Biomimicry looks to nature and natural systems for inspiration. After millions of years of tinkering, mother nature has worked out some effective processes. In nature, there is no such thing as waste——anything left over from one animal or plant is food for anthor species. Inefficiency doesn't last long in nature, and human engineers and designers often look there for solutions to modern problems. Here are three striking examles of biomimicry.
仿生學從自然界和自然系統中汲取靈感。經過數百萬年的實踐，大自然已經摸索出一些行之有效的方法。在自然界中，根本不存在廢物一說——任何一種動植物留下的東西都是另一物種的食物。效率低下的情況在自然界不會持續太久，人類工程師和設計師還經常在自然界中尋找現代問題的解決方案。以下三個仿生學實例，必能讓你大吃一驚。
Beavers have a thick layer of blubber that keeps them warm while they're diving and swimming in their water environments. But they have another trick up their sleeves for staying toasty. Their fur is so dense that it traps warm pockets of air in between the layers, keeping these aquatic mammals not only warm, but dry.
海狸身上有一層厚厚的海獸脂，可以在潛水和遊泳時保暖。同時，海狸還有另一個保暖妙招。這種水生哺乳動物的皮毛非常濃密，可以將溫暖的空氣夾在其間，不僅能夠保持溫暖，還能維持乾燥。
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology thought surfers might appreciate that same ability, and they created a rubbery, fur-like pelts they say could make "bioinspired materials," such as wetsuits.
麻省理工學院的工程師們認為，海狸的這種能力可以讓衝浪運動員受益，於是他們創造了一種堅韌的仿皮毛材料，據說可以用於製造潛水服等「仿生設計材料」。
"We are particularly interested in wetsuits for surfing, where the athlete moves frequently between air and water environments," says Anette (Peko) Hosoi, a professor of mechanical engineering and associate head of the department at MIT. "We can control the length, spacing, and arrangement of hairs, which allows us to design textures to match certain dive speeds and maximize the wetsuit's dry region."
麻省理工學院機械工程系副院長、機械工程學教授Anette Peko Hosoi說：「我們對衝浪用的潛水服特別感興趣，衝浪運動員經常穿著潛水服在空氣和水之間不停穿梭。我們可以控制皮毛的長度、間隔和排列，為特定的潛水速度設計相匹配的紋理，使潛水服的乾燥區域最大化。」
Whales have been swimming around the ocean for a long time, and evolution has crafted them into a super-efficient form of life. They are able to dive hundreds of feet below the surface and stay there for hours. They sustain their massive size by feeding on animals smaller than the eye can see, and they power their movement with über-efficient fins and a tail.
鯨魚在海洋中生存了很長時間，進化使其成為一種極為高效的生命形式。鯨魚可以潛入水下數百英尺並在那裡停留數小時。它們靠捕食肉眼看不到的小動物來維持自己龐大的體型，用效率極高的鰭和尾巴來行進。
In 2004, scientists at Duke University, West Chester University and the U.S. Naval Academy discovered that the bumps at the front edge of a whale fin greatly increase its efficiency, reducing drag by 32 percent and increasing lift by 8 percent. Companies are applying the idea to wind turbine blades, cooling fans, airplane wings and propellers.
2004 年，來自杜克大學、西切斯特大學和美國海軍學院的科學家們發現，鯨鰭前緣的突起大大提高了鯨魚的活動效率，不僅減少了 32% 的阻力，還增加了 8% 的升力。多家公司正試圖將這個發現應用到風力渦輪機葉片、冷卻風扇、飛機機翼和螺旋槳上。
Velcro is widely known example of biomimicry. You may have worn shoes with velcro straps as a youngster and you can certainly look forward to wearing the same kind of shoes in retirement.
魔術貼是眾所周知的仿生學案例。你小時候可能穿過有魔術貼的鞋子，等你退休了說不定還會穿上這種鞋子。
Velcro was invented by Swiss engineer George de Mestral in 1941 after he removed burrs from his dog and decided to take a closer look at how they worked. The small hooks found at the end of the burr needles inspired him to create the now ubiquitous Velcro. Think about it: without this material, the world wouldn't know Velcro jumping — a sport in which people dressed in full suits of Velcro attempt to throw their bodies as high up on a wall as possible.
1941 年，瑞士工程師George de Mestral發明了魔術貼。在給他的狗去除毛刺後，他決定研究毛刺是如何形成的。他在毛刺末端發現了小鉤子，這啟發他創造了如今無處不在的魔術貼（魔術貼一面是細小柔軟的纖維，即圓毛，另一面則是較硬帶鉤的刺毛）。試想一下：如果沒有毛刺，這個世界就不會有魔術貼跳躍運動（Velcro jumping）了——即全身穿著圓毛服飾的人往布置有刺毛的牆上跳、儘可能粘在牆面高處的運動。