Biomimicry: Copying our way to conservation [Video]

How did a kingfisher solve the Japanese bullet train’s problem with noise ordinances? The answer is just one thought-provoking reason to take a closer look at the plants and animals around us, and the ways they overcome their own everyday problems. It’s the developing field of biomimicry, founded on the observation that many engineering problems are not unique to humans, and that evolution has been solving them for millions of years. Maybe the answers are right out in front of us.

To tell you more about this new field, check out this gorgeous video by Habitat Seven, composed of Cornellians Marita Davison, Jamie Herring, and Jennifer Moslemi. It’s the companion piece to a fascinating article in Conservation magazine.

You may remember Marita Davison and her epic trip to study flamingos on the desolate Bolivian altiplano. Davison, a grad student with Cornell Lab director John Fitzpatrick, turned her dissertation work into an article in our own Living Bird magazine and a video that followed her into the mountains and out onto the mudflats in the course of her work. That video won the Audience Choice award in a contest held by The Scientist magazine.

Marita’s new venture, Habitat Seven, is a media production lab that emphasizes scientific communication about conservation and the environment. And by the looks of this video we can look forward to many intriguing stories to come. Follow them on Facebook for regular updates.