This is from Jehova's Witnesses. Very nice article!
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/1/22/article_01.htm
COPYING Life's Marvelous Designs
Toddlers tumble and bump their heads. Older children fall from trees
and off bicycles. Athletes crash into one another on the playing field.
Motorists have countless road accidents. Yet, in spite of all these
falls, bumps, and crashes, we often escape without serious injury. We
tend to take the toughness and resilience of our bodies for granted.
But as scientists are beginning to discover, from our bones to our
skin, we are the product of
truly brilliant designs.
THE combination of strength and toughness-with relatively light
weight-permeates nature. Tender saplings push through cracks in
concrete and rock and force the cracks wide open as they grow into
healthy trees. In turn, trees can withstand winds that topple power
poles and rip houses apart. Woodpeckers bore into wood and subject
their heads to forces that
would turn an ordinary brain to pulp. Crocodile and alligator hides
deflect spears, arrows, and even bullets. (Compare Job 41:1, 26.) Such
things have both awed and baffled humans for thousands of years.
Over the past 40 years, major leaps in technology have given scientists
powerful new tools to use in studying the secrets behind these designs,
most of which are hidden deep within the living cell. On this
microscopic scale, the quality of design is truly breathtaking and
staggering in complexity.
The aim of science, however, is not just to crack the secrets
underlying nature's remarkable materials but to copy them-at least in
general principle. So promising is this field of study that it has led
to the creation of a new science called biomimetics, from the Greek
bi´os, meaning "life," and mi´me¾sis, meaning "imitation."
Biomimetics Promises a Better World
"Biomimetics is the study of biological structures [and] their
functions," explains the book Biomimetics: Design and Processing of
Materials. It adds that this study is for the purpose of 'stimulating
new ideas and developing these ideas into synthetic systems similar to
those found in biological systems.'
Scientist Stephen Wainwright says that "biomimetics will engulf
molecular biology and replace it as the most challenging and important
biological science of the 21st Century." Professor Mehmet Sarikaya
claims: "We are on the brink of a materials revolution that will be on
a par with the Iron Age and the Industrial Revolution. We are leaping
forward into a new era of materials. Within the next century, I think
biomimetics will significantly
alter the way in which we live."
In fact, it has already begun to alter our world, as we shall see. But
first, let us look briefly at a few of the as-yet-unfathomed marvels
scientists are busy studying. We will also examine the sobering
implications behind the word "design" and see how these give meaning to
the amazing world around us.
LEARNING From Designs in Nature
"Many of our best inventions are copied from, or already in use by,
other living things."-Phil Gates, Wild Technology.
AS MENTIONED in the preceding article, the aim of the science of
biomimetics is to produce more complex materials and machines by
imitating nature. Nature manufactures its products without causing
pollution, and they tend to be resilient and light, yet incredibly
strong.
For example, ounce for ounce, bone is stronger than steel. What is its
secret? Part of the answer lies in its well-engineered shape, but the
key reasons lie deeper-at the molecular level. "The success of living
organisms lies in the design and assembly of their smallest
components," explains Gates. As a result of peering into these smallest
components, scientists have isolated the substances that give natural
products from bone to silk their envied strength and light weight.
These substances, they have discovered, are various forms of natural
composites.
The Miracle of Composites
Composites are solid materials that result when two or more substances
are combined to form a new substance containing properties that are
superior to those of the original ingredients. This can be illustrated
by the synthetic composite fiberglass, which is commonly used in boat
hulls, fishing rods, bows, arrows, and other sporting goods.*
Fiberglass is made by setting fine fibers of glass in a liquid or
jellylike matrix of plastic (called a polymer). When the polymer
hardens, or sets, the end result is a composite
that is lightweight, strong, and flexible. If the kinds of fibers and
the matrix are varied, an enormously broad range of products can be
made. Of course, man-made composites are still crude compared with
those found naturally in humans, animals, and plants.
In humans and animals, instead of fibers of glass or carbon, a fibrous
protein called collagen forms the basis of the composites that give
strength to skin, intestines, cartilage, tendons, bones, and teeth
(except for the enamel).# One reference work describes collagen-based
composites as being "among the most advanced structural composite
materials known."
