Biomimicry : innovation inspired by nature / Janine M. Benyus.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [299]-300) and index.

Originally published by William Morrow in 1997 ; First Quill edition published 1998 ; reissued in Perennial 2002.

-- Echoing nature : why biomimicry now? -- How will we feed ourselves? : farming to fit the land : growing food like a prairie -- How will we harness energy? : light into life : gathering energy like a leaf -- How will we make things? fitting form to function : finding cures like a chimp -- How will we heal ourselves? : experts in our midst : finding cures like a chimp -- How will we store what we learn? : Dances with molecules : computing like a cell -- How will we conduct business? closing the loops in commerce : running a business like a redwood fores t-- Where will we go from here? : may wonders never cease : toward a biomimetic future.

Biomimicry is a revolutionary new science that analyzes nature's best ideas--spider silk and eyes, seashells and brain cells, photosynthesis and DNA--and adapts them for human use. Janine Benyus takes us into the lab and out in the field with the maverick researchers who are discovering nature's ingenious solutions to the problem of human survival: studying leaves to learn how to make microscopic solar power packs that will clean up toxic spills and light our homes; harnessing DNA's coding power to make blindingly fast computers; discovering miracle drugs by observing what animals eat; and much more. The answers are there for the finding, poemlike in their elegance and economy. Anyone interested in the people and ideas that are shaping our future must read this book to know where the most exciting revelations lie literally all around us.