by Nicolas Takamine

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Elegant Solutions


"In dance or martial arts, elegance is minimum motion with maximum effect. In a mathematical proof or a computer program, elegance is the minimum number of steps to achieve the solution with maximum clarity…Like an elegant theory, an elegant solution is recognized by its parsimony of definition and power of explanation."1
An abalone shell, self-assembled, molecule by molecule from ions in seawater, is twice as tough as high-tech, man-made ceramics. The tiny lenses that cover the body of a brittle star, also self-assembled in a water-based process, are the best optic lenses that we know of. A beetle's entire exoskeleton consists of just one material—chitin—which is sturdy, breathable, waterproof, and colorful, without pigments, just by virtue of the structure of the material.

In its ability to solve the greatest of problems with remarkable elegance, nature has us beat by a mile. There is much for us to learn.

Janine Benyus, recognizing this, is leading a field called biomimicry, which seeks to learn from the 3.8 billion years of "R&D" that nature has generously performed for us. For many of the problems we face today, Ms. Benyus points out, nature has already developed a solution in one situation or another—and has done so in ingenious, elegant ways.

In her 2009 TED Conference talk below2, Ms. Benyus chooses to focus on the physical applications of biomimicry, but the principle is relevant in any context. So my question to you is: what can you learn from nature that will make solutions in your line of work more elegant?



If you're curious about what you can learn from nature and apply to your work, visit Asknature.org, a project of Ms. Benyus' Biomimicry Institute. This innovative website organizes biological information by design and engineering function so that, in the words of Ms. Benyus, "Any inventor, anywhere in the world, in the moment of creation, will be able to type in 'how does nature remove salt from water,' and up will come [information about that process in] mangroves and sea turtles and your own kidneys."

Ingenious. And elegant.

1 Although this quote comes from the politically oriented website http://www.elsol.org/, I quote it here in an apolitical context.

2 Check out an earlier presentation by Ms. Benyus on the PopTech website here for additional interesting applications of biomimicry.