Lesson 7－Part 1
Biomimetics learns from natural systems. //
It tries to understand /
what nature does well /
to work out problems. //
It also tries to develop new technology. //
Although the word biomimetics is new, /
people have been looking to nature /
to develop various products /
for many years. //
For example, /
there are some plant seeds with sharp points /
in the wild. //
They may get on you /
when you walk in the forest. //
It is difficult /
to pull them off your sweaters. //
One day in 1941, /
George de Mestral, /
a Swiss engineer, /
came home from a walk in the mountains. //
He found burdock seeds /
in his dog’s hair. //
Then /
he took a close look. //
He wanted to know the reason /
why those seeds got there so easily. //
He found /
that burdock seeds have small hooks /
on their sharp points. //
They easily catch on hair or fur. //
This is /
how “hook-and-loop fasteners” were first thought of /
and invented. //
