"Huh? What the heck is Biomimicry?"

"I have decided to get my Master's degree!" I announce. "That's great! What in?" asked 9/10 times. "It's a Master in Biomimicry". Then I wait, not long, because it always comes - "Huh? What is Biomimicry" This is so far my favorite part of this new adventure. I love teaching. And now I am about to learn about something very few people know about - (except they do, I'll explain in a moment). What a treat!

I'll explain here, but the truth is, my understanding will likely totally change over time. Biomimicry is the study of mother nature's 3.8 billion years of research and development to guide us in the way we make things and the way we live.

Imagine if a building could pump water from the ground to the top of a 40 story building, without the use of pumps or electricity, the way a tree does and has been doing forever. Now imagine the impact that would have on our energy and resource consumption if every single building in the world was pump free. That's just one example of the way Biomimicry can help us save money, and live in concert with our mother.

Examples of Biomimicry abound already, from swim gear that mimics a sharks skin and moves through the water with less drag. What if shipping tankers had their hulls skinned with something similar? Would there be less energy consumed? Would it shorten shipping times?

Have you ever touched a slugs slime trail? How could that help us? Well, recently, a glue was created that stays sticky in moist environment and was used to glue a tear in an animal's heart, and it is non-toxic to the body. The scientists that created that glue were mimicking the biology of the slugs slime trail.