Singapore Airlines launched the longest non-stop flight, being able to connect Newark to Singapore in only 18 hours.

Nature has a contender, a bird called the bar-tailed godwit, can fly from Alaska to New-Zeland for 10 days, without any single stop.

Nature wins.

- Inspired by shape: It consists of taking its inspiration from the shapes of a natural object, just like planes take their inspiration from birds. Birds do not inspire because of their wings. One of the most complete biomimetic approaches was made by the Japanese in the nineties.
- Do you often travel in the TGV ? If that’s the case, did you notice that there is a pressure in your ears when the train enters a tunnel? When you enter a tunnel, the air at the front of the train is compressed so much the train shakes and pressure is transferred to the train. The Japanese engineer who tackle the problem used to be an ornithologist so he took his inspiration from the Kingfisher. That small bird is able to fish by vertically dropping on its prey from the sky. Its long beak allows it to do it seamlessly. That’s how the Shinkansen was created: no shaking, no ear pressure!

- Inspired by the relations between organisms: In nature, organisms cooperate. They share their resources in exchange for something else. It is called a symbiotic relationship.
- Nature can create very advanced relationships. Mushrooms and trees are a great example. The fungus spreads an underground network called mycelium. That mycelium connects to the roots of the adjacent trees and absorbs water and minerals from trees, while the trees share the carbohydrates they created through photosynthesis. What is incredible is that mycelium is able to distribute the excessive carbohydrates to the trees that didn’t produce enough. In other words, mushrooms act as a great wealth redistribution system.

- Inspired by the relations between organisms: In nature, organisms cooperate. They share their resources in exchange for something else. It is called a symbiotic relationship.
- Nature can create very advanced relationships. Mushrooms and trees are a great example. The fungus spreads an underground network called mycelium. That mycelium connects to the roots of the adjacent trees and absorbs water and minerals from trees, while the trees share the carbohydrates they created through photosynthesis. What is incredible is that mycelium is able to distribute the excessive carbohydrates to the trees that didn’t produce enough. In other words, mushrooms act as a great wealth redistribution system.