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The blue morpho butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in the world. It's found in most Latin American forests. Most of the time it's beautiful blue color symbolizes healing. Seeing a blue morpho butterfly can also mean a forthcoming transformation is on the way. This transformation can be a big personal change in your life.

Blue morphos go through metamorphosis just like other butterflies. Metamorphosis is a biological life cycle with four phases. The developmental stages are: the egg, the larva, the pupa, and the adult. I think the blue morpho is lovely because it looks like something you would see in a fantasy movie. They are pretty, but you still have to be careful around them. For example, these butterflies are poisonous, but they are only poisonous if you eat them. Their toxic nature is vital to their survival against predators. Female morpho butterflies have also adapted to look brown or yellow instead of light blue. Thereby, making it easier for them to hide in the forest so they can safely lay their eggs.

Humans are another threat for blue morphos. For example, some humans try to capture blue morpho butterflies so they can use their wings to manufacture jewelry. Deforestation is dangerous because it takes away food and shelter for the butterflies. If deforestation continues, experts foresee that blue morpho butterflies will become endangered.

Scientists also study blue morpho butterflies to gain insight into how their wings naturally reflect light. This knowledge is helpful for making new technological devices like color displays for cell phones. Researchers have also studied their butterfly wings to help create new solar cell appliances.

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Velcro was inspired by the burrs of botanical burdock that I used in my project #3.
A biological technology inspired by nature, and it is a simple hook-and-loop fastener that is used in a wide range of situations, such as bags and shoes. That makes it a very useful and easy device for young children and the elderly. There was a gap until 1940 before being inspired by the industrial revolution when Velcro was invented. It took time to see its many uses, and no one could foresee all of the different uses for it.

The world often has great insight into natural technology. This invention was inspired by a Swiss engineer who went hunting with his dog and finding burdock burrs suspended from his trousers and the dog's hair and the pungent burr has haunted mankind for perhaps thousands of years.

The growth of the world's technology is intertwined with biologically vital factors between nature and us humans. I'm particularly interested in things that are fraction of modern technology that don't require energy, used to fulfill a need such as appliances because they are designed to solve a problem or make our lives easier. Although there are various biomimetic technologies, I believe that simply mimicking the mechanisms of nature is insufficient to prevent issues such as global warming and reduce environmental impact. Hopefully, I would like to be an investor in funding such a green technology manufacturing company.

I will expect the next generation technology based on fantasy, a world where many ideas exist.

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When we drive down a dark road, we often see glimpses of bright flashes in the middle of the street. Those are the vital devices to help us see borders or lanes and drive safely in darkness. These light reflectors or cat’s eyes were created based on the insight of biological system-some animals, like cats, can reflect light in the night, because they have special pigments in their eyes, called tapetum lucidum, which reflect light at night and improve night vision. This biomimetic device has been used commonly for almost one century. One foggy night in 1933, an English man, Percy Shaw, drove on the dark road and saw the eyes of a cat reflected in the beam of his car’s headlights. He was inspired by the phenomenon and foresaw that if he could mimic that effect, he might be able to help a lot of drivers stay safe when visibility was limited. Although there was a big gap between his fantasy and reality, Shaw did not give up. In his mind, nonetheless, he could solve all the problems gradually. Finally, Shaw designed a small sphere with a surface similar to what he found in cats’ eyes. After the invention was public, people manufactured tremendous amounts of Cat’s Eye Road Markers. Today, this device is used widely all around the world. Although it changed a lot and became more portable over the years, it still glows brightly, marking a safe route through the darkness.

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Project 4: Packaging Materials and Lotus Leaves

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Project 4: Packaging Materials and Lotus Leaves

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Have you ever had an experience licking a yogurt that stuck to the lid of a yogurt cup in your childhood? As I read an interesting article about one of the biomimicry products, packaging material, I remembered my ritual of eating yogurt.

A Japanese company, Toyo Aluminium K.K., manufactured the material called “Toyal Lotus.” As the product name suggests, the researchers had an insight into lotus leaves that were growing in a pond of the company’s factory. Lotus leaves have an uneven surface, shedding water and remaining dry, and they foresaw that those features would contribute to the development of the package.

Nonetheless, the primary function of the lid, which is to adhere and seal the cup, was a point of vital importance, and another function, which repels the yogurt, is a different role, thereby spending more time studying various phases of the problem.

One of the popular yogurt companies in Japan cooperated with Toyo Aluminium K.K., and the company produced yogurt using “Toyal Lotus” for the lid in 2011. After that, other yogurt companies gradually adopted this invention.

This technology has been used not only in the food industry but also in the waterproof field, such as a water-repellent spray, umbrellas, raincoats, and even touch-screen devices! This material will be used in a ketchup container in the future; thus, it will not be a fraction of the time to find other products that use "Toyal Lotus."

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Wood frog of North America has an extraordinary adaptation to extreme cold. When the temperature decreases to the freezing phase in winter, the frog's vital organs like heart and brain stop working and the frog turns dead. Nonetheless, when the temperature increases gradually in spring, the frog returns to life. The possibility of mimicking this unique adaptation was foreseen by many scientists and researchers. Biologists have been trying to gain insight into this biological process in order to use it in medicine to keep humans' organs for transplant fresh and safe for longer. Others were inspired to invent a fantasy technology known as cryonic, which is basically freezing dead people hoping to bring them back to life one day. On the other hand, this little creature inspired an engineer to invent an anti-icing surface that can be used in manufacturing devices and appliances such as satellites and aerospace vehicles.  Astronomers will be able to discover space, thereby increasing our knowledge about the universe.

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Emily's Project 4: Submarines and Whales

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Emily's Project 4: Submarines and Whales

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I researched the connection between submarines and whales! A submarine is a device that allows humans to go deep into the ocean, thereby closing the gap between what we know and what we wish to know about the sea. The ability to explore the deep sea has given us powerful insights into a world that used to live only in our fantasies. Submarines were originally manufactured based on the shape of whales. Designers also had the foresight to create appliances to mimic whales' sonar systems to help submarines maneuver underwater. Although submarines are heavy, they are also portable. Their rigid exterior provides safety for the crew inside as they explore the deep sea. How cool!