Biomimicry in action | Janine Benyus

譯者: En-ling Lu 審譯者: huangan chen

If I could reveal anything

如果我可以揭露任何事物，

that is hidden from us,

我們看不到的事物，

at least in modern cultures,

至少對於現代文化來說，

it would be to reveal something that we've forgotten,

那就只能揭露我們已拋之腦後的事物。

that we used to know

但我們曾經是知道它們的，

as well as we knew our own names.

就像我們知道自己的名字一樣。

And that is that we live in a competent universe,

而且我們生存在充足的宇宙中，

that we are part of a brilliant planet,

身為這絕妙星球的一員，

and that we are surrounded by genius.

身旁圍繞著一群天才。

Biomimicry is a new discipline

仿生科技是一門新的學科，

that tries to learn from those geniuses,

嘗試向那群天才學習，

and take advice from them, design advice.

聽取他們的建議，設計上的建議。

That's where I live,

那是我住的地方。

and it's my university as well.

也是我念的大學。

I'm surrounded by genius. I cannot help but

我被天才包圍，不由自主地．．．

remember the organisms and the ecosystems

一直記得這些生物和生態系統，

that know how to live here gracefully on this planet.

它們知道如何優雅地生存在地球上。

This is what I would tell you to remember

這是我想要你記得的一點，

if you ever forget this again.

不准再忘記它，

Remember this.

記得它。

This is what happens every year.

這是每年都會發生的事，

This is what keeps its promise.

信守諾言的事，

While we're doing bailouts, this is what happened.

當我們正忙於紓困案，這已發生。

Spring.

春天。

Imagine designing spring.

想像要設計一個春天。

Imagine that orchestration.

想像一切和諧編排。

You think TED is hard to organize. (Laughter) Right?

你覺得TED很難組織 (笑聲)，是吧？

Imagine, and if you haven't done this in a while, do.

想像，如果你很久沒這麼做，現在做。

Imagine the timing, the coordination,

想像那些時機點，那些巧合。

all without top-down laws,

完全沒有上對下的法律規則，

or policies, or climate change protocols.

或政策，或氣候變遷草案。

This happens every year.

每年都這樣發生。

There is lots of showing off.

有很多爭奇鬥艷。

There is lots of love in the air.

空氣裡充滿愛。

There's lots of grand openings.

有很多盛大的開場。

And the organisms, I promise you,

而這些生物體，我向你保證，

have all of their priorities in order.

他們全都井然有序。

I have this neighbor that keeps me in touch with this,

我曾經有個鄰居，讓我接觸這些。

because he's living, usually on his back,

因為他的生活，通常是躺著

looking up at those grasses.

往上看那些牧草。

And one time he came up to me --

有一次，他來找我，

he was about seven or eight years old -- he came up to me.

那時他大約七或八歲，他來找我。

And there was a wasp's nest

那時有個蜂巢，

that I had let grow in my yard,

我讓它長在我家後院裡，

right outside my door.

就在我的門外。

And most people knock them down when they're small.

大多數人會趁蜂巢還小，就將之打下。

But it was fascinating to me,

但它對我來很迷人。

because I was looking at this sort of fine Italian end papers.

因為我看著這種細緻的意式襯紙。

And he came up to me and he knocked.

而他來找我並敲敲門。

He would come every day with something to show me.

每天都帶些東西來給我看。

And like, knock like a woodpecker on my door until I opened it up.

敲門敲得像隻啄木鳥，直到我開門為止。

And he asked me

然後他問我，

how I had made the house for those wasps,

我是如何做出那些蜂巢的。

because he had never seen one this big.

因為他從未見過這麼大的蜂巢。

And I told him, "You know, Cody,

我告訴他：「知道嗎？Cody

the wasps actually made that."

其實蜂巢是蜜蜂自己做的。」

And we looked at it together.

然後我們一起觀察它。

And I could see why he thought,

而我可以了解為什麼他會那樣以為，

you know -- it was so beautifully done.

你知道嗎？它是如此美麗地完工。

It was so architectural. It was so precise.

