READING PASSAGE: Biomimicry – Copying Nature’s Best Ideas
A
For millions of years, nature has been solving complex problems. From energy efficiency to structural strength, evolution has perfected designs that humans are only now beginning to understand. The study of these natural designs and translating them into modern technology is known as biomimicry (from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate). Coined by science writer Janine Benyus in the late 1990s, the term has now become a cornerstone of sustainable engineering.
B
One of the most famous examples of biomimicry dates back to 1941, when Swiss engineer George de Mestral went for a walk in the woods with his dog. Upon returning, he noticed that both his trousers and his dog's fur were covered in tiny burdock burrs (hạt cây ngưu bàng). Instead of just brushing them off in annoyance, Mestral examined them under a microscope. He discovered that the burrs had tiny hooks that clung to the loop-shaped fibers in his clothes. This simple observation led to the invention of Velcro, a revolutionary fastening system now used on everything from shoes to spacesuits.
C
More recently, engineers in Japan looked to nature to solve a modern transportation crisis. In the late 1980s, the famous Shinkansen bullet train had a major problem: when emerging from tight tunnels at high speeds, it produced a deafening "sonic boom" that disturbed nearby residents. Eiji Nakatsu, the train's chief engineer and an avid birdwatcher, realized that the beak of the kingfisher bird (chim bói cá) was perfectly designed to slice through air and water with minimal splash. By redesigning the nose of the bullet train to mimic the kingfisher’s beak, Nakatsu’s team not only silenced the sonic boom but also made the train 10% faster and 15% more electricity-efficient.
