Learning from Nature: The Biomimicry Podcast with Lily Urmann
We share Earth with millions of other species, many of whom have been around much longer than us. Biomimicry is the promising practice of learning from nature’s forms, processes, and systems to create life-friendly designs that benefit both people and the planet. Lily Urmann – a biomimic, educator, and nature communicator – will explore this exciting field and showcase how biomimicry is applied and practiced around the world; from architecture and engineering to material science, manufacturing, business, design and everything in-between. Join Lily as she dives into the brilliant and beautiful world of how nature works and interviews biomimics across cutting-edge disciplines. Together, let’s discover what we can learn from nature!
Episodes
26 episodes
Behind the Scenes Biomimicry: Inside the Launchpad Program
The Biomimicry Institute's Launchpad program supports scientists and designers who are addressing some of our biggest challenges with nature-inspired ideas. Every year, a cohort of innovators from around the world comes together to learn from e...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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33:02
Behind the Scenes Biomimicry: Mycocycle is Transforming Waste with Fungi
Humans view waste as a burden, but nature utilizes waste as a valuable resource in a cycle of continual renewal. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates 600 million tons of construction and demolition debris is generated every year -- ...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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43:49
Behind the Scenes Biomimicry: ECOncrete is Creating Sustainable Marine Ecosystems
Our coastlines are crucial buffer zones for climate chaos. Yet the current building strategies for concrete coastal marine construction can lead to low biodiversity, which impacts ecosystem health and water quality. ECOncrete's technology invol...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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49:33
Behind the Scenes Biomimicry: GreenPod Labs is Reducing Food Waste
Globally, more than 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year -- and in India, 40% of produce goes to waste before it even reaches grocery store shelves. By learning from plant protection mechanisms, Deepak Rajmohan of GreenPod Labs has d...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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34:57
Behind the Scenes Biomimicry: Amphico is Revolutionizing the Textile Market
The ideal adventure apparel is both waterproof and breathable. Yet the tragic irony for outdoor enthusiasts is how toxic and wasteful the current clothing and gear options there are on the market. That's where Amphico comes in: a UK-based biomi...
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51:58
How Does Nature Cooperate? All About Lichens with Dr. Troy McMullin
It's on every continent, and in every terrestrial ecosystem. It's beneath our feet on most hikes and it's often overlooked: lichens! In this episode, Dr. Troy McMullin, the chief lichenologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, gives an insightf...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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51:00
Knowledge Symbiosis with Roxanne Swentzell and Anne LaForti
In the fourth episode of our limited series Knowledge Symbiosis: Can Biomimicry and Indigenous Science Harmonize?, Roxanne Swentzell and Anne LaForti engage in a conversation hosted by Sara El-Sayed, converging Indigenous ideologies an...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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1:01:55
Knowledge Symbiosis with PennElys Droz and Maibritt Pederson
In the third episode of our limited series Knowledge Symbiosis: Can Biomimicry and Indigenous Science Harmonize?, PennElys Droz and Maibritt Pederson Zari engage in conversation hosted by Lily Urmann, exploring cosmologies, parad...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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1:05:37
Knowledge Symbiosis with Dayna Baumeister and Melissa K Nelson Part 2
In this second episode of the limited series Knowledge Symbiosis: Can Biomimicry and Indigenous Science Harmonize?, Dayna Baumeister and Melissa K Nelson continue their conversation, hosted by Sara El-Sayed, exploring the common ground...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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1:00:07
Knowledge Symbiosis with Dayna Baumeister and Melissa K Nelson Part 1
In this inaugural episode of the limited series Knowledge Symbiosis: Can Biomimicry and Indigenous Science Harmonize?, Dayna Baumeister joins Melissa K. Nelson and Sara El-Sayed in a conversation exploring the common ground and mapping...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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56:45
Multi-functionality of Mucus and the Microbiome with Erin Miller
A fun fact for your next party conversation: humans have over 30 trillion cells in our bodies, and 70-90% of those cells are bacterial and fungal! Look no further than exploring the microbiomes of biology when you need your next existential cri...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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49:48
Green Chemistry: The Beauty of Nature's Processes with Dr. John Warner
