Tom McKeag
Zygote Quarterly
Tom McKeag is the co-founder and editor of Zygote Quarterly, a digital magazine devoted to the nexus of science and design where they meet in the field of bio-inspired design. He is an adjunct professor in the Industrial Design Department of the California College of the Arts where he teaches the studio course "BioWerks." He also was a 2013-2014 Fulbright Scholar at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India.
What ants, termites and bees can teach us about traffic control
Bees, fish and birds can move in concert. So can cars, if we let nature guide our technology. Read More
How one engineer's birdwatching made Japan's bullet train better
A high-speed rail operator needed its trains to be faster and quieter. Its manager turned to owls and kingfishers for inspiration. Read More
The Year in Biomimicry: How Beetles, Mantis Shrimp & More Inspired Innovation
It's time for the third annual Tommies, Tom McKeag's pick of the top 10 bio-inspired innovations of 2011 -- and a look at the lessons that Namib desert beetles, crickets, Mantis Shrimp and more can teach us about sustainability. Read More
What Qualcomm's Butterfly-Inspired Display Could Do for Your Paint
An innovative display screen based on the way a Morpho butterfly's wings get their color may or may not change the mobile-device market -- but the underlying principles could change how we color our lives. Read More
Four Greenhouses that Point to the Future of Urban Building
The world has come a long way from some of the hippie dreams of the 1970s, although the far-out ideas for creating sustainable spaces to live and work in are rapidly becoming reality. Read More
The Year in Biomimicry: Mussels, Elephants, Water Bears & More…
From helmets that protect better to self-sharpening tools to bottles that collect water from the air, read on for some of the biggest innovations inspired by nature in 2010. Read More
Bringing Biomimicry To Cement, Offices and Daily Life
The Biomimicry Institute’s Educators’ Summit came to San Francisco last week, and it was a good chance to hear some important contributors to bio-inspired design and educators who are striving to teach this relatively new subject. Read More
What a Thorny Devil and Camel Nose Can Teach Us About Water
The issue of water and how best to use it touches every aspect of our lives. As varied as the challenges are, many of them have already been faced by other organisms, and many of their solutions - provided by crabs, beetles, plants and blood plasma - are worth studying. Read More
Lotus Leaf Demonstrates Business Case for Bio-Inspired Products
Self-cleaning paint inspired by the Lotus Effect is one of the standout stories of bio-inspired design. Read on for a look at how it came to be, and what it takes for a product inspired by nature to be successful. Read More
How Our Bones Inspire Architecture, Chairs and Cars
Material is expensive and so is the energy used to make it. You should put the material where it is needed and take it away from where it is doing no good. Living bone is actually doing this all the time, and some designers have mimicked this process. Read More