all signs of natural existence to build our modern ultra urbanised cities, we seem to have washed away quite the number of magically healing plants, luckily for plants and animals, they seem to rely on that which we didn’t even consider to be of immense value to our wellbeing, otherwise, had we spotted any of these healing plants that survived our bulldozers, off to the glass boxes they would have went. Now a days reservations are our only chance of capitalising on nature’s healing ability, so let’s just hope we saved enough to support us by design as nature had originally planned.

HOW WILL WE STORE WHAT WE LEARN? We’re going to take a page from our bodies here, if you already heard about a little thing called machine learning, just remember, our brains did it first. They actually want to observe evolution the way our carbon wired brains are capable of through silicon. There is a notion that building computers made out of biological molecules may be our safest way to understand the brain, if ever. The way by which molecules interact may be the blueprint to how electrons should communicate and interact, DNA coding is also to be observed to advise on how programming should actually be conducted, it is after all a computer programme that could lead the way to our first ORGANIC COMPUTERS. There are also efforts to position consciousness in the brain to understand “the unified sense of self” through the help of quantum mechanics [which is simply explained as the science of understanding the substructure of things]. We can truly decipher the process of learning through a concept called “quantum knowing”. This intersection between computing and the human machine holds within it the secrets to our future, forget the metaverse, there is something far greater in the knowledge this can reveal.

HOW WILL WE CONDUCT BUSINESS? Oh nothing new here just your good old fashioned, sustainability first slogans, go green, recycle and don’t waste. A little beautiful concept called the industrial ecology and the shape shifter of a truly circular economy with a land filled with industrial clusters symbiosing like a good old multicellular colony with hard working single cell creatures that seem to know how to connect productively forming us into the humans we are today, or claim to be. I truly think that this concept of industrial symbiosis married together with the industrial ecology revolution meshing together under circular bounds is where we are heading and it’s truly about time as it seems that the other earthly creatures have never been ones to waste, even BONES INSIDE OF BIRDS are eco-friendly, they evolved with time to use less material. The revolution is here and is very much green but to do it right we have to look at our fellow neighbours roaming the earth, they’re most definitely the experts in this process and have been doing it far before we even thought about reassessing the way we interact with THINGS.

So overall, insightful, interesting, cramped with insights and new innovations and communicated with such infectious energy and enthusiasm, by one of those few realistic optimists left in the world, who truly believes in a better world that is most importantly attainable for the simple reason that the ground rules have been set, all we have to do is just study them and learn how to execute.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we look to nature to inspire innovation? Well, considering the natural world consists of over 3 billion years worth of life on Earth, which is essentially 3 billion years worth of trial and error, research and natural selection that we can learn from… short answer is yes.

This was the first time I came across biomimicry in its most explicit way - which is funny considering I studied biology, and that so many great mechanisms we use in our technology is inspired by ones that exist in nature. However, as pointed out in this book, humans are notorious for over-engineering our systems and technology in a way that conflicts with the natural rhythms and balance of our natural environment, with most of our products designed to outlast our lives and in some case our entire existence on earth. Instead, we should look to natural mechanisms and the organic building blocks it uses to assemble these mechanisms.

The political/economic commentary at the end caught me off guard a little. It stuck out a bit from the rest of the book that focused more on the technical side of biomimicry, but of course the general application of biomimicry is important to recognise too.

[Tyler A-B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah man, such a beautiful worldview. When someone asks for direction on the way out of the ecological crisis in the future I will point to this book. Offers a blueprint not only for living in step with the natural world but for how to live within our own lives.

[Brittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars (Goodreads doesn't allow half ratings...I guess they expect reviewers to be more decisive). This book was informative but, unfortunately, was not overly so on the topic of biomimicry. Benyus could have done a better job of bridging the gap between nature and technology.

In one section of the book, she discussed how we may use materials sparingly and quoted Brad Allenby: "Imagine how things would change if the only physical objects you bought were those you wanted to own for sentimental or aesthetic reasons. Everything else around your house would be leased as a service. Various providers would be responsible for installing, maintaining, upgrading, and eventually replacing your appliances, your furniture, even your cookware" (266).

