Fri, Sep 9, 2016
It's no secret that birds were the inspiration for the first airplanes but, in this episode, host Danni Washington takes a look at how exactly that connection succeeded. She'll fly planes in tight formation to try to mimic the energy-efficient flight patterns of migrating birds and look at how engineers are inventing wings that change their shape while in flight to mimic flying squirrels.
Fri, Sep 16, 2016
Lately, we've been turning toward nature more and more while creating our buildings, not just for the materials, but in the way they're constructed! In this episode, join host, Danni Washington, as she tours the "living building" known as the Bullit Center. This six-story structure mimics a tree; creating its own energy, collecting its own water, and even recycling its own waste.
Fri, Sep 23, 2016
Every species found in nature is a survivor, there's a reason they've been on the planet for as long as they have. So host Danni Washington is trying to figure out what humankind can learn from them that we can use to protect ourselves. She'll explore how fish are helping us to build better armor and how woodpeckers are assisting us to address a top safety concern in the form of concussions.
Fri, Sep 30, 2016
The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet's surface and humankind has only explored about 5% of it. But the diverse wildlife from the areas we have investigated serves as a major source of inspiration for modern technology! Host Danni Washington uses this episode as an opportunity to continue the investigation, heading under the sea to explore a reef that's full of life!
Fri, Oct 28, 2016
While inventors have been looking toward nature as inspiration for centuries, this science is just starting to come into it's own and was recently given a name... Biomimicry! Join Danni Washington as we visit all the new places where this science is taking hold, from schools, to zoos, to national conventions like the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington D.C.!
Fri, Nov 4, 2016
To many people the thought of sharks can be scary but they're actually a huge help to our oceans... and have inspired some awesome tech! Danni Washington will take the plunge and swim with sharks, relaying how their skin is being used to fight germs and their senses can help build better robots! And Danni goes surfing to reveal how scientists are developing wetsuits that are invisible to sharks!
Fri, Nov 11, 2016
Animals in nature have other ways of communicating than you or I do and many of them are able to move collectively in packs called "swarms". Host Danni Washington takes a look at how today's scientists are studying this swarm behavior to make better robots that will help in our factories, to collect things on other planets, or to make better autonomous cars!
Fri, Nov 18, 2016
Some of the world's strongest materials are naturally made like the silk spiders use to make their webs which, pound for pound, is actually 5 times stronger than steel. In this episode, Danni Washington will look into how we're looking toward nature to make our other things stronger... like glass, metals, and even ourselves!
Fri, Dec 2, 2016
Robots are built for all kinds of things and, these days, their inventors are looking toward nature to see how animals can help them to do the things that humans can't! Join Danni Washington as she checks out tiny robots based on manta rays that are helping to fight heart problems and robots that are learning to run as fast as our speediest animals.