Page 13 - Engineering in Nature

he field of engineering is divided into many
different branches, but its main objective is to
make our daily lives more comfortable, easier
and safer. A great many details we hardly think
about are the products of engineering—de-
signs and technology that have emerged after years of research, expe-
rience, and hard work by well-trained individuals.

For example, the refrigerator that keeps your food from spoiling
was designed by engineers, as were your television, music set, eleva-
tor, watch, car and computer. All industrial machinery, satellites,
spacecraft, and military technology are the product of engineering,
representing the work and brainpower of a great many people.
Just like these designs that make our lives easier, there are count-
less designs in the bodies of living things that make their lives possi-
ble at all: perfectly functioning wings, cells that work like
miniaturized chemical laboratories, infra-red-sensitive eyes that let
their owners see in the dark, thick skin that can withstand heavy
blows and harsh climatic conditions, and suckers that make it possi-
ble to walk on smooth surfaces— to name but a few.
When we compare such perfect designs in living things to the arti-
ficial designs that they often inspired, a striking parallel emerges: al-

most all the products of man's technology are no more than imitations
of those in nature; and usually, they fail to match the superior design
in living things.
Throughout this book, we shall be examining just a few of the
proofs of this evident truth.

Adnan Oktar
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