For example, consider tendons, which tie muscle to bone. Tendons are
remarkable, not just because of the toughness of their collagen-based
fibers but also because of the brilliant way these fibers are woven
together. In her book Biomimicry, Janine Benyus writes that the
unraveled tendon "is almost unbelievable in its multileveled precision.
The tendon in your
forearm is a twisted bundle of cables, like the cables used in a
suspension bridge. Each individual cable is itself a twisted bundle of
thinner cables.
Each of these thinner cables is itself a twisted bundle of molecules,
which are, of course, twisted, helical bundles of atoms. Again and
again a mathematical beauty unfolds." It is, she says, "engineering
brilliance." Is it any surprise that scientists speak of being inspired
by nature's designs?
As mentioned, man-made composites pale when compared with those of
nature. Still, synthetics are remarkable products. In fact, they are
listed among the ten most outstanding engineering achievements of the
past 25 years. For example, composites based on graphite or carbon
fibers have led to new generations of aircraft and spacecraft parts,
sporting goods, Formula One race cars, yachts, and lightweight
artificial limbs-to mention just a few
items in a rapidly growing inventory.
An Extinct Fly Helps to Improve Solar Panels
While visiting a museum, a scientist saw pictures of an extinct fly
preserved in amber, says a report in New Scientist magazine. He noticed
a series of gratings on the insect's eyes and suspected that these
might have helped the fly's eyes to capture more light, especially at
very oblique angles. He and other researchers began conducting
experiments and confirmed
their hunch.
Scientists soon made plans to try to etch the same pattern of gratings
onto the glass of solar panels. This, they hope, will increase the
energy generated by solar panels. It might also eliminate the need for
the costly tracking systems presently required to keep solar panels
pointed at the sun. Better solar panels may mean less fossil fuel use
and, thus, less
pollution-a worthy goal. Clearly, discoveries like this one help us
to appreciate that nature is a veritable mother lode of brilliant
designs just waiting to be found, understood and, where possible,
copied in useful ways.
Multifunctional, Miraculous Blubber
Whales and dolphins don't know it, but their bodies are wrapped in a
miracle tissue-blubber, a form of fat. "Whale blubber is perhaps the
most multifunctional material we know," says the book Biomimetics:
Design and Processing of Materials. Explaining why, it adds that
blubber is a marvelous flotation device and so helps whales surface for
air. It provides these warm-blooded mammals with excellent insulation
against the cold of the
ocean. And it is also the best possible food reserve during nonfeeding
migrations over thousands of miles. Indeed, ounce for ounce, fat yields
between two and three times as much energy as protein and sugar.
"Blubber is also a very bouncy rubberlike material," according to the
above-mentioned book. "Our best estimate now is that acceleration
caused by the elastic recoil of blubber that is compressed and
stretched with each tail stroke may save up to 20% of the cost of
locomotion during extended periods of continuous swimming."
Blubber has been harvested for centuries, yet only recently has it come
to light that about half the volume of blubber consists of a complex
mesh of collagen fibers wrapped around each animal. Although scientists
are still trying to fathom the workings of this fat-composite mix, they
believe that they have discovered yet another miracle product that
would have many useful applications if produced synthetically.
An Eight-Legged Engineering Genius
In recent years scientists have also been looking very closely at the
spider. They are keen to understand how it manufactures spider silk,
which is also a composite. True, a broad range of insects produce silk,
yet spider silk is special. One of the strongest materials on earth, it
"is the stuff that dreams are made of," said one science writer. Spider
silk is so outstanding that a list of its amazing properties would seem
unbelievable.
Why do scientists use superlatives when describing spider silk? Besides
being five times stronger than steel, it is also highly elastic-a
rare combination in materials. Spider silk stretches 30 percent farther
than the most elastic nylon. Yet, it does not bounce like a trampoline
and so throw the spider's meal into the air. "On the human scale," says
Science News, "a web resembling a fishing net could catch a passenger
plane."
If we could copy the spider's chemical wizardry-two species even
produce seven varieties of silk-imagine how it could be put to use!
In vastly improved seat belts as well as in sutures, artificial
ligaments, lightweight lines and cables, and bulletproof fabrics, to
name just a few possibilities.
