List Price: $15.99 Details

Save: $3.00 (19%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery: Tuesday, May 4 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Tomorrow
Order within 10 hrs and 25 mins Details

In Stock.
As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

$$12.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from	Amazon.com
Sold by	Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: This item is returnable

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon or get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Wednesday, May 5 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Friday, April 30
Order within 11 hrs and 55 mins Details

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Cozy App Products

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers on Amazon

$13.99
+ Free Shipping

Sold by: Philadelphia Book Company

$15.75
& FREE Shipping on eligible orders. Details

Sold by: Escape Velocity Trading

$14.15
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Blackwell's U.K. *dispatched from UK*

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Janine M. Benyus

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature Paperback – September 17, 2002

by Janine M Benyus (Author)

392 ratings

See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.49

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$12.43

$85.07

$3.98

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.99

$11.52

$1.93

MP3 CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$20.60

—

Enhance your purchase

Repackaged with a new afterword, this "valuable and entertaining" (New York Times Book Review) book explores how scientists are adapting nature's best ideas to solve tough 21st century problems.

Biomimicry is rapidly transforming life on earth. Biomimics study nature's most successful ideas over the past 3.5 million years, and adapt them for human use. The results are revolutionizing how materials are invented and how we compute, heal ourselves, repair the environment, and feed the world.

Janine Benyus takes readers into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as they: discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; harness energy by examining how a leaf converts sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; and many more examples.

Composed of stories of vision and invention, personalities and pipe dreams, Biomimicry is must reading for anyone interested in the shape of our future.

Print length

308 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

September 17, 2002
Dimensions

0.72 x 5.31 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

9780060533229
ISBN-13

978-0060533229
See all details

Frequently bought together

Total price: $51.21

Buy the selected items together

This item:Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M Benyus Paperback $12.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Details
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart Paperback $17.43
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Details
The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability--Designing for Abundance by William McDonough Paperback $20.79
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Details

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Michael Braungart
971
Paperback
$17.43
In Stock.
Michael Pawlyn
64
Paperback
$35.77
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Dayna Baumeister Ph.D.
22
Paperback
$95.00
In Stock.
Jay Harman
58
Paperback
32 offers from $6.09
William Myers
41
Paperback
$22.49
In Stock.
Karen Ansberry
28
Paperback
$8.95
In Stock.

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Michael Braungart
971
Paperback
$17.43
In Stock.
Michael Pawlyn
64
Paperback
$35.77
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
William McDonough
208
Paperback
$20.79
In Stock.
Jay Harman
58
Paperback
32 offers from $6.09
Dayna Baumeister Ph.D.
22
Paperback
$95.00
In Stock.
Dora Lee
27
Hardcover
$18.95
In Stock.

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business: Make the most of your Amazon Business account with exclusive tools and savings. Login now
Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This profound and accessible book details how science is studying nature’s best ideas to solve our toughest 21st-century problems.

If chaos theory transformed our view of the universe, biomimicry is transforming our life on Earth. Biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature – taking advantage of evolution’s 3.8 billion years of R&D since the first bacteria. Biomimics study nature’s best ideas: photosynthesis, brain power, and shells – and adapt them for human use. They are revolutionising how we invent, compute, heal ourselves, harness energy, repair the environment, and feed the world.

Science writer and lecturer Janine Benyus names and explains this phenomenon. She takes us into the lab and out in the field with cutting-edge researchers as they stir vats of proteins to unleash their computing power; analyse how electrons zipping around a leaf cell convert sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they’re sick; study the hardy prairie as a model for low-maintenance agriculture; and more.

About the Author

Janine M. Benyus is the author of four books in the life sciences, including Beastly Behaviors: A Watchers Guide to How Animals Act and Why. She is a graduate of Rutgers with degrees in forestry and writing and has lectured widely on science topics. She lives in Stevensville, Montana.

