Computerized tomography (CT) scans use computing power to compile two-dimensional X-ray images into a three-dimensional view, and researchers are optimistic that a new form of high-resolution CT scanning at the molecular level will give “scientists precious new information about how Mother Nature forms shells, bones, and other hard structures.”¹ They hope to learn how to mimic the st

In another instance of scientists borrowing design elements from natural systems (a process known as biomimicry), researchers have developed a chemical catalyst modeled after peroxidase enzymes. Peroxidase is a complex protein that converts certain chemicals from harmful to benign and is found in almost all living cells.

An international team of researchers has developed the first man-made device capable of using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is a key process in photosynthesis.

The U.S. Army is looking at fish for the future of body armor design. MIT investigators have uncovered some of the secrets of construction that enable fish scales to be lightweight, sturdy, flexible, and effective in repelling punctures.¹

For decades, human design engineers have been laboring to make more efficient machines, like propeller blades that produce steady airflow patterns. Our thinking has been fixed on the idea that smooth surfaces are the best basic form, but studies on whales and dolphins are changing that.