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Hidden miracles of the natural world

LESSON CREATED BY Earth School Partners USING TED-Ed's LESSON CREATOR

Video from TED YouTube Channel

Let’s Begin…

We live in a world of unseeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg shares highlights from his project "Mysteries of the Unseen World," a 3D film which slows down, speeds up, and magnifies the astonishing wonders of nature. After the video, continue onto other sections to learn more, interact, act and share.

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

Additional Resources for you to Explore
Head back to the Quest to finish our lesson, or continue exploring these great videos to learn how designers study nature to improve the ways we make stuff. It's no wonder we're so inspired by the natural world— nature has been “product testing” for billions of years!

Watch 1: What Is Biomimicry? (Fast Company)
Watch 2: 8 Useful Technologies Inspired by Nature (SciShow)
Watch 3: Science Copies Nature’s Secrets-Biomimicry (IFSVND)

LEARN + INTERACT

Test the power of nature and find the strength of an eggshell with this project from Science Sparks. (for ages 11-14)

Search for instances of biomimicry in your life. Grab a pencil and paper or download an Inventor’s Notebook from the Spark Lab. Then, make a list of the products you use each day. Can you think of something in nature that might have inspired their shape or function? (for all ages)

Draw a detailed picture of one of the most amazing things you have observed in nature (for example: a turtle’s shell, a field of flowers, a porcupine’s spine). What is distinctive about its shape? What are its key parts? How does it “work”? How is it connected to other parts of nature? (for all ages)

Read teacher John Marconi and his students’ very detailed report about green cities and think about your town. What parts of your city or town are your favorite? Least favorite? How would you improve them? Draw inspiration from nature as you design improvements. (for ages 15-18)

ACT + SHARE

Lead a discussion with your family (or online with your neighbors!). Ask everyone about a specific problem they or your community is facing. How do you think nature could solve this problem? (for all ages)

Observe nature for a few minutes and then write a poem about the form and function of something that caught your attention. Ask your parents or teacher for help sharing your poem online with #EarthSchool. (for all ages)

Write a letter to someone from your local government or to a community leader. Explain what biomimicry is, then show them a nature-based design that can improve your community. Suggest what they could do to help make this happen. Need help constructing your letter? Here’s a sample. (for all ages)

Watch a new movie on biomimicry and climate change narrated by pioneering biomimicry expert, Janice Benyus, and share the link with a friend. Feeling really ambitious? Attend her entire online course. (for ages 15-18)

WANT MORE?

Watch this video from Berkus Design Studio to learn how architects get inspired by the natural world. (for all ages)

Watch designer Neri Oxman talk about Design at the Intersection of Technology and Biology and learn about other ways to get original perspectives from biomimicry. (for ages 15-18)

Read about 7 surprising technologies inspired by nature with Live Science. (for ages 15-18)

Design an improvement for your neighborhood. Pick a problem (litter in a local park, not enough parking spaces, a run down building, for example), and use what we’ve learned about biomimicry to figure out a way to improve the issue. Before you begin, brush up on your design skills with this tool, which is used by world class designers at Stanford University. (for ages 15-18)

Create a new civilization. Lots of species live underground. Could humans? Design an underground civilization with this project developed by educator John Spencer. (for ages 11-18)

This Earth School Quest was created by the following incredible educators and environmental experts: Richard Matthew, Steve Davis and Bill Tomlinson, University of California Irvine
We look forward to seeing your Quest in action!

If you enjoyed learning more about the nature of design, make sure to head back to the main Quest page to finish the lesson.

And don’t forget to document your Quests! Take photos of the experiments, activities, drawings, and writing prompts you tried and share your journey with the Earth School team and students by using #EarthSchool. We'll feature some of your photos and stories on our social channels, hopefully encouraging others to join the cause!
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Lesson Creator
Why is it important for people to see ecosystems, nature, animals, and environments that are not local to us?

04/27/2020
Avatar for Chua Zhi Hong
Chua Zhi Hong • COMPLETED LESSON

Based on this lesson, to learn from the time-tested solutions that exist but we do not know of, so that we can apply it to solve our local problems.

Beyond that, non-local learning is important to help us understand the inter-connectivity of our world through System Dynamics. As Peter Senge says "our interdependence is increasing but our awareness of interdependence is decreasing". By knowing how our consumer choices here affect farmers' poverty halfway across the globe, we better appreciate what is needed to reverse climate change!

For those interested, Donella Meadows has simple resources for System Dynamics: (1) YouTube video of her lecture in 1977 (2) Book on Thinking in Systems

04/29/2020
Avatar for Caleb Allen
Caleb Allen • COMPLETED LESSON

it is important because it gives engineers and scientist new ideas and ways to discover and create new innovations.

05/05/2020
Avatar for Lilian Camila Huarcaya Lujan
Lilian Camila Huarcaya Lujan • COMPLETED LESSON

According to the video, silk spider is 100 times thinner than a human hair, inside it, it's found bacterias, and 10 times smaller than that: a virus, and if we continue with that proportionality, 10 times smaller, three strands of DNA. Nanotechnology is part of the most updated understanding, which is very useful in many aspects, especially in Biology and Medicine. More than that, it allow us to see each part from our environment, find out, discover and solve problems through looking what we have around.

05/07/2020
Avatar for Raksha Bajpai
Raksha Bajpai • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important to see ecosystems that are not local us so that we can learn from them. And so that we can apply that learning to solve our problems.

05/10/2020
Avatar for Gary Stocker
Gary Stocker • COMPLETED LESSON

Unless people do not venture outside their immediate area, they do not get any new ideas.