Start reading Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

ASIN : 0060533226
Publisher : Harper Perennial (September 17, 2002)
Language : English
Paperback : 308 pages
ISBN-10 : 9780060533229
ISBN-13 : 978-0060533229
Item Weight : 8.6 ounces
Dimensions : 0.72 x 5.31 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #84,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #53 in Scientific Research
- #195 in Ecology (Books)
- #449 in Technology (Books)

Customer Reviews:
392 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		73%
4 star		12%
3 star		7%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

weeaboo jones

This book covers it all

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book exceeded my expectations. I bought it because Ray Archuletta recommended it in his Grassfed Exchange talk, and because it was less than $10. Upon first glancing through it, I didn’t expect to be engaged with it. I was wrong. I like that the chapters can be read out of order and you can still grasp the picture presented in each. This book really opened my eyes to the scientific work being done on solar energy and materials (as in packaging and so on). To be plain, I had no idea there were any groups of scientists or associations that were doing something genuinely valuable and relevant to solving the climate and materials problem that is getting ready to push us off this planet. With the farming and energy solutions in this book, I don’t believe fossil fuels would hypothetically have to be abolished since their usage would be limited and their effect would be negated through carbon-capturing farming methods. Very good book.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kat J

A must read for all high school chemistry and biology students

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2009

Verified Purchase

It has been many years since I took biology and chemistry so at times I found myself challenged to keep up. For the uneducated it is an impossible read as it assumes you have at least a basic understanding of both. The premise of the whole book is fascinating and I wish there was a overview at the beginning of each chapter and then the details for those who can appreciate them. Chapters of this book would be wonderful for high school and college science classes as it sparks the imagination about more natural solutions to our approach to creating all the products we have come to expect in our society. We destroy while we create. Does not seem to make us the masters of the universe we imagine ourselves to be. If you can conquer without bloodshed, are you not superior than those that conquer but leave to waste all they have gained? This is really the point of the book and an inspiring read. I would have given it 5 stars if it was more accessible to all - maybe the general public can not understand the science, but they can start to demand that products be made more in tune with nature if they knew this was possible.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

... all the progress and discoveries being made by absolutely brilliant people toward learning how to make efficient use of ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is an eye opener regarding all the progress and discoveries being made by absolutely brilliant people toward learning how to make efficient use of what the animal and plant worlds at even microscopic levels can teach us about more efficient and effective use of our resources.The chemistry that is spawning these discoveries is a bit challenging for me, at least, to wade through, although one doesn't have to be a scientist to appreciate the delicacy and beauty of what new age scientists are doing.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

A Great Writer with a Truly Message

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

First of all, the subject matter is impressive and inspiring; using Nature as an example of how things can be done economically. But more than that is the author's engaging writing style, which helps tremendously to make such technical scientific ideas and processes into a fun and easy read. I've always appreciated good, clever design, and many of the best and most inspiring ideas are all around us every day, in the natural world. All we have to do is pay attention and look closer with a child's curiosity. This book was written some years ago, and I'd love to see a follow-up on "Where are They Now?" Also, the Biomimicry website is truly inspirational.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Bruce

Style is tedious to read and the book is showing its age

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

It's a ok book. Like others said, it is outdated. The part where she explains that only some molecules will help computers to communicate at the speed of light was kind of not relevant anymore (optic fiber anybody?). But there are still interesting parts.

Howevere, the style of the author is barely readable to me. She wrote the book like a roman, describing so many details nobody cares about.
How people look, how they react, their accents, their habits and so on. Unbearable. I am 25% in the book, love the biomimicry subjects, but I have to fight myself to continue reading the book because of this style of writing which probably take half of the book. Not sure if I will read everything word to word. I might just skip some parts or buy another book about Biomimicry entirely.

Life is short, and the authors should understand that. Being wordy just to make the book looks bigger or more impressive it just a waste of my time. At least if it wasn't a science book, it would be ok.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Glenn Gallagher

Biomimicry is Very Good, Very Detailed

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2007

Verified Purchase

As other reviewers have pointed out, Biomimicry is a good to great book, but the level of detail is enough to make a non-scientist's head spin. Be prepared for in-depth discussions on cellular activity, computer theory, and energy transfer. The main point of the book is excellent, which is that as a human race, we will eventually have to start acting like the rest of the living world and only use what we have in a sustainable manner. Physically, our path of using more energy than the world can generate is simply not sustainable for long. The book is not one of those alarmist environmental-destruction-is-imminent books however, it actually has good ideas on directions to take for sustainable manufacturing and sustainable energy.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jill

Designers learn best from nature.

