Category Nature and Science

What is the mimicry of nature?

Nature has many sustainable solutions to numerous pressing problems that man is struggling to cope with today. Scientists and engineers study these unique models and systems of nature while designing new technologies. This biologically-inspired engineering, called biomimicry, biomimetics or bionics, is fast gaining popularity in many parts of the world.

American biologist Janine M. Benyus, who wrote the book. Biomimicry Innovation Inspired by Nature was the first to propose that learning from nature would be the perfect tool for eco-design

The leaf of the lotus plant has a way surface that is covered with tiny bumps or ridges. These ridges cause water droplets to roll off carrying away dust and dirt. This unique ability of the plant to clean itself called the Lotus Effect, was the inspiration behind self-cleaning paint coatings

Besides paints, roof tiles and optical sensors in public places like toll bridges also use innovations based on the Lotus Effect Research is also underway to create self-cleaning textiles. plastic and metals.

 

Inspired by insects

The Eastgate Centre, an office complex in Harare. Zimbabwe, has been designed to mimic the mounds of the African tower building termites (Macrotermes Michaelseni) which use a unique system to keep their homes cool. The insects have developed a method which involves opening and closing air vents in the mound in such a way that cool air is drawn inside while hot air escapes through the chimney. The Eastgate Centre uses 10 per cent less energy than conventional structures of the same size. by adopting the design and ventilation system of the termites.

Sportswear manufacturer Speedo’s swimsuit. the Fastskin LZR Racer, has been fashioned from fabric that mimics the shape and rough texture of sharkskin. This ‘sharkskin’ swimsuit reduces drag, enabling competitive swimmers to shave a few crucial seconds off their race timings. This technology is also being used to develop coatings for ship hulls, submarines and aircraft fuselage.

The tropical boxfish, a reef-dwelling amphibian, inspired Daimler Chryslers concept car. The Bionic Car, as the automobile is called, mimics the fish’s aerodynamic shape and the structure of its rigid protective skin. This innovation consumes 20 per cent less fuel and emits 80 per cent less nitrogen oxide than conventional automobiles. Researchers at the University of California have created two prototype glues after studying the way geckos move across ceilings and cling to polished glass. The soles of Tokay geckos have sticky ridges which contain half a million microscopic hairs. These tiny hairs which exert an attractive force on the wall or floor are responsible for the lizard’s superb grip. The stickiness of gecko adhesive never wears off. The scientists cast two sets of imitation gecko toe hairs and then tipped the hairs with silicon rubber or polyester. In the lab, both materials adhered as well to most surfaces as gecko’s feet.

Fire-extinguisher

Scientists at the Leeds University in England have built an experimental contraption that can shoot a spray of chemicals up to a distance of four metres. The device mimics the behaviour of the bombardier beetle, which squirts a hot explosive stream of venom to ward off predators. The chemical concoction is mixed in a sort of ‘combustion chamber in the insect’s abdomen, with inlet and exit valves determining the precise blend.

Researchers are utilising this technology to build pharmaceutical inhalers and long-range fire extinguishers.

Bullet train

The world’s fastest train, the Japanese shinkansen bullet train includes a number of biomimetic innovations. The trains, which zip between cities at a speed of close to 321 km per hour, have serrations similar to those that allow owls to fly stealthily through the night. This feature is incorporated in the overhead wire collectors to reduce noise. The train’s nose, which mimics the aerodynamic beak of the kingfisher, enables the train to exit tunnels without emitting sonic booms.

Velcro plants

It was only recently that man discovered the touch and close tape. Velcro. This discovery was inspired by nature, since seeds, fruits and even whole plants stowaway on the coats of animals by gripping on in the same manner as Velcro: and have been doing so since time immemorial.

It was in the 1950s that George de Mestral of Switzerland observed the burdock fruit which led him to develop Velcro. This fruit has barbed hooks that enable it to fasten itself to an animal’s fur. And when the burr is brushed off the coat of the animal the casing splits open. The seeds of the burdock are thus spread over a wide area and do not have to germinate in one place

Stowaways like the burdock can be counted in the hundreds in the plant world

Froggy tape

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IT) Kanpur, who were working on creating a reusable sticky tape, received inspiration from an unusual source- the humble tree frog.

It was observed that the sticky toe pads of tree frogs have a patter of tiny channels that increase their adhesion to a surface and prevent the spread of cracks when the frog moves away.

Based on this study, scientists designed a novel sticky tape by placing elastic layers embedded with air or fluid-filled micro channels beneath the authesive layer. This new reusable tape is 30 times stickier than other adhesive tapes.

Picture Credit: Google

Science and tech to nature’s rescue

Of course, human technology can never completely replace nature. But, along with science, technology can help our world in several ways.

It is easy to presume our planet will recover with gentle human care alone. But, in reality, it would require a lot of supprt from various other quarters as well. For instance, science and technology. These two areas play a huge role in keeping our natural world going-now more than ever as we grapple with climate change.

