What do running shoes, cosmetics, and lunar landing all have in common? They are all products of biomimicry, technologies developed from mother nature's tried and true solutions to age old design challenges.

Humans have been using nature as a model for problem solving since their tribal roots. The Alaskan Inuits learned to hunt seals by mimicking polar bears and still use this hunting method today. In the modern world, the design challenges we face are a bit different, but nature may still hold the solutions. We just have to be creative in identifying and implementing them.

Many biomimetic products are currently being marketed to consumers. Nike has created a running shoe with traction in all weather conditions after the mountain goat's hoof, an animal that is able to keep its sure footing on very precarious slopes in all sorts of dire weather conditions. Olympic swimsuits have been designed for optimal performance by modeling shark skin. Proctor and Gamble has created an iridescent lipstick and eye shadow line using the optical properties of butterfly wings. Other natural design innovations are being used in robotics and engineering. Nasa's lunar lander was designed after the scorpion's gait. Robot visual systems have been developed from insect compound eyes. Examples of biomimicry pervade our environment, from consumer goods to engineering projects, and many realms in between. Most of us are oblivious to the innovations inspired by nature's genius that surround us everywhere we turn. Keep your eyes open for other examples as you go about your day.

The concept behind biomimicry is that mother nature has been testing various design prototypes for millions of years through evolution, and only the most efficient and successful design strategies are displayed in organisms that have survived. Failed or inadequate designs have been modified or improved to reach current models, or gone extinct. Most relevant in today's society, where we have overgrown the means for supporting ourselves on this planet and years of human abuse of the natural world is rapidly and perhaps irreversibly taking a severe toll on the world's ecosystems, biomimicry yields solutions that are by definition self sustainable and eco-friendly. This concept is only starting to take hold, with green building projects and clean renewable energy gaining public and government support. It is essential that we re-prioritize our goals, ethics and standards when it comes to technological advances, or we will very quickly run ourselves into the ground and into extinction, taking the Earth as we know it down with us. Biomimicry may provide the answers in design and mentality to start to mend the hole we have dug for ourselves, and may provide the key to our existence on this Earth for years to come. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery... its about time we give mother nature her due.

To raise awareness and promote this strategy for biosustainable design The San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research has teamed with the The Biomimicry Institute and Mirasol by Qualcomm to host the second annual Biomimicry Symposium on October 1st and 2nd. Held at The San Diego Zoo and the Prado in Balboa Park, the program includes panels and talks featuring an impressive list of renowned researchers, educators and business moguls in the field, as well as a tours of Zoo facilities and exhibits showcasing various species that have inspired product design. Registration is limited (www.sandiegozoo.org/conservation/biomimicry/registration/) and scholarships are available to this important event. So make like a lemming and jump on the Biomimicry Bandwagon... it is sure to be a fascinating and eye opening experience.

Stay posted for more information on the San Diego Zoo's Institute for conservation research, The Biomimcry Institute, Mirasol by Qualcom and current and future research in Biomimcry, as well as a report summarizing the Symposium.