Biomimicry is basically developing technology that mimics, or copies, what we find in nature. There are many examples of this, some are old ideas and some are very modern. The first ideas to build flying machines came from birds, but that was a long time ago. Now people are coming up with ways of making solar panels that mimic photosynthesis (the process through which plants produce food using sunlight and water).

As well as inspiring amazing inventions, biomimicry is also a source of practical solutions to everyday problems. One example of this is how when concern arose of calcium buildup causing blockage in water pipes, the solution was found in shellfish. The shellfish build up their shells from calcium, and because their shells stop growing at some point they are able to stop the calcium buildup using proteins. This, when applied to the water pipes, worked.

Biomimicry does not always involve things in nature that are visible to the unaided eye. The use of cell-structure geometry has both aesthetic (pleasing to look at, beautiful), ergonomic (made for comfort), and economic (saving money) virtues.

Perhaps nature offers us the knowledge of how to protect it if we care to look.