Page 150 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

When it comes to the surface of
the water it stops growing, then
starts forming thorn-tipped
buds. In as little as a few hours,
these buds open into enormous
leaves up to two meters across.
The more area they cover on the
surface of the river, the more
sunlight they can obtain with
which to carry out photosynthe-
sis.
Another thing the root of
the water lily requires is oxygen,
of which there is little in the
muddy bottom where the plant is rooted. However, tubes running down
the long stems of the leaves, which can reach as much as 11 meters (35
feet) in height, serve as channels that carry oxygen from the leaves down
to the roots. 99
As the seed starts to grow in the depths of the lake, how does it know
that it will soon need light and oxygen, without which it can’t survive,
and that everything it requires is at the surface of the water? A plant that
has only just begun to germinate is unaware that the water around has a
surface up above, and knows nothing of the Sun or oxygen.
According to evolutionist logic, therefore, new water lilies should
have drowned under several feet of water and become extinct long ago.
Yet the fact is that these water lilies are still around today, in all their per-
fection.
Amazon lilies, after reaching the light and oxygen they need, curl
their leaves upwards at the edges so that they do not fill with water and
sink. These precautions may help them survive, but if the species is to

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