(pronounced bi-oh-MI-mik-ree)

Thanks to that required biology course in high school, we all know that “bio” refers to living things. And thanks to Shields and Yarnell, we know that to “mimic” is to simulate, imitate or resemble. Put them together and what have you got? Biomimicry, the process of emulating nature to design and produce products, systems, and buildings. Brought to the forefront by life sciences writer Janine Benyus in her book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, the idea is to take cues from the world around us in order to make our man-made environment as efficient and sustainable as the natural one.