它很建築，很精準。

But it occurred to me, how in his small life

但我不禁想到，為何這麼小的孩子，

had he already believed the myth

就已經相信一個神話，

that if something was that well done,

那就是這樣完美的作品，

that we must have done it.

一定是我們人類做出來的。

How did he not know --

他為何不知道一件事，

it's what we've all forgotten --

也是我們都忘記的事實，

that we're not the first ones to build.

就是我們並非第一個會建造的物種。

We're not the first ones to process cellulose.

我們並非第一個會處理纖維，

We're not the first ones to make paper. We're not the first ones

並非第一個造紙，也並非第一個

to try to optimize packing space,

嘗試加大收納空間的物種。

or to waterproof, or to try to heat and cool a structure.

或是製作防水、或嘗試加熱和冷卻。

We're not the first ones to build houses for our young.

我們並非第一個為後代建造房屋的物種。

What's happening now, in this field called biomimicry,

正在仿生科技學領域中發生的，

is that people are beginning to remember

是人們開始記得

that organisms, other organisms,

生物體，其他的生物體，

the rest of the natural world,

自然界中的其他生物，

are doing things very similar to what we need to do.

正在做與我們需求極相似的事。

But in fact they are doing them in a way

但事實上，他們用的方式

that have allowed them to live gracefully on this planet

可讓他們優雅生存在地球上

for billions of years.

好幾億年。

So these people, biomimics,

所以說這些仿生科學家

are nature's apprentices.

是大自然的學徒。

And they're focusing on function.

他們注重功能。

What I'd like to do is show you a few of the things

我想要讓你們看一些

that they're learning.

他們正在學習的東西。

They have asked themselves,

他們這樣問自己：

"What if, every time I started to invent something,

「倘若每次開始發明前

I asked, 'How would nature solve this?'"

我都問『大自然會如何解決？』呢？」

And here is what they're learning.

而這就是他們正在學習的。

This is an amazing picture from a Czech photographer named Jack Hedley.

這驚嘆的照片由捷克攝影師Jack Hedley拍攝。

This is a story about an engineer at J.R. West.

這個故事關於一位J.R. West的工程師。

They're the people who make the bullet train.

他們製造子彈列車。

It was called the bullet train

它之所以名為子彈列車，

because it was rounded in front,

是因為它圓頭的造型。

but every time it went into a tunnel

但每次駛進山洞時，

it would build up a pressure wave,

就會產生一股壓力波，

and then it would create like a sonic boom when it exited.

而在駛出山洞時製造音爆。

So the engineer's boss said,

於是工程師的老闆說：

"Find a way to quiet this train."

「找出讓列車安靜的方法。」

He happened to be a birder.

他正巧是位愛鳥者，

He went to the equivalent of an Audubon Society meeting.

他去了奧杜邦學會相關的會議。

And he studied -- there was a film about king fishers.

他研究和學習，一段翠鳥的影片，

And he thought to himself, "They go from one density of medium,

他想：「牠們從一種密度的介質—空氣，

the air, into another density of medium, water,

進入另一種密度的介質—水，

without a splash. Look at this picture.

卻不會濺起水花。」看這張照片。

Without a splash, so they can see the fish.

沒有濺起水花，所以牠們看得到魚。

And he thought, "What if we do this?"

然後他想到：「倘若我們這麼做？」

Quieted the train.

安靜的列車。

Made it go 10 percent faster on 15 percent less electricity.

加快10%而且節省15%電力。

How does nature repel bacteria?

大自然如何抗菌？

We're not the first ones to have to protect ourselves

我們並非第一個需要保護自己

from some bacteria.

免於某些細菌侵擾的物種。

Turns out that -- this is a Galapagos Shark.

原來答案在—直翅真鯊。

It has no bacteria on its surface, no fouling on its surface, no barnacles.

牠的表面沒有細菌，表面無垢，亦無藤壺。

And it's not because it goes fast.

並不是因為牠游得很快。

It actually basks. It's a slow-moving shark.

牠其實很愜意，是一種慢速鯊。

So how does it keep its body free of bacteria build-up?