05/11/2020
Avatar for Crosby Beevers
Crosby Beevers • COMPLETED LESSON

so we can see the nature in ways we can not with our eyes

05/12/2020
Avatar for Sofia Beckmann
Sofia Beckmann • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important for people to see ecosystems, nature, animals, and environments that are not local to us, so we can learn from them, and just appreciate the beautiful nature we have been given.

05/13/2020
Avatar for Aditya Singh
Aditya Singh • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important because it gives engineers and scientists new ideas and ways to discover and create new innovations.

05/20/2020
Avatar for Nadia Solis
Nadia Solis • COMPLETED LESSON

es importante ya que en cualquier tipo de ecosistemas hay diferentes mecanismos de funcionamiento que nos aportan ideas

06/13/2020
Avatar for Kaylie Childers-Schaefer
Kaylie Childers-Schaefer • COMPLETED LESSON

It helps us learn more about our planet and all the life that is around us.

06/17/2020
Avatar for Alberto Jiménez
Alberto Jiménez • COMPLETED LESSON

La importancia de los diseños en la arquitectura natural simplemente es la mejor y mucho mas eficiente , ya que ella nos muestra mejores diseños y mas resistencia en sus materiales; y esto nos lleva desde luego a más conocimiento para nuevos proyectos mas seguros y de materiales de mas calidad y no debemos olvidar que también serian mucho mas amigables al medio ambiente y mas fascinantes a nuestra percepción y sentidos

06/25/2020
Avatar for A.Kamali Vijayakumar
A.Kamali Vijayakumar • COMPLETED LESSON

Gives us a wider perspective

06/29/2020
Avatar for Lisa Maina
Lisa Maina • COMPLETED LESSON

It helps engineers and scientists to discover and create things to inspire young people to see ecosystems, nature and many many other things that have not yet been discovered. You never know! If you are inspired by all these things,even you sitting there can become one who discovers the unknown. You never ever know! It could happen and it could not happen but God has a plan for each one of us.

07/02/2020
Avatar for Bianna Andrade
Bianna Andrade • COMPLETED LESSON

To help us, first understand how nature works, and based on that find solutions to our questions.

07/13/2020
Avatar for Suyash Satrawala
Suyash Satrawala • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important as it gives us the very solution for creating many advanced technologies.

07/24/2020
Avatar for 정은 유
정은 유 • COMPLETED LESSON

I didn't know that termite nest cools it self.

09/02/2020
Avatar for H'SIA LYNN JOHNSON
H'SIA LYNN JOHNSON • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important because nature has the BEST structures. If we look at nature's structures then we can build a strong building for example. We can have a better environment

10/02/2020
Avatar for Alana Philip
Alana Philip • COMPLETED LESSON

People should see and understand the different topography, nature and other features to see the variety the nature is offering. This helps to appreciate and acknowledge the beauty of our nature

11/03/2020
Avatar for Pyae Phyo
Pyae Phyo • COMPLETED LESSON

It is very important question.In the world, business men will need to develop our country.

12/01/2020
Avatar for Pyae Phyo
Pyae Phyo • COMPLETED LESSON

It is very important question.In the world, business men will need to develop our country.

12/01/2020
Avatar for nilda canencia
nilda canencia • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important for people to see ecosystems, nature, animals, and environments that are not local to us inorder for us to be aware of there beneficial, as they provide us with essential products and benefits. Most of our food comes from terrestrial ecosystems, which also gives us materials needed.

12/12/2020
Avatar for Wunna Phyoe
Wunna Phyoe • COMPLETED LESSON

this lesson simply shows that we do not know our mother nature yet much.
There are at lot of things out there we need to learn ,and apply in our daily lives in scientific way.

12/13/2020
Avatar for Lwin Moe Oo
Lwin Moe Oo • COMPLETED LESSON

Unless people do not venture outside their immediate area

12/21/2020
Avatar for Fiona Sewell
Fiona Sewell • COMPLETED LESSON

It is important for people to see ecosystems, nature, animals, and environments that are not local to us, so we can learn from them, and just appreciate the beautiful nature we have been given.

01/06/2021
Avatar for Veda Haas
Veda Haas • COMPLETED LESSON

so we can see nature a a way we can't see with eyes

01/06/2021
Avatar for Bella Haas
Bella Haas • COMPLETED LESSON

Its important for people to nature in a different perspective. A lot of humans are pretty close minded and believe that they are bigger than they actually are. Us as humans are a lot smaller than other things in nature. If you don't discover other ecosystems, you won't know anything about nature. Some countries only have certain kinds of plants. if you don't travel and allow yourself to WANT to see more, than you won't know all the stuff out there.

01/06/2021
Avatar for Margie Figueroa
Margie Figueroa • COMPLETED LESSON

To give people a different perspective on informing them about the reasons of our existence in this world and that all things living and non-living are interconnected.

01/19/2021
Avatar for Anand Sukhlall
Anand Sukhlall • COMPLETED LESSON

Exposure to other ecosystems and nature might help create new solutions to problems local only to that region.

03/24/2021
Avatar for Elli Ramirez
Elli Ramirez • COMPLETED LESSON

Because going beyond our environment gives us a new hope and a glimpse of new world. By this we let our minds wonder and gives us ideas.

03/26/2021
Avatar for Jessica Rasmussen
Jessica Rasmussen • COMPLETED LESSON

Being able to see these elements of nature not local to us allows us to develop more diverse biomimicry. It also enables us to see ourselves and our immediate surroundings as a part of a greater system, so that as we create new technologies we will be better conservationists

04/12/2021
Avatar for Monica McLeod
Monica McLeod • COMPLETED LESSON

If we see these different ecosystems we will want to preserve them, because they may be even more diverse than ours and we will want to preserve them even more.
So that we can discover new things and new creatures and trying to protect them so they don't extinct.

05/17/2021