According to one story, a scientist visiting the San Diego zoo phoned his lawyer and said, "I'm standing here at the tiger cage and let me tell you, I need you to file suit for me immediately. This animal has stolen the patent on the my new proprietary shock absorption system."
Much of the best of the invention of the coming period will in fact mimic nature and natural systems, which have been honed to perfection over millions of years. PhysOrg.com, for example, reports that Moth eyes may hold key to more efficient solar cells. Peng Jiang, an assistant professor at the University of Florida, noticed that the eyes of moths have a subtle structure that reflect extremely little light, about 1 to 2 %. Compare this to silicon, which is highly reflective, a factor that greatly decreases the efficiency of silicon cells. Further, the non-reflective coatings that are currently painted on solar cells are both difficult to manufacture and expensive, yet still reflect a whopping 35 to 40% of the sun's rays.
Jiang's solution capitalizes on evolutionary influences that have helped make moths less visible to nocturnal predators. He's created a substance with a similar nano-structure to moth eyes that is both simple to manufacture and inexpensive to produce. In fact, the substance effectively grows itself. Read the article here for more details on the process.
According to the report, launching a startup company to put the cells into production is the next step. Let's hope the moths don't sue.
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