JANINE BENYUS-BIOMIMICRY: Innovation Inspired by Nature-Looking back 28 years after she coined the term
Thu Feb 05 2026
In her 1997 book, BIOMIMICRY: Innovation Inspired by Nature, JANINE BENYUS - biologist, author, and innovation consultant - coined a term and invented a field. After 3.8 billion years of R&D on this planet, failures are fossils. What surrounds us in the natural world has succeeded and survived. Animals, plants, and microbes have found what works, what’s appropriate, and what lasts here on Earth. So why not learn as much as we can from them? Janine and I recorded our first conversation in 1999. In this one we look back together at the birth of biomimicry and its growth and impact over the years.
Benyus-12-08-25-Transcript
More
In her 1997 book, BIOMIMICRY: Innovation Inspired by Nature, JANINE BENYUS - biologist, author, and innovation consultant - coined a term and invented a field. After 3.8 billion years of R&D on this planet, failures are fossils. What surrounds us in the natural world has succeeded and survived. Animals, plants, and microbes have found what works, what’s appropriate, and what lasts here on Earth. So why not learn as much as we can from them? Janine and I recorded our first conversation in 1999. In this one we look back together at the birth of biomimicry and its growth and impact over the years. Benyus-12-08-25-Transcript