Page 108 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

model to tell us: there’s this much infrared hitting the organ, and that means
this many nerve pulses. 73
The snake’s pit is a thin membrane rich in blood vessels and nerve
bundles. The membrane is so sensitive, and the variations in the respons-
es so minute and subtle that to catch and study these signals has proved
exceedingly difficult. To understand the functioning of the pit organ, it is
necessary to work with delicate measurements and photomicrographs.
As this example shows, living things in nature display a superior in-
telligence and technology. Researchers investigating natural designs as
their models thus acquire inspiration for projects that might otherwise
last years and bring them to a conclusion in a much shorter time.

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