The Encyclopedia of Life:
Biomimicry
For 3.7 billion years, living things have inhabited
our planet Earth. While much of life from our ancient past is still a mystery
even today, there are many life forms on this planet. Who knows the kinds of
organisms that hide in the deep ocean floor and the depths of the jungle? What
if there was a way to instantaneously gain wisdom about life on Earth? The
Encyclopedia of Life’s goal is to gather information of all biodiversity in the
world so people can learn about Earth’s living nature. Thanks to the help of Marie
Studer, director of the EOL Learning and Education Group, we were informed
about the Encyclopedia of Life.
On July 7, 2014,
the EarthScope team conducted an interview with Dr. Studer. We discussed
biomimicry. This field is relatively new in the world of science. According to
Dr. Studer, biomimicry or biomimetic is the imitation of models, system, and
elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human issues. Living
organisms have adapted to the Earth’s habitat way better than humans. We have
looked to nature to solve problems such as self-healing abilities,
environmental exposure tolerance and resistance, and self-assembly. One example
of biomimicry that Marie pointed out was the design of wind turbines. They have
been engineered to resemble the structure of a humpback whale's flippers in
order to catch more wind. Another example of biomimicry is aircraft wings. They
were modeled after the flight techniques of birds and bats. Animals like the
beaver sharpen their own teeth. We looked at their self-sharpening skills to
design and modify cutting tools to be sharper and more precise. The tread on
our tires have been modeled after the padding and grip on tree frogs’ toes.
Ceramics have been increasingly improved because their composition was copied
by a seashell’s composition. Polar bear fur has qualities that have inspired
thermal clothing. Modeling the arrangement of leaves stimulated humans to
create better solar power collections. As you can see, we see biomimicry every
day.
One of the main
goals of the Encyclopedia of Life is to capture the essence of open science.
Marie talked about the beauties of the Encyclopedia of Life. There is an ample
amount of information, data, and records about living nature in our world. The
problem is that everyday people don’t have access to these resources. If
scientists aren’t willing to share their research, people won’t put in the
effort to learn about Earth’s living nature. That’s where open science comes
in. The Encyclopedia of Life’s website is open to the public. In fact, the
public can add information to the website. There will just be a little note
saying “Unreview.” Marie strongly stated that just because it is unreviewed,
doesn’t mean it isn’t quality research. Encyclopedia of Life allows us all to
contribute to spreading awareness of Earth’s living nature.
As a society, how
can we contribute to the Encyclopedia of Life? Every day, ten to twenty
thousand different species are being discovered. The vast world is bursting
with biodiversity. Marie Studor has been able to travel to Australia to work
with the creators of the Atlas of Living Australia. She went to Conabio, the
Biodiversity Institute in Mexico. Marie has explored India, South Africa, Costa
Rica, Taiwan, and many other places on the quest for the Encyclopedia for Life.
According to Marie, as we receive help from the public all over the world, we
will reach our goal to catalog all living organisms in the Encyclopedia of
Life. Whenever you have something to share about a specific part of our
biosphere, go to the Encyclopedia of Life at eol.org. We are thirsty for facts.
With the Encyclopedia of Life, you really can learn something new every day.
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