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Wonderful way to learn and design. Just when man thinks he has the latest innovations, he finds the best answers already exsisting in nature.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

F. VALDES Perezgasga

Innovative and a great read!

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2007

Verified Purchase

I am an engineer by training and an amateur naturalist by vocation so this book proved to be a reflection on many of my thoughts and then some. I am convinced that engineers can learn a lot from biology and how design problems have been solved elegantly by evolution and natural selection. Watching nature can return a sense of wonder to the arrogant worldview of the technologist and I think Biomimicry addresses this beautifully.
However, at times I find the author a bit too enthusiastic about technology. This is understandable as she is a self-confessed technophyle.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Christoph Opfermann

Old book but still relevant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book was written over 20 years ago, but its general direction is still relevant. IN the long run we must follow the example of nature much more closely, if humanity is to survive. Ways of doing so are described in this book.

Michael V

Good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

I used this for an architecture project. It covers multiple disciplines and gives good ideas and references

Cliente Amazon

Più religione che scienza...

Reviewed in Italy on May 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

Ho acquistato qussto libro su consiglio di Roman Mars, dal podcast 99% invisible.

L'ho letto quasi tutto, ma ho fatto estrema difficoltà. E' una sofferenza da leggere per qualsiasi persona con un fondamento scientifico.
L'autrice scrive in maniera estremamente evangelica. Tenta di estorcerti approvazione in tutti i modi possibili.

La cosa assurda è che concoro pienamente con la sua tesi: La natura è il migliore ingegnere.

Per quanto i contenuti del libro siano interessanti, il tono della scrittrice è insopportabile. Continuamente trascina questioni estremamente pratiche nel suo sistema di valori morari naturo centrici. L'autrice è visibilmente cieca alle limitazioni delle tecnologie di cui parla, in parte può darsi perchè il libro è stato scritto due decenni fa, ma sicuramente anche per la sua ignoranza scientifica e fretta nel dimostrare i propri argomenti.

Il libro inoltre non ha retto molto bene la prova del tempo. Approfondendo gli esempi esposti, la maggior parte sono stati ampiamente superati o smentiti. Certamente, questa è anche una prova al successo del libro e dell'idea: molti di essi sono stati superati perchè erano ottimi studi ed ottime idee di principio ed hanno destato meritato interesse.

Non di meno, questo libro non parla di innovazione ispirata dalla natura, "innovation inspired by nature". Ma di "decent ideas that could happen, inspired by nature", questa forse è stata la mia grande delusione nel leggerlo.

Mi aspettato delle success stories, invece uno dopo l'altro ho letto decide di what-if ("non sarebbe bello se?") destinati a farmi sentire come un bambino with my mouth open in awe di fronte alle presunte verità universali uscite dalla sua penna.

Ho imparato molto poco da questo libro.

4 people found this helpful

Translate review to English

Isabellucci

Contenido excelente, maravillosa narrativa

Reviewed in Mexico on September 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Para cualquier persona interesada en el desarrollo sustentable y que está dispuesta a convertirse en un observador de la naturaleza, este texto de la bióloga biomimetista Janine Benyus es una joya exquisita.

La edición del libro es bastante amena, con un buen tamaño de tipografía y un exquisito diseño editorial.

Sin embargo, es necesario tener un buen vocabulario en inglés (con énfasis en términos de biología, agricultura y construcción) para poder fluir en la lectura; nada que un buen diccionario no pueda resolver.

Ampliamente recomendado.

One person found this helpful

Translate review to English

Ravi Shah

i didnt like it at all

Reviewed in India on March 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

its very superficial.. and mostly goes all around the topic.. also the book is talking about science that is 20 years old..

3 people found this helpful

See all reviews

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: innovation and management, innovation management, mathematics of finance, applied economics, the best inventions, scientific textbooks

Buy new: $12.99 FREE delivery: Tuesday, May 4 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used: $9.89

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature Paperback – September 17, 2002

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Buy new:

$12.99

FREE delivery: Tuesday, May 4 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Ships from: Amazon.com

Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used:

$9.89