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 termite mound remains at a constant 87° Fahrenheit during all hours of the day and even when external temperatures rise to as high as 107°F or drop to as low as 37°F. Architect Mick Pearce was able to draw inspiration from these termites. Thanks to his design, the Eastgate building uses 10% of the energy as an average high-rise of the same size. In its first five years of operation, the building saved 3.5 million dollars in energy savings.

There is clearly a lot to learn from nature, which brings me to the focus of this article: shark skin. For the professional swimming aficionado, shark skin is nothing new. It is no secret that sharks are incredibly swift in the water, so obviously a suit made from shark skin would aid any swimmer. The Speedo Fastskin FSII swimsuit is just one example of biomimicry using shark scales. Records are being broken left and right in these "shark suits" because the hydrodynamic shark skin scale pattern on the suit reduces drag by up to 4%.  

With all the hype surrounding shark skin, the U.S. Navy decided to invest in researching this technology. What they found is astonishing. Research suggests that ships and submarines made of synthetic shark skin would make our navy faster and cheaper to maintain.

Do you know what the biggest threat to our Navy is? German U-Boats would have been right some 65 years ago. Pirates? Nope. Today the answer is bio-fouling. Bio-fouling occurs when small organisms such as barnacles, mussel, and algae attach to the hull. In doing so, these tiny creatures increase the drag of a vessel by 15%. As of now, $600 million is poured into powering the Navy's ship and submarine fleets, with $50 million directly tied to preventing bio-fouling. So the question becomes: how can you effectively combat bio-fouling? One way is to use biocide laced paint on the hull. That, however, is toxic to marine life. The answer: shark skin!

Shark scales are composed of a hard material called dentin and oriented in such a way that makes it nearly impossible for organisms to latch on to a shark's back. Mussels and barnacles are incredibly adhesive (so adhesive that biomimicry studies use these creatures to develop stronger glue), yet they cannot stick to sharks. This is because the pattern on a shark's skin is constantly changing shape, which limits contact surface for marine life to attach to.

So is shark skin the future of the U.S. Navy? Studies have shown that using elastic silicone as a simple synthetic shark skin, bio-fouling can be reduced by 67%. This ground breaking invention is still in the early stages of development, but maybe one day we will be looking at a shipping industry complete with synthetic shark skin coating. The benefits are endless. By reducing drag, the shark skin can cut costs on fuel for the Navy and shipping industry. Not only is this endeavor financially profitable, but it is also environmentally friendly, as ships will be able to travel longer distances on the same amount of fuel. A green project in more ways than one ;)

So keep an eye out for more news about biomimicry and synthetic shark skin development.