Of course, human technology can never completely replace nature. But, along with science, technology can help our world in several ways. We require the science of data gathering simply to understand where we stand today – be it assessing the number of wildlife lost to wildfires in a region or the amount of glacial ice a mountain is losing every year or the next eruption of a dormant volcano. As for technology, everything from as simple as a camera trap to advanced mechanisms such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can help us track wildlife, crucial for conservation measures.

Data gathering and tracking wildlife are among the many ways in which science and technology help. If technically advanced systems can alert officials concerned about poaching or illegal tree-felling real-time, they can go a long way in grave loss. And, tools such as social media are powerful enough to cause positive changes through information sharing and collective demand for action.

As we start to run out of time to save our planet, it is imperative that we dip into every possible resource available to us, and keep working on improving such resources for the future too.

Picture Credit : Google 

Nature’s theatrics

The universe has always been an enigma. There is so much to learn and experience from nature. Sometimes, nature delights us with some breathtaking spectacles of hers. We take you through some of these wow moments.

MOONBOW

You have seen a rainbow. Have you seen a moonbow? This is a light show like no other. The moonbow is a very rare optical phenomenon. It occurs when the light from the moon gets reflected and refracted through water droplets in the air at a certain angle. Much like how a rainbow forms. But moonbows are faint as the amount of light from the moon, which is reflected sunlight, is less. It is said that the first mention of moonbows was by Aristotle back in 350BC. As there is more light during the full moon phase, the likelihood of seeing a moonbow is more at this time.

Every year, during spring and autumn, the Denmark skies become a canvas of sorts as starling birds whiz through the skies in millions. The birds flock together in large numbers and even the sun gets partially blocked by them. This has earned the phenomenon the name Sort Sol meaning Black Sun in Danish. This spectacle across the skies occurs because of the migrating starlings as they head to their breeding grounds. This can be seen only in Denmark.

SKY MIRROR – BOLIVIA

This is akin to a mirror on the floor. The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat. When the lake water flows onto the flat, the water reflects the sky above, just like a mirror. These salt flats are vast and endless and the waters create a reflection that makes for an extremely enigmatic sight.

NORTHERN LIGHTS ICELAND

Sometime between September and April, the skies in Iceland turn theatrical as they put on a spellbinding show of colours. Awe-inspiring patterns form in the sky in hues of green, red and blue. This natural phenomenon is called the Aurora Borealis or the northern lights. They form when the charged particles of the sun interact with atmospheric atoms.

BIOLUMINESCENT SHORES – MALDIVES

Picture this. A beach glowing neon blue at night. If you were to go to the Vaadhoo Island of the Maldives between the months of June and December, you will get to witness a glorious abstract art painted by nature herself on the sea. The waters appear soaked in a blue hue because of the phenomenon called bioluminescence as light gets emitted by a microorganism called phytoplankton present in the sea.

LIQUID RAINBOW-COLOMBIA

Imagine a river full of colours, more like a watercolour palette. The Caño Cristales river in La Macarena turns into a vibrant colourscape between the months of July and October. The river gets bathed in colours of red, yellow, green and blue as a result of the reproduction of the aquatic plant Macarenia clavigera, a species of the river weed family, during that time. The 62.1-mile-long river runs through the Serranía de la Macarena national park in Colombia.

Picture Credit : Google 

Nature’s masterstroke

Autumn showcases nature in all its splendour. How do the colours of leaves change during the season? Why do leaves fall? How do animals react to the change in season? Come, let’s find out

Autumn is a transitional period between summer and winter. It is one of the four seasons in the temperate zones. According to the Hindu calendar. Sharad ritu is synonymous with autumn. But autumn

is not very distinct in India, except in some parts of the Himalayas, especially the Kashmir Valley. In the northern hemisphere, autumn begins with the September equinox which occurs on September 22 or 23 each year. This is when the sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward. During the equinox, the day and night are of nearly equal duration.

Fall colours

French littérateur Albert Camus has aptly described the season- “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower!” Indeed as the days grow shorter with a perceptible nip in the air, Mother Nature too begins to discard her universal green and sets the countryside on fire with gorgeous red, orange, yellow or brown.

The leaves of many deciduous plants change colour. A leaf contains three pigments-chlorophyll (green), carotenoid (yellow, orange and brown) and anthocyanins (red). Of these, chlorophyll and carotenoid are present in leaf cells during the growth period. But the chlorophyll covers the carotenoid and hence we see only the green colour. Anthocyanins are produced only in autumn under certain conditions in some trees.

During winter, there is not much sunlight for photosynthesis to take place. Trees begin to temporarily shut down their food factory. The green chlorophyll begins to disappear from the leaves and the vivid colours of the carotenoid come alive.

The eastern parts of the U.S. and Canada, Scandinavia, western parts of Europe, China, Korea and Japan are famous for the spectacular fall foliage. Thousands of tourists flock to these places to soak in the flamboyance of nature before everything gets covered by a white blanket of snow!

Why do leaves fall?

