We are delighted to be invited to be part of the first symposium on Paleo-bioinspiration (#PALBINS) organized in #Paris by The French Natural History Museum (MNHN) in collaboration with the French National Research Centre (CNRS).
CETAF acting chair Michelle Price was invited to give a speech. Here’s the full program: https://palaeo-bioinsp.sciencesconf.org
But what is #PALBINS? Bioinspiration is an approach to innovation that converts ideas and principles found in nature into novel products, processes and systems, ideally contributing to sustainable development. Given that current species represent only 0.1% of all life that has ever existed on Earth, a bio-inspired approach based on the observation of paleobiological systems increases the potential of bio-inspiration considerably. The fossil record offers not only a great diversity of biological models, but also provides context for understanding form-function relationships, and the origins of key traits observed in living systems.
Here’s Michelle Price‘s considerations:
“Bioinspiration from preserved organisms is a really exciting, emerging topic that links collections to discovery and innovation, based on the rich information that specimens hold on form and function, composition, structural mechanics, optics and aerodynamics. Findings based on the in-depth study of preserved organisms can inspire innovations and novel design ideas, often providing elegant and sustainable solutions to problems or challenges that we face under changing climatic conditions, in link with the use of the Earth’s resources or our ever-growing population. The conference provided an amazing opportunity for people to meet and discuss paleo-bioinspiration, to form a cohesive community and develop rich collaborations.”
