Systems and Innovation

Exploring the extraordinary adaptations, deadly rivalries, and survival strategies of marine life in the open ocean and coastal environments.

Exploring the extraordinary adaptations and deadly rivalries of marine life in the open ocean, from drifting predators to synchronized mass migrations.

Overcoming institutional barriers to biomimicry adoption—from NIH syndrome to patient capital requirements.

Nature's zero-waste systems—from fungal networks to mussel adhesives—offer blueprints for sustainable manufacturing and remediation.

Biomimetic solutions from marine life—sharks, whales, and fish—offer counterintuitive efficiencies in drag reduction and propulsion.

From Bishop's crooks to energy-saving curves, this post explores why nature's spiral geometry holds the key to efficient flow and energy use.

Humanity's industrial paradigm is failing. This series explores how biomimicry—learning from nature's 3.8 billion years of R&D—offers a path to sustainable innovation and economic transformation.

Most young ladies sunning by the pool aren't thinking about a hippopotamus, but its perspiration reveals nature's superior engineering. This post explores why 3.8 billion years of natural R&D matters for human innovation.

The ongoing threats to the Great Lakes from water diversions, climate change, and emerging genetic technologies.

The threat of Asian carp invasion through the Chicago Canal and the billion-dollar efforts to prevent it.