In this vision of "leasing as a way of life," Benyus describes a world where we "head to [our] leased stereo/TV/computer console and select some tunes from the digital collection of music [we] own rights to..." Then, we download our newspaper and "have [our] computer read it to [us] as [we] cook dinner on [our] leased range." Maybe it sounds like a dream to some, but to me it sounds like Orwell's nightmare. There have not been enough psychological studies on ownership to assume that everyone will function successfully in such a world without creating even more waste. (Because, let's face it, we don't always take care of things that we don't own. Just check out a DVD from the library or rent one from your local video store if you don't believe me.)

What was even more perplexing to me is the fact that, after all this technological talk, Benyus wrapped up the book by talking about how we should get back to nature, Iroquois style. While there's certainly nothing wrong with her vision, I think her intended method of carrying it out is faulty at best.

There IS some valuable information in this book if you can get past the NPR-themed write-up.

[Anna-karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an in-depth description of observing and studying nature more closely to solve human problems. Really fascinating thinking and exciting to realize that there are more and more scientists who are starting to use this sort of technique. However, I tire fairly easily of the patronizing tone of the "environmentally enlightened" and do not enjoy when authors shrug off religious ideas as if they were relics. Granted, I am overly sensitive in both of these categories, and these attitudes, though they are present in the book, show up very rarely. I also think that her overly-effusive descriptions of the wisdom of native peoples borders on condescension. All in all, though, I would really recommend this book as an eye-opener for changing our views on growing food, harnessing energy, medicine, and many other basic human needs. I found the conducting business section particularly fascinating.

[Rafa Lobomar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would've liked to give this book a higher grade.

The author makes a good approach on how areas such as materials science, energy production and storage, computing or health, are turning their gaze towards biomimicry to solve problems in a sustainable way.

However, there are sections that did not seem scientifically integral to me. For instance, in the first chapter of food and agriculture she does not consider the inability of "organic" systems to meet the high demand and pressure of an increasingly large human population. And while, in the materials section, she includes examples that employ synthetic biology, she downplays their relevance by showing them as the opposite of biomimicry, when it is an area with great potential.

Beautiful chapters such as health and nutrition, information storage in biological computers or biomimetic business emulating complex ecological systems, contrast with chapters written with a certain prejudice.

[Vinay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biomimicry is a frustratingly good book, the reason for that is lack of depth. J.M Benyus writes exuberantly about how to create a sustainable future but doesn't give enough details about implementation challenges. The chapter on "How we will feed ourselves in the future?" was the one that has realistically achievable ideas but the rest of them are mostly theoretical. As an Engineer, it was hard to swallow the biomimicry pill presented here. Looking for sources is only half the story and engineering it is the other half.

Anyhow, I would still recommend this book for people looking for inspiration to change the world.

Regards,
Vinay

[Maped · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me parece un libro que sea cual sea la formación que uno tenga, leerlo es... fundamental

A veces tiene muchos datos y se hace un poco pesado pero transmite una filosofía fundamental para el desarrollo sostenible de nuestro planeta

[erforscherin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discovering this book so many years after the original publication date is a little bittersweet. On the one hand: Oh my god, there is so much cool stuff here, WHY was this never assigned reading in any of my college courses when this would have been Extremely Relevant To My Interests?! And on the other hand: Gosh, if any book could use an updated edition it would be this one — there is so much promise in so much of this research but I have a sneaking suspicion that almost nothing came of any of it. I dearly wish there at least could be some sort of “Where are they now?” epilogue, especially on the agricultural research. Inquiring minds (without university journal subscription access) want to know!