Scientists are also trying to understand how the spider makes silk so
efficiently-and without the use of toxic chemicals.
Nature's Gearboxes and Jet Engines
Gearboxes and jet engines keep today's world on the move. But did you
know that nature also beat us to these designs? Take the gearbox, for
example. Gearboxes allow you to change gears in your vehicle so as to
get the most efficient use out of the motor. Nature's gearbox does the
same, but it does not link engine to wheels. Rather, it links wings to
wings! And where can it be found? In the common fly. The fly has a
three-speed gearshift connected
to its wings, allowing it to change gears while in the air!
The squid, the octopus, and the nautilus all have a form of jet
propulsion that drives them through the water. Scientists view these
jets with envy. Why? Because they are composed of soft parts that
cannot break, that can withstand great depths, and that run silently
and efficiently. In fact, a squid can jet along at up to 20 miles [32
km] an hour when fleeing
predators, "sometimes even leaping out of the water and onto the decks
of ships," says the book Wild Technology.
Yes, taking just a few moments to reflect on the natural world can fill
us with awe and appreciation. Nature truly is a living puzzle that
prompts one question after another: What chemical marvels ignite the
brilliant, cold light in fireflies and certain algae? How do various
arctic fish and frogs, after being frozen solid for the winter, become
active again when they thaw out? How do whales and seals stay under the
water for long periods without a
breathing apparatus? And how do they repeatedly dive to great depths
without getting decompression sickness, commonly called the bends? How
do chameleons and cuttlefish change color to blend with their
surroundings? How do hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than
one tenth of an ounce [3 gm] of fuel? It seems that the list of
questions could go on endlessly.
Truly, humans can only look on and wonder. Scientists develop an awe
"bordering on reverence" when they study nature, says the book
Biomimicry.
Behind the Design-A Designer!
Associate professor of biochemistry Michael Behe stated that one result
of recent discoveries within the living cell "is a loud, clear,
piercing cry of 'design!'" He added that this result of efforts to
study the cell "is so unambiguous and so significant that it must be
ranked as one of the greatest achievements in the history of science."
Understandably, evidence of a Designer creates problems for those who
adhere to the theory of evolution, for evolution cannot account for the
sophisticated design within living things, especially at the cellular
and molecular levels. "There are compelling reasons," says Behe, "to
think that a Darwinian explanation for the mechanisms of life will
forever prove
elusive."
In Darwin's time the living cell-the foundation of life-was thought
to be simple, and the theory of evolution was conceived in that era of
relative ignorance. But now science has gone past that. Molecular
biology and biomimetics have proved beyond all doubt that the cell is
an extraordinarily complex system packed with exquisite, perfect
designs that make the inner
workings of our most sophisticated gadgets and machines look like
child's play by comparison.
Giving Credit Where It Is Due
In 1957, Swiss engineer George de Mestral noticed that the small,
tenacious burs clinging to his clothes were covered with tiny hooks. He
studied these burs and their hooks, and soon his creative mind caught
fire. He spent the next eight years developing a synthetic equivalent
of the bur. His invention took the world by storm and is now a
household name-Velcro.
Imagine how de Mestral would have felt had the world been told that no
one designed Velcro, that it just happened as the result of a string of
thousands of accidents in a workshop. Clearly, fairness and justice
demand that credit be given where it is due. Human inventors obtain
patents to ensure that it is. Yes, it seems that humans deserve credit,
financial
rewards, and even praise for their creations, which are often inferior
imitations of things in the natural world. Should not our wise Creator
receive acknowledgment for his perfect originals?
Brilliant design leads us to the logical conclusion, says Behe, "that
life was designed by an intelligent agent." Is it not reasonable,
therefore, that this Agent also has a purpose, one that includes
humans? If so, what is that purpose? And can we learn more about our
Designer himself? The following article will examine those important
questions.
* Strictly speaking, fiberglass refers to the glass fibers in the
composite. However, in common usage the term refers to the composite
itself, which is made of plastic and fiberglass.
# Vegetable composites are based on cellulose rather than collagen.
Cellulose gives wood many of its coveted qualities as a building
material. Cellulose has been described as a "tensile material without
peer."