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
Each year brings more destructive natural disasters and growing evidence of the challenging future we face if we don’t address climate change. But the biggest cause of climate...
Research on aging and extending life and healthspan has ventured beyond humans to our best animal friends – dogs. In less than a year, dog owners may be able to buy a drug tha...
If we do absolutely nothing to mitigate climate change, scientists estimate the toll could be $38 trillion a year in damages. Industrialized countries like the United States,...
The recognition that all things are connected is at once a scientific principle and a philosophical touchstone. Humans, animals, and the environment are intertwined in complex...
A couple of degrees makes a world of difference — megafires, rising seas, failing infrastructure, and food systems require our immediate attention. Demands on dwindling natura...
Women are crucial to the climate movement, but their voices are often underrepresented and their work goes under-supported. Meet just a few of the women from this year’s Aspen...
For as long as humans have looked at the skies, we’ve speculated about whether there is life in space. Scientists, the U.S. military and the CIA have all searched for proof of...
Heat is now the top weather-related cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. An environmental journalist and two city ch...
Every transition comes with tradeoffs, and even clean energy carries negative consequences. As they mine for critical minerals or build solar arrays on sensitive land, clean e...
It sounds like sci-fi: Scientists are beaming solar energy from space, subbing seaweed for plastic and brightening clouds to reflect sunlight to lower temperatures in a warmin...
*No food or service animals allowed in this session.* The creator of Fat Bear Week in Alaska gives insight on the importance of wildlife education, and then ecologists unpack...
Even as the clean energy transition is underway, AI and global development are demanding more energy than ever. What’s the best plan to bring massive amounts of zero- and low-...
Brain-computer interfaces show potential to restore function to people impacted by incurable neurological conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury...
Scientists are developing life-extending drugs for dogs, and new advancements could bring them to market by 2025. Two leaders working to slow the aging process for Fido discus...
Amid the stark realities of our planet's degradation, there are bright glimmers of hope in conservation efforts around the world. Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier use mas...
In a recent op-ed, former U.S. climate envoy and secretary of state John Kerry declared that rich countries are failing to respond to the climate crisis. If extreme weather wi...
As society focuses on mitigating human climate impact, economies shift away from carbon-based energy sources — which impacts individuals, businesses and governments. Beyond su...
Renewables are on the rise, but so is fossil fuel consumption as global development demands more and more. Does the oil and gas industry have a role in reaching net-zero goals...
Few people are more deeply steeped in science than Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health and the groundbreaking Human Genome Project, and forme...
Part 1. Contrary to Popular Opinion — Bill Maher in Real Time: The iconoclastic host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” sits down with Tina Brown to talk about calling out...
