Avery Hairston - OnEarth Magazine

Shark Week Special: Jaws Helps Navy/Shipping Industry

Does something seem fishy to you? That might be because Shark Week just started Sunday, August 2nd. The immensely popular weeklong Discovery Channel special, dedicated to nothing but sharks, is hard to miss.
The common conception out there is that sharks are ocean-dwelling, flesh-eating machines. This is not a misconception, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from these creatures. This post features an interesting new story on how sharks are invading the US Navy (selachophobics, don't be alarmed).
Some of you may be familiar with the term biomimicry. It is a scientific field that relies on nature for inspiration in developing new inventions to solve human problems. One such example of biomimicry can be found in Zimbabwe. The Eastgate building, located in the capital city of Harare, is also referred to as the "Anthill." The nickname comes from its unique architecture. The Eastgate building is designed with the self-cooling mounds of termites in mind. A ...read full post

Comments (0) | August 24, 2009