Xploration: Nature Knows Best (Season 1)
It's no secret that birds were the inspiration for the first airplanes but, in this episode, Danni Washington takes a look at how exactly that connection succeeded.
Episode 40 hr 22 min
Under the Sea Inspiration
The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planets surface and humankind has only explored about 5 percent of it. But the diverse wildlife from the areas we have investigated serves as a major source of inspiration for modern technology.
Bio-Based Building
In this episode, join host, Danni Washington, as she tours the "living building" known as the Bullit Center. This six-story structure mimics a tree; creating its own energy, collecting its own water, and even recycling its own waste.
The Science of Safety
Danni Washington explores how fish are helping us to build better armor and how woodpeckers are assisting us to address a top safety concern in the form of concussions.
Under the Sea Inspiration
The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planets surface and humankind has only explored about 5 percent of it. But the diverse wildlife from the areas we have investigated serves as a major source of inspiration for modern technology.
How to Save Power
Electricity is a basic part of life. Beside fossil fuels, nature has plenty of natural sources of power. One in particular overshadows all of the others…the sun!
Nature's Sticky Inventions
Nature can be very... sticky! There are pesky plant birds that became an inspiration for Velcro, a fish with his own suction cup, and the gecko which has inspired tech in many ways.
The Wonders of the Whirlybird
Helicopters took at lot of their early inspiration from one of nature's most efficient fliers in the dragonfly family and host Danni Washington's going to take one for a spin to see exactly how!
Mastering the Mimicry
Join Danni Washington as we visit all the new places where this science is taking hold, from schools, to zoos, to national conventions like the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington D.C.!
Swimming With Sharks
To many people, the thought of sharks can be scary but they're actually a huge help to our oceans... and have inspired some awesome tech!
Studying the Swarms
Danni Washington takes a look at how today's scientist are studying swarm behavior to make better robots that will help in our factories, to collect things on other planets, or to make better autonomous cars!
Muscle of Mimicry
In this episode, Danni Washington will look into how we're looking toward nature to make our things stronger... like glass, metals, and even ourselves.
Designing Drones
Drones are all the rage right now... and, thanks to nature, they're doing things that we never imagined! Join Danni Washington as she explores aerial drones that can perch on walls, dive in and out of water, and communicate in swarms.
Automated Animals
Join Danni Washington as she checks out tiny robots based on manta rays that are helping to fight heart problems and robots that are learning to run as fast as our speediest animals.
Credits
CastDanni Washington
NarratorDanni Washington
WritingSteven Bronstein, Matt Noce
ProductionMatt Noce, Steve Rotfeld