那牠如何保持身體不滋生細菌？

It doesn't do it with a chemical.

牠不是使用化學方法。

It does it, it turns out, with the same denticles

原來，牠身上的鋸齒狀物，

that you had on Speedo bathing suits,

與Speedo泳衣上的材質的相同，

that broke all those records in the Olympics,

而那泳衣曾打破所有奧運記錄。

but it's a particular kind of pattern.

但它有一種獨特的樣式，

And that pattern, the architecture of that pattern

而那種樣式—那種牠皮膚上

on its skin denticles

鋸齒狀樣式的結構

keep bacteria from being able to land and adhere.

讓細菌無法附著。

There is a company called Sharklet Technologies

有間名為Sharklet Technologies的公司

that's now putting this on the surfaces in hospitals

正將這種結構鋪在醫院的牆面，

to keep bacteria from landing,

防止細菌附著。

which is better than dousing it with anti-bacterials or harsh cleansers

此法遠優於使用抗菌或強烈洗劑，

that many, many organisms are now becoming drug resistant.

讓許多許多生物產生抗藥性。

Hospital-acquired infections are now killing

在美國，醫院院內感染

more people every year in the United States

每年奪走的性命

than die from AIDS or cancer or car accidents combined --

比AIDS或癌症或車禍的死亡總數更多—

about 100,000.

約十萬人。

This is a little critter that's in the Namibian desert.

這隻住在納米比沙漠的小生物，

It has no fresh water that it's able to drink,

沒有新鮮水源可以喝，

but it drinks water out of fog.

但他從霧氣中攝取水分。

It's got bumps on the back of its wing covers.

在牠覆蓋身體的翅膀外側有些突起物，

And those bumps act like a magnet for water.

而那些突起物可像磁鐵搬吸住水，

They have water-loving tips, and waxy sides.

它們有親水性的尖端和蠟質的側邊，

And the fog comes in and it builds up on the tips.

所以霧氣會凝結在尖端，

And it goes down the sides and goes into the critter's mouth.

然後從側邊流下，流如這種生物的口中。

There is actually a scientist here at Oxford

真的有位Oxford的科學家，

who studied this, Andrew Parker.

研究這項技術，他叫Andrew Parker.

And now kinetic and architectural firms like Grimshaw

而現在有些動力和建築公司，像是Grimshaw

are starting to look at this as a way

開始著眼於把這技術應用在

of coating buildings

建築物的塗裝，

so that they gather water from the fog.

於是它們能從霧氣擷取水分，

10 times better than our fog-catching nets.

效果比我們的捉霧網好上10倍。

CO2 as a building block.

把二氧化碳當作建材。

Organisms don't think of CO2 as a poison.

生物體不認為二氧化碳是有害的，

Plants and organisms that make shells,

植物和一些製造貝殼、珊瑚的生物，

coral, think of it as a building block.

都把二氧化碳當作建材。

There is now a cement manufacturing company

現在有間水泥製造公司

starting in the United States called Calera.

成立於美國，名叫Clara.

They've borrowed the recipe from the coral reef,

他們借用珊瑚礁的祕方，

and they're using CO2 as a building block

並且把二氧化碳當作

in cement, in concrete.

水泥、混凝土的材料，

Instead of -- cement usually

代替...水泥通常...

emits a ton of CO2 for every ton of cement.

每頓水泥會排放一頓二氧化碳，

Now it's reversing that equation,

現在方程式被逆轉，

and actually sequestering half a ton of CO2

而實際上可節省半頓二氧化碳，

thanks to the recipe from the coral.

多虧了得自珊瑚的祕方。

None of these are using the organisms.

以上都沒有利用生物體，

They're really only using the blueprints or the recipes

他們其實都只利用了

from the organisms.

生物的生命藍圖或祕方。

How does nature gather the sun's energy?

大自然如何收集太陽能？

This is a new kind of solar cell

這是新的太陽能電池，

that's based on how a leaf works.

建基於葉子的運作方式，

It's self-assembling.

它可以自我組裝。

It can be put down on any substrate whatsoever.

它可著根於任何生化基質，

It's extremely inexpensive

它非常便宜，

and rechargeable every five years.

