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Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature Kindle Edition
Repackaged with a new afterword, this "valuable and entertaining" (New York Times Book Review) book explores how scientists are adapting nature's best ideas to solve tough 21st century problems.
Biomimicry is rapidly transforming life on earth. Biomimics study nature's most successful ideas over the past 3.5 million years, and adapt them for human use. The results are revolutionizing how materials are invented and how we compute, heal ourselves, repair the environment, and feed the world.
Janine Benyus takes readers into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as they: discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; harness energy by examining how a leaf converts sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; and many more examples.
Composed of stories of vision and invention, personalities and pipe dreams, Biomimicry is must reading for anyone interested in the shape of our future.
- ISBN-13978-0060533229
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateJuly 28, 2009
- LanguageEnglish
- File size627 KB
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About the Author
From Library Journal
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Publisher
From the Back Cover
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.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Booklist
From Kirkus Reviews
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
What's going on here? My guess is that Homo industrialis, having reached the limits of nature's tolerance, is seeing his shadow on the wall, along with the shadows of rhinos, condors, manatees, lady's slippers, and other species he is taking down with him. Shaken by the sight, he, we, are hungry for instructions about how to live sanely and sustainably on the Earth. The good news is that wisdom is widespread, not only in indigenous peoples but also in the species that have lived on Earth far longer than humans. If the age of the Earth were a calendar year and today were a breath before midnight on New Year's Eve, we showed up a scant fifteen minutes ago, and all of recorded history has blinked by the last sixty seconds. Luckily for us, our planet-mates- -the fantastic meshwork of plants, animals, and microbes--have been patiently perfecting their wares since March, an incredible 3.8 billion years since the first bacteria.
In that time, life has learned to fly, circumnavigate the globe, live in the depths of the ocean and atop the highest peaks, craft miracle materials, light up the night, lasso the sun's energy, and build a self-reflective brain. Collectively, organisms have managed to turn rock and sea into a life-friendly home, with steady temperatures and smoothly percolating cycles. In short, living things have done everything we want to do, without guzzling fossil fuel, polluting the planet, or mortgaging their future. What better models could there be?
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
Review
"There is no grandstanding, just readable language and a simple awe at human creativity and the uses to which it can be put."
-- "Library Journal""[Benyus's] vision is provocative, and could well provide one viable answer to the wake-up call that Rachel Carson sounded a generation ago in Silent Spring."
-- "San Francisco Chronicle" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.Product details
- ASIN : B002JB3E8I
- Publisher : Mariner Books (July 28, 2009)
- Publication date : July 28, 2009
- Language : English
- File size : 627 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 324 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #257,518 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #19 in Ecology (Kindle Store)
- #57 in Environmental Ecology
- #288 in Science History & Philosophy
- Customer Reviews:
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Customers find the subject matter impressive and inspiring, with practical ideas and solutions for the future. They describe the book as a fascinating, great, and easy read. Readers also praise the writing style as extremely well-written, detailed, and a must-read for everyone.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the subject matter impressive and inspiring. They say the book is full of practical ideas and solutions for the future. Readers also mention the premise of the whole book is fascinating and the main point is excellent. They also say the information is valuable and captivating.
"...This book is a landmark - and one hell of a good read. Dssential for anyone interested business, philosophy, ecology, science or engineering...." Read more
"...If you want a book that is well-written and full of practical ideas and solutions for the future, I heartily recommend Biomimicry by Janine M...." Read more
"This book appeals to an engineered...." Read more
"First of all, the subject matter is impressive and inspiring; using Nature as an example of how things can be done economically...." Read more
Customers find the writing style of the book extremely well-written, detailed, and easy to read. They say the text is not rigorously technical and is written in a very personal tone.
"...This book is a landmark - and one hell of a good read. Dssential for anyone interested business, philosophy, ecology, science or engineering...." Read more
"...If you want a book that is well-written and full of practical ideas and solutions for the future, I heartily recommend Biomimicry by Janine M...." Read more
"...Howevere, the style of the author is barely readable to me. She wrote the book like a roman, describing so many details nobody cares about...." Read more
"...But more than that is the author's engaging writing style, which helps tremendously to make such technical scientific ideas and processes into a..." Read more
Customers find the book fascinating, epic, and inspiring. They say it's fun and easy to read. Readers also mention the book is rich in philosophy and appreciate the power of nature.
"...Moreover, the book is rich in philosophy, like that of Wes Jackson, Bill Mollison, Masanobu Fukuoka, and writers Thomas and Wendell Berry (unrelated)..." Read more
"...It is chock full of fascinating "earth-friendly" ideas that are simply crying out to be implemented...." Read more
"...to make such technical scientific ideas and processes into a fun and easy read...." Read more
"...This is really the point of the book and an inspiring read...." Read more
Customers appreciate the clever design and the page print.
"...I've always appreciated good, clever design, and many of the best and most inspiring ideas are all around us every day, in the natural world...." Read more
"The page print looks just okay. I got this book from a friend's recommendation and think it's a great topic it goes into...." Read more
"...It is an absolute must in all architecture, landscaping, and interior design. My school has also made it part of its mandatory reading...." Read more
Customers find the content outdated.