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a revelation for me. It's quite extraordinary to see so many disciplines and ways of thinking brought together in the name of learning from nature in order to design, produce, and manufacture in a sustainable way. There are too many brilliant models in the book of your people are doing things right. From Wes Jackson's Land Institute that's rethinking - and re-doing - how grasses are grown in a way that rejuvenates the soil to scientists trying to simulate photosynthesis as a way to create energy, Biomimicry is riveting. The chapter on computers drags a bit and composting should have played a more prominent role, but otherwise it's a fascinating read.

[Susan Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! So very much in it. Super scientific, yet fascinating. Covers so many subjects, in minute detail, and explains so that a lay person can understand. As Christian Science Monitor described, "the scientific effort to discover how we can live lightly and sustainably by learning from nature...".

[Maud van Lier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it was published almost thirty years ago, this book still has a lot of relevance today. How should we live together with nature/earth? What can we learn from it? And how should we place ourselves as co-habitants in this world, rather than as the masters of it?

[Gustavo Zorzeto · Rating 4 out of 5]

“After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival.”

A autora revela o universo promissor do biomimetismo com diversidade, profundidade e ironia (?). Ela narra as descobertas de várias pesquisas do final do século que se inspiraram na natureza; seus exemplos englobam desde a agricultura à ciência dos materiais, trazendo (e muitas vezes relembrando) alguns conceitos muito interessantes de biologia, química e ecologia. Porém, apesar de gratificante, é um livro suado; por não poupar palavras para mergulhar nas minúcias de alguns conceitos, a leitura se torna cansativa, mas nada sobrenatural.

[Ebbasally2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 starts, the last chapter was great!

[Alyssa Tuininga · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. It has been sitting on my shelf to read for years. I agree with Benyus's general thesis. The execution however left a great deal to be desired.

Overall most of the "chapters" go in a formulaic pattern- here are the things humans do, here are the ways that nature does it better, and "wouldn't it be cool if we did it like that". There is some very basic information about "future" projects currently in the works but since this book was published in the late 1990s it feels very dated. There are so many "this is on the cusp of happening" and yet reading this in 2024 it is clear that this stuff hasn't happened.

Too many of the ideas are pie in the sky, maybe interesting ideas but completely impractical. Would it be great if the prairies could feed the human race, we could build something like spider silk and capture energy like chloroplasts, sure but is it likely? Many times this just felt like a 5 year old being like- isn't this cool?

The other MAJOR issue that I had with this book was the religious-like noble savage propaganda. It felt a little too "utopia" philosophy without any depth or substance to me. I kept feeling like ok, here we go, some deep science and then nothing.

Lastly, the made-up words- "biomimicrists" and cheesy writing style kept me frustrated throughout the entire book.

[Austin Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an eye opener for those who may not be aware of progress has been made inspired by nature. There were several technologies and practices mentioned that I didn't know took inspiration from nature or simply just didn't know they existed.

While I really enjoyed this book, I thought a few chapters may have required more than just some university courses on chemistry/biology/etc. I ended up skimming a bit in hopes of just gaining the larger idea. I think some of the intensive details could have been omitted. Additionally, I thought the chapter on computing was a bit odd. The author attempts to make too many connections between the brain and computers. I don't know that if we do create "computers" that look and act like cells/the brain that we'll still call those "computers". I'd like to think that they'll be solving more complex problems than our computers today solve, where there is likely no "right" answer.

You should still pick up this book. It's a great introduction to biomimicry and how we can not only evolve, but become more in tune with nature to optimize and sustain the lifestyles we live today in hopes of preserving that for generations to come.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biomimicry 101 should be required reading for anyone designing or building or creating anything and this is the first book I would put on the syllabus. Humans can only hope to craft things as beautiful and dynamic and useful as nature. This book will show you how it does that and how every field can learn from natural design.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me of Cradle to Cradle, but also felt a bit dated. Loved reading about the physical structure of Abalone shells, and the way animals ate to heal themselves. The computer technologies went a bit over my head. Great concepts, but much of what she preaches feels like old news by now.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book about the possibilities available for biomimicry. Inspiring and informative. Everyone should read this, its a great general study on the field.

[Julie]

I am trying to finish this book. It is really interesting but also very scientific, which was never my strongest subject!!