而且每五年可再充電。

It's actually a company a company that I'm involved in called OneSun,

那其實是我參與的一家公司，名為OneSun,

with Paul Hawken.

與Paul Hawken合作。

There are many many ways that nature filters water

大自然有好多好多淨化水的方式，

that takes salt out of water.

取出水中的鹽分。

We take water and push it against a membrane.

我們用水去推擠細胞膜，

And then we wonder why the membrane clogs

然後好奇為何細胞膜會堵塞，

and why it takes so much electricity.

而且為什麼需要那麼多電流。

Nature does something much more elegant.

大自然使用更優雅的方式，

And it's in every cell.

而且每個細胞都會用。

Every red blood cell of your body right now

你現在體內的每一粒紅血球

has these hourglass-shaped pores

都有沙漏形的小孔，

called aquaporins.

名為水孔蛋白，

They actually export water molecules through.

它們讓水分子通過、輸出。

It's kind of a forward osmosis.

這像是一種正向滲透作用，

They export water molecules through,

他們輸出水分子，

and leave solutes on the other side.

然後讓溶質留在另一邊。

A company called Aquaporin is starting to make desalination

一間名為Aquaporin的公司正開始製造

membranes mimicking this technology.

模仿這種技術的去鹽薄膜。

Trees and bones are constantly reforming themselves

樹木和骨骼經常

along lines of stress.

沿著壓力線自我重組。

This algorithm has been put into a software program

這種演算法已被運用在一個軟體，

that's now being used to make bridges lightweight,

現在用於使橋樑輕量化，

to make building beams lightweight.

使建築鋼樑輕量化。

Actually G.M. Opel used it

事實上G.M. Opel已經運用這軟體

to create that skeleton you see,

創造了你所見到的那種骨架，

in what's called their bionic car.

在所謂的仿生車當中。

It lightweighted that skeleton using a minimum amount of material,

輕量化的骨架使用最少材料，

as an organism must,

如同一個生物體必須做的，

for the maximum amount of strength.

並且得到最大的支撐力。

This beetle, unlike this chip bag here,

這隻甲蟲，與這餅乾帶子大不相同，

this beetle uses one material, chitin.

甲蟲運用的是一種材料 ─ 基丁質。

And it finds many many ways

而且它找出好多好多種方法

to put many functions into it.

讓基丁質有很多不同的功能。

It's waterproof.

它防水，

It's strong and resilient.

它堅固且有彈性，

It's breathable. It creates color through structure.

它很透氣，藉由結構安排產生顏色。

Whereas that chip bag has about seven layers to do all of those things.

反觀餅乾袋需要約七層材料來達成那些功能。

One of our major inventions

我們主要的發明之一

that we need to be able to do

就是我們必須具備能力

to come even close to what these organisms can do

與這些生物體更相近的能力，

is to find a way

那就是找到一個方法

to minimize the amount of material, the kind of material we use,

減少材料用量，那種我們所用的材料，

and to add design to it.

然後加上設計。

We use five polymers in the natural world

大自然只使用五種聚合物

to do everything that you see.

來達成你所能見到的所有事物。

In our world we use about 350 polymers

而人類用了350種聚合物

to make all this.

來製造這一切。

Nature is nano.

大自然是奈米專家。

Nanotechnology, nanoparticles, you hear a lot of worry about this.

奈米科技、奈米粒子，聽過很多相關憂慮，

Loose nanoparticles. What is really interesting to me

鬆散奈米粒子。而我最有興趣的是

is that not many people have been asking,

有多少人問過：

"How can we consult nature about how to make nanotechnology safe?"

「怎麼諮詢大自然如何安全運用耐米科技？」

Nature has been doing that for a long time.

大自然已行之久遠。

Embedding nanoparticles in a material for instance, always.

例如它總是把耐米粒子固定在某種材料。

In fact, sulfur-reducing bacteria,

事實上，硫還原細菌

as part of their synthesis,

在它們合成的過程中，

they will emit, as a byproduct,

會釋放一種副產品，

nanoparticles into the water.