Many of us are either afraid of or avoid chemistry simply because of the way we were taught the topic in school. Yet chemistry is all around us: in the leaves of your backyard tree and the snail inching along the sidewalk. It's also a crucial c...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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55:22
Mushroom Magic: How Does Nature Modify Light/Color? With Ximena Curiel
If you've ever sat on the forest floor marveling at a beautiful red or purple mushroom, this episode is for you! My guest and fellow biomimic Ximena Curiel will dive deep into what mushrooms are, why they are different colors, what the purposes...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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52:54
How Does Nature Modify Light and Color? With Raphael Kay
Our buildings use A LOT of energy to heat and cool, and because of this they contribute drastically to global carbon emissions. But what if we borrowed design inspiration from the amazing ability of squids to shift colors and control light in o...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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56:35
How Does Nature Communicate? African Wild Dog Democracy with Ebenezar Wikina
Our world is full of intricate, complex, and elegant strategies. In this episode we explore one such strategy that might surprise you: the decision-making sneezes of African wild dogs. Explore this unique topic with Ebenezar Wikina, founder of ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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31:39
How Does Nature Optimize Space and Manage Compression? With Dr. Clint Penick
Honeycomb and the hexagon shape is very popular in the biomimicry design space, but what makes it efficient and resilient? In this episode, Dr. Clint Penick dives deep into the function of optimizing space and managing compression, as it relate...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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51:14
What is Function? With Dr. Dayna Baumeister
In biomimicry, function is the bridge between nature and design. We ultimately want to ask "How does Nature ___?" in order to match our challenge and context with nature's genius range of strategies for the same challenge. In this new series, w...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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46:48
1 Billion Biomimics and Biomimicry in Architecture with Jamie Miller
A relatively small, yet committed group of individuals CAN radically shift a system. But how do we get there? And what does that future look like? In this episode, join Jamie Miller, Director of Biomimicry at B+H Architects and President of Bio...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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42:12
Life's Principles and a Regenerative Food System with Dr. Sara El Sayed
How is biomimicry related to what we eat, or the ways that we connect to a place? Listen in to learn from Sara El Sayed, Co-Director of The Biomimicry Center and Assistant Research Professor at the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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42:41
Natural History and Our Love for the World with Tom Fleischner
Natural History is ultimately the practice of falling in love with the world, and is a powerful gateway to biomimicry. We are all born with an innate curiosity for nature, and practices like these can re-ignite that inquiry, inspiration, and lo...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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48:13
Life-Centered Design with Giselle Carr
We are at a crossroads. One direction takes us down the path of extraction, destruction, and greed. The other leads us to regeneration, resilience, and love. Giselle Carr is building a future on the later with her life-centered company Stardust...
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36:03
Biophilia and Creating a Life-Friendly Future with Timothy McGee
The average American spends over 80% of their time inside. How do we begin to reconnect with Nature on a deeper level and create a future where Nature is centered in our built environment and technology? Biophilia is the human tendency to inter...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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45:47
Superorganisms and Adapting to Change with Dr. Tamsin Woolley-Barker
All of the organisms that we share our planet have to adapt to change in order to survive. Superorganisms -- termites, honeybees, fungi to name a few -- are a great example of resiliency and success in the natural world. Dr. Tamsin is an evolut...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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34:30
All About AskNature with Andrew Howley
AskNature.org is an incredible platform developed by the Biomimicry Institute that showcases a collection of biological strategies and a growing number of innovations inspired by them. Join Andrew Howley, the chief editor of AskNature, as he ex...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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35:05
Biomimicry Education with Dr. Laura Lee Stevens
Have you ever wondered how you can begin your biomimicry journey? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Laura Lee Stevens and we chat about her own biomimicry education journey, why introducing students to this practice is so important, and what...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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39:15