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ordered chaos. Scientific beauty. A inspiration for mankind. This is a must read if you are a designer, artist or lover of science.

[Rachel Bayles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The future of science and engineering for the layman.

[Zdenek Sykora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benyus introduces biomimicry as a new science that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human challenges sustainably. The book delves into various domains such as energy, medicine, business, and agriculture, illustrating how natural systems can inspire more efficient, sustainable human practices.

Central Argument
The central thesis of Biomimicry is that nature, with its 3.8 billion years of evolution, has already solved many of the challenges that humans are grappling with today. Benyus argues that by mimicking natural processes, we can develop technologies and systems that are more sustainable and efficient. As she states, "Biomimicry is a new science that studies nature’s models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems." (Page 2). The author introduces the concept of biomimicry through various examples, showing how industries can draw inspiration from the natural world to innovate in ways that are harmonious with the environment.

Key Ideas and Plot Points
1. Nature as Model: Benyus presents the idea that by studying and mimicking natural processes, we can create products and processes that are more sustainable. For example, solar cells can be designed to emulate the efficiency of photosynthesis, and materials can be manufactured to replicate the strength and flexibility of spider silk.
2. Sustainable Agriculture: The book highlights how modern agriculture could benefit from mimicking natural ecosystems. By adopting farming practices that mirror the self-sustaining, resilient systems found in prairies, we can develop more sustainable food production methods that reduce dependency on chemical inputs and minimize environmental impact.
3. Energy Solutions: Benyus explores how natural systems, which have perfected the art of energy efficiency over billions of years, can inspire new ways of harnessing and using energy. As she points out, "After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has learned: What works. What is appropriate. What lasts." (Page 3).
4. Healthcare Innovations: The book also touches on the potential for biomimicry in medicine, such as developing drugs by studying how plants and animals use natural compounds to heal and protect themselves.
5. Business and Commerce: Benyus advocates for a closed-loop economy inspired by ecosystems, where waste is minimized, and materials are continuously recycled, much like in a forest where nothing goes to waste.

Author’s Writing Style and Approach
Janine Benyus writes with a sense of wonder and deep respect for the natural world. Her approach is both scientific and philosophical, blending hard data with thoughtful reflection on humanity's place within the broader ecosystem. The writing is accessible yet profound, making complex scientific concepts understandable to a broad audience. Benyus uses vivid descriptions and concrete examples to illustrate how biomimicry works in practice, engaging readers with stories of innovation and discovery.

Strengths and Potential Weaknesses

Strengths:
• Innovative Perspective: The book introduces a groundbreaking way of thinking about innovation and sustainability.
• Interdisciplinary Approach: Benyus effectively bridges biology with various fields, including engineering, design, and business.
• Inspiration: The book is highly inspiring, offering a hopeful vision for the future where humans live in harmony with nature.

Weaknesses:
• Idealism: Some readers might find Benyus’s vision too idealistic, especially in the context of current economic and technological practices that are deeply entrenched.
• Implementation Challenges: The book does not fully address the practical challenges of implementing biomimetic designs on a large scale.

Target Audience
Biomimicry is ideal for readers interested in sustainability, innovation, and the intersection of nature and technology. It appeals to professionals in fields like design, architecture, engineering, and environmental science, as well as general readers who are curious about how nature can inspire human innovation. The book is particularly valuable for those looking for optimistic, forward-thinking solutions to environmental challenges.

Conclusion
Overall, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature is a thought-provoking and visionary book that challenges readers to rethink how they approach problem-solving in a world facing significant environmental challenges. As Benyus notes, "The more our world looks and functions like this natural world, the more likely we are to be accepted on this home that is ours, but not ours alone." (Page 6). Benyus's work stands out as a pioneering exploration of how nature’s wisdom can lead us toward a more sustainable and resilient future. The book holds a significant place in the genre of environmental literature, offering both a manifesto and a guidebook for those who seek to innovate in harmony with the natural world.