"It's a ok book. Like others said, it is outdated...." Read more
"...Repetitive and too technical. In 2021, the content of this book is outdated. I do not recommend." Read more
"Epic book. Definitely not dated even though written some ......" Read more
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Nature does many other wonderful things we would do well to learn from. Arctic fish and frogs freeze solid and then spring to life, having protected their organs from ice damage. Black bears hibernate all winter without poisoning themselves on their urea, while their polar cousins stay active with a coat of transparent hollow hairs covering their skins like the panes of a greenhouse. Chameleons and cuttlefish hide without moving, changing the pattern of their skin to instantly blend with their surroundings. Bees, turtles, and birds navigate without maps, while whales and penguins dive without scuba gear. How do they do it? How do dragonflies outmaneuver our best helicopters? How do hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than one tenth of an ounce of fuel? How do ants carry the equivalent of hundreds of pounds in a dead heat through the jungle? How do muscles attach to rock in a wet environment? The answers to these questions may seem like trivia to non-expert, but "The difference between what life needs to do and what we need to do is another one of those boundaries that doesn't exist. Beyond mattes of scale, the differences dissolve."
Like every other creature, humans cause a lot of commotion in the biosphere: creating, moving, and consuming. But our species is the only one that creates more waste than nature can safely and efficiently recycle. Ours is only one that ignores ecological limits, exceeds the carrying capacity of the land, and consumes more energy than nature can provide. The ideology that allowed us to expand beyond our limits was that the world -- never-ending in its bounty -- was put here exclusively for our use. But after the topsoil blows away, the oceans go lifeless, the oil wells go dry, and the air and water we depend on are utterly fouled, what will we do? Will we be able to survive? Unlike the impact of a car, is crisis is cumulative. The mounting effects of this ideology are rising temperatures, decreasing grain yields, rising cancer rates, falling fish harvests, dwindling forests, worsening air pollution, and rising oil and water prices. A most resilient creature, I believe we (or some of us) will survive this ecololgical "bottle-neck" squeeze, to use Harvard scientist E.O. Wilson's phrase. But the questions this book seeks to answer is, can we flourish?
As mentioned by other reviewers, some parts were overly technical. However, much of it is written with the layperson in mind. Moreover, the book is rich in philosophy, like that of Wes Jackson, Bill Mollison, Masanobu Fukuoka, and writers Thomas and Wendell Berry (unrelated). And the main point of the book is simple enough for a child to understand. Does it run on sunlight? Does it use only the energy it needs? Does it fit form to function? Does it recycle everything? Does it reward cooperation? Does it bank on diversity? Does it utilize local expertise? Does it curb excess from within? Does it tap the power of limits? And is it beautiful? In order to right our wasteful and dangerously dysfunctional relationship with nature, these ten questions should serve as guiding principles for design and human interaction.
Although some of the science is now dated (e.g., hydrogen fuel cells are now a reality), this book will remain pregnant with philosophical and practical insights for years to come. It is far, far ahead of the times. My only criticism is that, much of the scientific history and intrastructure this book depends on actually helped create the eco-predicament we currently find ourselves in. The labratories she visits (not to mention the cars she uses to visit them) are not exactly eco-friendly. In other words, the author supposes more technology and "progres" will eventually help us out of this predicament.
This book is a landmark - and one hell of a good read. Dssential for anyone interested business, philosophy, ecology, science or engineering. And when combined with other books, like Lester Brown's ECO-ECONOMY, David Korten's WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE WORLD, Paul Hawkins' NATURAL CAPITALSIM, Hildur Jackson and Karen Svensson's ECOVILLAGE LIVING, and perhaps something on eco-education, it would fit well into my dream eco-philosophy course. Unfortunately, I'm not a teacher and very few universities have funding for such programs anyway.
With that said this is simply the BEST non-fiction book I have ever read. It is chock full of fascinating "earth-friendly" ideas that are simply crying out to be implemented. It is written in a very "personal" tone, which I believe amplifies the book's message. In fact, don't let this tone make you think the book's technical depth is lacking. On the contrary, this book delves into some very complex concepts, but does so in a manner that a non-technical person can follow.
For those areas where I have specific knowledge (such as elements within industry who actually WANT to comply with all environmental requirements and WANT be "GREEN"), the author is on target and displays an excellent grasp of what's going on. Thus, for those ideas and concepts in the book that were new to me, I have no reason to beleive that the same does not hold true.
As long as you are able to set asise the cynicism that seems to have risen to such high levels nowadays, this book will make you THINK about better ways of doing things. Just two simple examples include: (1) Designing a perennial "community" for agriculture mimicking the natural plant community that otherwise would be there, rather than planting a non-diverse, single species, requiring annual reseeding, fertilization, insecticides, herbicides, etc.; and (2) Developing industrial processes that mimic what nature has already evolved over millions of years (i.e. photosynthesis) rather than relying on the old-style of "heat, treat, and beat" to make the various products and materials that we now are so reliant upon.
This books speaks to the incredible and imperative need of the "human species" to transform beyond the ideas of the industrial revolution into an ecologically-appreciative mindset that treasures the planet we ALL live upon. If you want a book that is well-written and full of practical ideas and solutions for the future, I heartily recommend Biomimicry by Janine M. Benyus.
Interlaced with sometimes tedious stories, this volume spans wide and embraces a lot of areas of human endeavour such as crops, transportation, information, etc.
This is an introduction to think in more nature-rooted principles about the world surrounding us.
Top reviews from other countries
La edición del libro es bastante amena, con un buen tamaño de tipografía y un exquisito diseño editorial.
Sin embargo, es necesario tener un buen vocabulario en inglés (con énfasis en términos de biología, agricultura y construcción) para poder fluir en la lectura; nada que un buen diccionario no pueda resolver.
Ampliamente recomendado.