Welcome back to another episode of

Biomimicry Inspirations!

Pixabay source

Biomimicry Inspirations aims to bring you closer to the principles and biology of nature without getting lost in the science. This can be especially useful for biomimics, circular economists, circular designers, urban planners, architects, process managers, and all professionals looking to integrate nature-inspired solutions!

If this is your first time here and you are new to Biomimicry, take a look at the previous posts in the series:

• Episode 1
• Episode 2

Before I dive into the articles I have selected, I want to introduce you to you another piece of the biomimicry design process:

The Scoping Phase

Using the design process created by Biomimicry 3.8, the Scoping Phase¹ is where you identify the problem you are solving for. The goal of this phase is to completely breakdown either the problem space to understand the core function you are looking for. This phase has three sections:

1. DEFINE the context
2. IDENTIFY the function
3. INTEGRATE Life's Principles

During this phase, you want to ask questions like: what should my solution really do? What environment will it be in? What life's principles do I want to full embody? Like we talked about last time, even though ideally you want your solution to embody all the life's principles, it is not always possible. It is a good rule of thumb to identify at least three that you really want to focus on, while at the same time always checking that you don't violate any of the others. It is acceptable to not necessarily fulfill a life principle, but it is completely unacceptable to go against one!

Now that you have a little more biomimicry training, let's get down to business. Presenting this episode's

Did you know that nanocrystals are responsible for the color of a chameleon?

by @aximot

Have you ever thought about how certain animals create their wide range of colors? Many animals change their colors on demand. If you ever have a chance to see the dazzling display of cuttlefish colors, you will see that nature never ceases to amaze! Chameleons are probably one of the most well known color-changers, and here @aximot breaks down exactly how their colors work. Bet you thought it was all just pigmentation, right? Not exactly...

The Science Behind Beautifully Coloured Feathers In Birds (Why Do Birds Have Coloured Feathers And How Did They Acquire it? — Part 2)

by @eurogee

Did you know that not all animal color is based on pigmentation? That's right, we don't always need to use chemical reactions to get the gorgeous colors we see in some animals. Various birds and beetles use another technique, which @eurogee introduces in this second part of his series on coloured feathers in birds. I was super happy to see this, since looking for ways to avoid chemicals in one of my big areas of interest!

Introduction to Nanobiotechnology

by @cristogd

While not exactly a natural process, Nanobiotechnology is one of the areas where biomimicry can be applied. The closer these systems mimic biological processes, the better, since their uses are an enahancement of biology. While the implications and uses of nanobiotechnology are vast, @cristogd gives a good overview into the concept and potential uses. I look forward to seeing more in-depth articles from him on this subject!

What do you think, are your creative juices flowing? Reading through these, what ideas come to mind on how you could use color differently? Could you use changing color to signal a danger based on some change in the environment? Could you create non-toxic, changing colors for use in clothing, structures, or other?

And what nature-inspired solutions could you integrate in development nanobiotechnology?

Ahhhh the wonders of nature.... until next time!

Follow Tigrilla - @yvesoler - for more about
Plant Neurobiology and Biomimicry

SPEAKER | FACILITATOR | NATUREPRENEUR

Facilitating evolutionary Interspecies Communication to CoCreate Nature-Inspired Places, Products, and Processes.

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Plant neurobiology, biomimicry, social innovation, plant music, design, interspecies communication, urban planning... These are just some of the biophilic topics I cover on my website and here on Steemit. Follow along and comment often. My goal is to create discussion, not give a conference! And if you explore related topics, let me know in the comments, I would love to follow you.

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REFERENCES

1. Scoping a Biomimicry Challenge