The root, stem and branches of trees are able to withstand the harsh winter but not so the tender leaves- they freeze in winter. Therefore, the leaves are shed to ensure the tree’s survival. With the onset of autumn, a layer of cells called the ‘separation layer forms at the base of each leaf. When this layer is complete, the leaf is separated and it falls.

Trivia

*As the mercury begins to drop in the late fall season, people look forward to the ‘Indian Summer’. It is an unusually warm, dry spell which follows frosty weather.

*Autumn is associated with a sense of melancholy, especially by poets. “To Autumn” by well-known English poet John Keats is an ode to the season.

*Chinar, the signature tree of Kashmir, paints the entire valley in gold and crimson red during autumn.

* In the West, the new academic year in schools and colleges coincides with the fall season.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Come autumn and animals know instinctively that the fun and frolic of summer is over and it’s time for hard work! The falling temperature and reducing daylight trigger hormonal changes in animals. Many birds, animals and even insects begin their long, arduous journey to warmer places to escape the harsh weather ahead

Those who wish to stay put find their own ways to brave the winter. Furry animals grow a thicker coat, while birds grow extra feathers. As autumn gets underway, squirrels, beavers, rodents and even ants get busy gathering food for a snowy day. For those who plan to sleep through winter, autumn is feasting time! Bears chipmunks, hedgehogs, etc. consume excess food and store it as body fat to sustain them during hibernation.

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WHAT IS FOREST BATHING?

Forest bathing, better known as Shinrin Yoku in Japanese culture, is the practice of walking in the woods mindfully. In 1982, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing” or “absorbing the forest atmosphere.” The practice encourages people to simply spend time in nature — no actual bathing required.

Anasuya Menon

Have you walked in a forest? Under the towering trees, with sunlight streaming down in thick long columns? Have you listened to the song of the birds or the sounds of a gurgling stream? Have you felt and probably smelt the fresh forest air? If you have done all of the above, you have forest bathed.

‘Forest bathing’ is nothing but. a mindful walk in the woods. The practice has its origins in Japanese culture, where it is called shinrin-yoku. The idea is to take in the forest through the senses. Being in the midst of nature refreshes the mind, energises and rejuvenates the body, says practitioners of forest bathing.

Re-connecting with nature

The concept has caught on in India, especially in the past few years with nature groups organising forest-bathing tours to help people reconnect with nature. “Forest bathing is not activity-oriented. It is a contemplative process, where the participants are guided to take in the forest through their senses. As a guide, I only help participants experience the energy of the forest,” says Dipika Sharma from Noida, who has been conducting forest bathing walks for groups in Delhi since 2019. “People are now increasingly aware of the therapeutic effect of nature especially after two years of being confined at home because of the pandemic,” says Dipika, who founded Forest Therapy, an organisation that conducts forest bathing tours.

Introducing children to forest bathing would help them form a lasting bond with nature, says Verhaen Khanna, commercial pilot-turned environmental activist, who has been conducting forest bathing workshops for school and college students.

“When children are out in the wild, their instincts are most alive. It instills a sense of curiosity in them. While on these walks, children usually ask me a lot of questions about the sights, smells and sounds of the forest. At times, it might be about a strange insect they have seen or it could be about a sound they heard. They become very aware of their surroundings,” says Verhaen. Being amid trees is also believed to boost immunity, says Verhaen, whose organisation, New Delhi Nature Society organises a variety of programmes for children starting from listening to birds to creating art, planting trees, mediation, tree climbing, yoga in the park and saving trees. “We have children as young as four years of age taking part. I have seen that children enjoy the time in the wilderness,” says Verhaen. The most receptive are children in the four to seven age group. “They are very attentive. They are curious about snakes and spiders. We ensure their safety, of course,” he adds.

The basic idea is to help children appreciate nature and understand how important it is to to be able to co-exist with nature. “We are also, in a way, helping them create memories. And the experience of a forest will stay with them for a long time,” Verhaen says.

In addition to building a bond with nature, children also develop their personalities by learning how to interact with others in the group.

Picture Credit : Google 

CAN TREES CAUSE WEATHERING?

Yes, trees can break up large rocks. Seeds may be deposited in the cracks and gaps of rock clusters and they germinate there. As the plant grows, the roots crack the rock further and may even break it into many pieces.

Plants can cause mechanical and chemical weathering. When plants cause mechanical weathering, their roots grow into rocks and crack them.It can also happen in streets or sidewalks. When plants cause chemical weathering, there roots release acid or other chemicals, onto rocks, which then forms cracks, and breaks apart.

Plants can cause physical weathering as their roots grow. Seeds of plants or trees can grow inside rock cracks where soil has collected. The roots then put pressure on the cracks, making them wider and eventually splitting the rock. Even small plants can cause this kind of weathering over time.

Biological Weathering – This type of weathering is caused by plants and animals. The plants and animals have acids inside them and when they release their acid it converts into chemicals that further results in weathering and breaking down of rocks and minerals and other types of landforms.

Credit: SidmartinBio

Picture Credit : Google