Page 156 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

The Earthquake-Proof Design in Honeycombs

The construction of honeycombs offers a great many important ad-
vantages, including stability. As the bees in the hive give directions to one
another in the so-called “waggle dance,” they set up vibrations that, in a
structure of such small dimensions, can be equated to an earthquake. The
walls of the comb absorb these potentially damaging vibrations. Nature

magazine stated that architects could use this superior structure in de-
signing earthquake-proof buildings. Included in the report was the fol-
lowing statement by Jurgen Tautz of the University of Wurzburg, in
Germany:
Vibrations in honeybee nests are like miniature earthquakes generated by the
bees, so it’s very interesting to see how the structure responds to it...
Understanding the phase reversal could help architects predict which parts of a
building will be especially vulnerable to earthquakes... They could then
strengthen these areas, or even introduce weak spots into non-critical areas of
buildings to absorb harmful vibrations. 102

As this all shows, the combs that bees con-
struct with such flawless precision exper-
tise are marvels of design. This structure
within the comb thus paves the way for
architects and scientists, giving them
new ideas. It isn’t chance that
allows bees to construct their
combs so perfectly, as evolu-
tionists claim, but God, the
Lord of infinite might and
knowledge, Who gives
them that ability.

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