想象一下，蜜蜂为节能建筑和自动驾驶汽车提供灵感，鲨鱼帮助人们减少医院里的感染，壁虎为悬挂大屏幕电视机出主意，这些已经成为现实。科学家们在方兴未艾的仿生学领域通过模拟自然来解决人类社会的问题。如今，这门科学已经引起了各行各业的兴趣，从能源到消费品，几乎无所不包。咨询公司Biomimicry 3.8的创始人珍妮•班娜斯说：“大量研究人员正在通过模拟自然进行发明创造。”她的公司曾利用仿生学技术帮助高露洁棕榄（Colgate-Palmolive）、李维斯（Levis）、耐克（Nike）以及波音（Boeing）等公司革新产品。下面我们就来盘点一下，自然世界培育出的新技术创意：

    Imagine a day when bees provide inspiration for energy efficient buildings and cars that drive themselves, sharks offer the promise to reduced hospital infections and geckos give ideas for hanging big-screen TV sets. It's already here. The burgeoning field of biomimicry, in which scientists copy nature to solve human problems, has drawn interest across industries -- from energy to consumer goods. "There is a whole pipeline of people inventing by looking to the natural world," says Janine Benyus, founder of Biomimicry 3.8, a consultancy that has helped Colgate-Palmolive (CL, Fortune 500), Levis, Nike (NKE, Fortune 500) and Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) reformulate products using biomimicry Here's a look at how nature is breeding new ideas.

壁虎

    壁虎能够攀附在光滑的表面，来自艾姆赫斯特学院（Amherst College）的科学家们研究了其中的奥秘，以模拟开发一种可重复使用的面料用来悬挂重物。壁虎能够抗拒地心引力的秘诀在于：肌腱和皮肤的独特排列。科学家研制出的面料名为“壁虎皮”（geckskin），它有望在2014年推向市场。一块索引卡片大小的面料就能在光滑的表面上悬挂最高700磅的任何重物，包括玻璃，也包括一块42英寸的电视屏幕。

Geckos

    Amherst University scientists studied how geckos cling flat to surfaces to develop a copycat reusable fabric for hanging heavy loads. The gravity-defying secret: a unique arrangement of tendons and skin. The fabric, called "geckskin," could be on the market in 2014. A piece the size of an index card could hold everything from glass to a 42-inch TV screen -- anything up to 700 pounds -- on a flat surface.

蜜蜂

    蜜蜂能够相互协调，完成令人惊叹的工作，比如筑巢，再比如驱逐侵略者。现在，多伦多的Regen Energy公司将这种“蜂群逻辑”应用到软件开发，而这些软件能够让超级市场中的加热和冷却设备无线地协同工作，通过调节设备的工作时间和频率，最大限度地提高能源的使用效率。Regen Energy公司能源管理服务的客户包括塔吉特百货（Target）以及西尔斯百货（Sears）旗下的门店。

Bees

    Bees coordinate to do amazing tasks like building nests and chasing off invaders. Now Toronto-based Regen Energy has applied that "swarm logic" to develop software that lets heating and cooling units in big box stores work together wirelessly to decide when and how often units run to maximize energy efficiency. Target (TGT, Fortune 500) and Sears (SHLD, Fortune 500)rely on Regen Energy to manage energy at their stores.

荷叶

    荷叶经过暴雨后能够迅速干燥，同时还能保持清洁。德国的涂料公司Sto AG模拟这种能力制造出了一种独特的外墙涂料。这家公司复制荷叶表面高低不平的微观结构，制造出了一种名为Lotusan的涂料。它的自洁能力更佳，使用寿命也达到了传统涂料的两倍。

Lotus Leaf

    Germany's stucco and coating company Sto AG created a unique kind of exterior paint modeled after the lotus leaf's ability to dry quickly and stay clean after a rainstorm. Sto copied the plant's bumpy microstructure to come up with Lotusan paint, designed to stay cleaner and last twice as long as traditional paint.

贻贝

    美国西北大学（Northwestern University）的研究人员研究了贻贝的附着能力，发现贻贝拥有独特的蛋白基胶粘剂，能够在潮湿的环境中发挥良好的功用。接着，研究人员模拟这种材质，研制出了高分子聚合物手术胶粘剂，有望应用于修复胎膜以及预防早产。

Mussels

    Northwestern University researchers studied the sticking power of mussels and found that they have unique protein-based adhesives that works well in wet environments. They then copied that makeup to create polymer surgical glue that one day could repair fetal membranes and hopefully prevent preterm labor.

白蚁

    非洲建筑师迈克尔•皮尔斯在设计一家位于津巴布韦的购物中心时从白蚁墩中汲取灵感，建成的Eastgate购物中心模拟了白蚁墩的自然散热设计，使用管道和48个巨大的烟囱来将白天的热空气排放出去。这个购物中心耗费的能源要比传统建筑少60%。

Termites

    Termite mounds inspired African architect Michael Pearce when designing a Zimbabwe shopping center. The finished Eastgate Centre copies the mounds' natural thermal design, using ducts and 48 huge chimneys to move hot daytime air out. The building uses 60% less energy than traditional buildings.

鱼

    日产汽车公司（Nissan）正在研究鱼群和大黄蜂集体改变方向、以相同的速度并行以及灵活导航来避开障碍物的原理，它的目标是：在自动驾驶汽车中模拟这套系统，以避免交通拥堵和碰撞事故。

Fish

    Nissan is researching how schooling fish and bumblebees can work together to change direction, traveling side-by-side at the same speed and navigating intelligently to avoid obstacles. The goal: mimic that system in cars that drive themselves, avoiding traffic jams and collisions.

鲨鱼

    佛罗里达大学（University of Florida）的一位教授发现，鲨鱼皮肤上的菱形显微结构能够抑制海洋细菌附着。现在，科罗拉多州奥罗拉的Sharklet Technologies公司对鲨鱼皮肤的数学图形进行了模拟，研制出了一种抗菌薄膜，可应用于医疗设备和医院设施台面。根据病原体的不同，这种薄膜可减少90%至99%的细菌。

Sharks

    A University of Florida professor discovered that the tiny microscopic diamond-shape patterns on a shark's skin actually allow the animal to stay free of marine bacteria. Now Sharklet Technologies in Aurora, Colo., mimics those mathematical patterns to create antibacterial surface textures for medical devices and hospital countertops. Depending on the pathogen, the textures can cut bacteria by 90% to 99.9%.

萤火虫

    什么生物能够给制造更好的灯泡提供灵感？答案是萤火虫。来自比利时、法国和加拿大的科学家对萤火虫进行了研究，然后模拟萤火虫发光器交错排列的模式，制造出一种新的涂层，能够让LED灯泡发出更明亮的光线。结果，新的灯泡在能效方面比传统LED灯泡提升了55%。研究人员希望，这项创新能够为拍照手机、电视、汽车以及住宅照明带来更好的LED灯泡。（财富中文网）

    译者：王灿均

Fireflies

    The inspiration behind better light bulbs in your home? Fireflies. Scientists in Belgium, France, and Canada studied then copied the firefly's jagged pattern on its reflector panels to come up with a new coating for brighter LED lights. The result: a 55% boost in efficiency compared to traditional LED lights. Researchers hope the innovation will lead to better LEDs in camera phones, televisions, cars, and residential lighting.