一種奈米粒子進入水中。

But then right after that, they emit a protein

但那之後，他們釋放一種蛋白質

that actually gathers and aggregates those nanoparticles

可以聚集、聚合那些奈米粒子，

so that they fall out of solution.

於是它們得以解決。

Energy use. Organisms sip energy,

能量使用。生物體慎用能量。

because they have to work or barter for every single bit that they get.

因為牠們得工作或以物異物來獲得每一分。

And one of the largest fields right now,

而現今最大的領域之一，

in the world of energy grids,

世界能源網當中，

you hear about the smart grid.

你聽過智能電網。

One of the largest consultants are the social insects.

最重要的顧問之一就是群居昆蟲。

Swarm technology. There is a company called Regen.

群技術。有家公司名為Regen.

They are looking at how ants and bees

他們觀察螞蟻和蜜蜂

find their food and their flowers

如何尋找牠們的食物和花朵，

in the most effective way

用對整體族群(蜂巢)

as a whole hive.

最有效的方式。

And they're having appliances in your home

他們有一種家用設備，

talk to one another through that algorithm,

透過那種演算法互相溝通，

and determine how to minimize peak power use.

然後決定如何把尖峰用電降到最低。

There's a group of scientists in Cornell

有一群Cornell的科學家，

that are making what they call a synthetic tree,

正在製造他們所謂的人造樹。

because they are saying, "There is no pump at the bottom of a tree."

因為他們說：「樹幹底下沒有泵浦。」

It's capillary action and transpiration pulls

是毛細作用和蒸散作造成拉力，

water up, a drop at a time,

一滴一滴把水拉上去，

pulling it, releasing it from a leaf and pulling it up through the roots.

拉上去，從葉面釋放然後從根部拉取。

And they're creating -- you can think of it as a kind of wallpaper.

然後他們創造—你可以把它想成一種壁紙。

They're thinking about putting it on the insides of buildings

他們正想將它用在建築內部，

to move water up without pumps.

把水抽高而不需要泵浦。

Amazon electric eel -- incredibly endangered,

亞馬遜電鰻，瀕臨絕種，

some of these species --

這些物種當中的一些，

create 600 volts of electricity

能使用你身體當中的一些化學物質，

with the chemicals that are in your body.

製造出600伏特的電力，

Even more interesting to me is that

更讓我有興趣的是...

600 volts doesn't fry it.

600伏特不會把牠自己炸熟。

You know we use PVC, and we sheath wires

你知道我們使用PVC來包住電線，

with PVC for insulation.

利用PVC當作絕緣體。

These organisms, how are they insulating

這些生物，牠們如何讓自己

against their own electric charge?

跟自己產生的電力絕緣呢？

These are some questions that we've yet to ask.

有些問題我們還尚無解答。

Here's a wind turbine manufacturer that went to a whale.

這是風扇製造商取法於鯨豚。

Humpback whale has scalloped edges on its flippers.

座頭鯨有扇形邊的鰭，

And those scalloped edges

而那些扇形邊

play with flow in such a way

用某種方式與水流相互作用，

that is reduces drag by 32 percent.

減少32％的阻力。

These wind turbines can rotate in incredibly slow windspeeds, as a result.

於是，極小的風速便能轉動這些風扇。

MIT just has a new radio chip

MIT剛製作一款新的無線電晶片，

that uses far less power than our chips.

用電量遠小於目前的晶片，

And it's based on the cochlear of your ear,

而且它取法於你耳朵裡的耳蝸，

able to pick up internet, wireless, television signals

可以接收網路、無線電、電視訊號，

and radio signals, in the same chip.

以及電台訊號，使用同一張晶片。

Finally, on an ecosystem scale.

最後，建立在生態系統規模上。

At Biomimicry Guild, which is my consulting company,

在Biomimicry Guild, 也就是我的顧問公司，

we work with HOK Architects.

我們與HOK建築公司合作，

We're looking at building whole cities

我們正考慮建造整座城市，

in their planning department.

在他們的規劃部門中。

And what we're saying is that,

而我們的訴求是：

shouldn't our cities do at least as well,

以生態系統服務的角度來看，

in terms of ecosystem services,

我們的城市不是應該至少

as the native systems that they replace?

跟他們取代的原始系統一樣好嗎？

So we're creating something called Ecological Performance Standards

於是我們正在設立生態性能標準，

that hold cities to this higher bar.

能讓城市維持在這個標準。

The question is -- biomimicry is an incredibly powerful

問題是—仿生科技是達到創新

way to innovate.

一條極其有力的途徑。

The question I would ask is, "What's worth solving?"

我想問的是：「哪些事情值得去解決？」

If you haven't seen this, it's pretty amazing.

若你之前沒看過，這個還滿令人吃驚的。

Dr. Adam Neiman.

Adam Neiman 博士。

This is a depiction of

這張圖描述...

all of the water on Earth

地球上所有的水

in relation to the volume of the Earth --

相對於地球體積，

all the ice, all the fresh water, all the sea water --

所有的冰、淡水、鹹水，

and all the atmosphere that we can breathe, in relation to the volume of the Earth.

和所有我們呼吸的大氣，相對於地球體積。

And inside those balls

而在那些球裡頭的是...

life, over 3.8 billion years,

生命，超過3.8億年，

has made a lush, livable place for us.

幫我們造了蒼翠、適宜居住的地方。

And we are in a long, long line

所有的生物當中，

of organisms

我們排在長長的隊伍後面，

to come to this planet and ask ourselves,

來到地球上並且問我們自己：

"How can we live here gracefully over the long haul?"

「我們如何優雅地、長遠地生存？」

How can we do what life has learned to do?

我們如何才能做到生物早已學會的事？

Which is to create conditions conducive to life.

也就是創造有利於生命的環境。

Now in order to do this, the design challenge

現在為了這個目的，

of our century, I think,

我們這一世紀的設計挑戰，我想，

we need a way to remind ourselves of those geniuses,

我們需要時時提醒自己想起那些天才

and to somehow meet them again.

並且以某種方式再次與他們見面。

One of the big ideas, one of the big projects

其中一個大創意，其中一個大計畫，

I've been honored to work on

是我有幸參與的，

is a new website. And I would encourage you all to please go to it.

關於一個新的網站。而我希望大家去瀏覽它。

It's called AskNature.org.

這網站叫做 AskNature.org.

And what we're trying to do, in a TEDesque way,

而我們嘗試沿用TED的風格，

is to organize all biological information

依照設計上和工程上的功能，

by design and engineering function.

組織所有生物資訊。

And we're working with EOL, Encyclopedia of Life,

我們與 EOL (生物百科) 合作，

Ed Wilson's TED wish.

達成 Ed Wilson 的TED願望。

And he's gathering all biological information

他正在蒐集各種生物資訊

on one website.

於一個網站。

And the scientists who are contributing to EOL are answering a question,

而為EOL貢獻心力的科學家都在問一個問題：

"What can we learn from this organism?"

「我們可以從這種生物身上學到什麼？」

And that information will go into AskNature.org.

然後哪些資訊會放在 AskNature.org 網站上。

And hopefully, any inventor, anywhere in the world,

希望，任何發明家，不論在世界上的哪裡，

will be able, in the moment of creation,

在他們創造的當下，可以輸入：

to type in, "How does nature remove salt from water?"

「大自然如何去除水中的鹽分？」

And up will come mangroves, and sea turtles

然後結果就會顯示紅樹林和海龜，

and your own kidneys.

和你的腎臟。

And we'll begin to

然後我們會開始

be able to

有能力

do as Cody does,

做到 Cody 所做的事，

and actually be in touch

而且實際上去接觸

with these incredible models,

這些令人難以置信的模型，

these elders that have been here

這些存在久遠的長者，

far, far longer than we have.

比我們存在更久、更久。

And hopefully, with their help,

而且希望，藉由他們的幫助，

we'll learn how to live on this Earth,

我們能學習如何在地球上生存，

and on this home that is ours, but not ours alone.

生存在我們的家園，但也不單是我們的。

Thank you very much.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）