Ever think-up a great idea or invention only to find out that someone has already beaten you to the punch? Ever find out that that someone was Mother Nature? Many inventors have had this problem and sometimes don’t even realize that they have copied nature’s designs; designs for things such as antifreeze, global positioning systems (GPS) and even suspended animation (though the latter is still to be worked out outside the Star Wars universe). Although this seems farfetched and just another kelp-huggers attempt to show how nature is superior to technology, it has in fact happened quite a few times. To show you what I mean I have constructed a small list of examples of these different technologies that have been invented twice.

Suspended Animation
Physics teacher Robert Ettinger proposed the idea of cryonics in 1962

Not a favorite of Han Solo, but African lungfish have come to depend on suspended animation for their survival. Inhabiting lakes and rivers that disappear during the dry season, this eel-looking fish has developed a way to survive out of water for extended periods of time. As temperatures rise, water levels drop and neighboring fish begin to go belly-up, the African lungfish prepares for what could be a long “hibernation� and begins to bury itself in the mud. Along with burrowing into the mud, this species of lungfish also secretes a mucous layer around itself. Once the water from its pool vanishes the mud and its mucous shield dry and harden, sealing in the fish and what little moisture is left. During this time everything inside the shield slows down including the fish’s metabolic and respiratory rates. Because of the lungfish’s ability to use its specialized swim bladder (used by other fish to maintain their buoyancy) as a lung, the fish is able to breathe air when out of the water. Amazingly the African lungfish has perfected this state of suspended animation so well that it is reported to be able to last out of water for up to two years. Talk about a fish out of water. Learn More

Antifreeze
First prepared in 1859 by Charles Adolphe Wurtz

Commonly known as icefish, Channichyidae are a family of fish that live in Antarctic waters where temperatures can reach -1.8C, which is possible due to the local salinity levels. If any other fish were placed in this water their bodies would freeze solid. The icefish’s trick lies in its blood. These fish have an “antifreeze� glycoprotein that binds on to any ice particles that may begin to form in the fish, and prevents any additional ice crystals from attaching, effectively stopping the build-up of ice in the fish. While some small ice particles may form, this minute amount does not harm the fish. This fish-form of antifreeze turns out to be over 300 times more effective than the normal commercial antifreeze that we are use to. Another adaptation that allows icefish to live in subfreezing waters is the lack of hemoglobin. Like people, most fish species use hemoglobin to carry oxygen throughout their bodies, but unfortunately at low temperatures hemoglobin can cause blood to become viscous and sluggish, making it hard to push through the body. Instead of relying on hemoglobin, icefish rely on the high levels of oxygen in the surrounding waters diffusing into their blood plasma directly. Today scientists are finally giving this natural technology its due reward, and are planning on using this glycoprotein to help protect foods from freezer burn. Just imagine no more ruined Hot Pockets! Learn More

Closed-Circuit Television Surveillance
In 1965 U.S. police were reported to be using CCTV

Anableps anableps or the four-eyed fish are a species of freshwater fish that has developed the idea of surveillance long before Big Brother started watching over us. Feeding on insects and aquatic invertebrates, the four-eyed fish is commonly found on the surface of the water where it can get the best view of both the air and the water. This species gets its common name due to the appearance of it having two eyes on each side of its head. In reality it only has one eye per side although each eye is split into an aerial and an aquatic section, allowing it to see above the surface as well as below with both eyes at the same time. This ability allows it to spy on predators and/or prey above and below the water, making it tough to surprise this fish. Learn More

Morse Code
Created in the 1830s for Samuel Morse’s electric telegraph

Many people may consider Morse code outdated in this digital age, but it still has its place in our world. One of those places is in our oceans. There is a species of herring that is believed to use various high-pitched sounds to communicate with each other at night allowing them to locate each other in the dark. While many other ocean animals such as whales and shrimp are known to use various whistles and clicks to communicate, the herring separates itself from the crowd by creating these sounds by “farting�. This sound, which was reported to sound like “a high-pitched raspberry� by Ben Wilson of the University of British Columbia, was found to sync with a trail of bubbles that are passed through the anus of the fish. Sad to say this isn’t believed to be a true fart, as it is not derived from digestive processes, but is most likely caused by air bubbles being released from the fish’s swim bladder. To show that scientists aren’t totally devoid of humor the discoverers of this sound named the musical notes Fast Repetitive Ticks or FRT for short. Learn More
Global Positioning System
Dr. Ivan Getting got the ball rolling in 1951

GPS is a natural technology that quite a few species of marine organisms share, including various sharks, sea turtles and possibly eels. Animals possessing this ability use it to find their way during long migrations across open water lacking recognizable landmarks. While sharks and turtles have this ability, the mechanisms they may use to follow these magnetic markers vary. Sharks for instance, have electrical reception organs known as ampullae of Lorenzini located along their head. These jelly-filled canals can detect the earth’s magnetic fields emitted from the basaltic sea floors. Sharks can follow these magnetic fields like road maps, guiding them through their featureless surroundings in the open ocean. On the other hand, sea turtles are believed to have particles of a magnetized mineral, magnetite, in their head which are sensitive to the same magnetic fields that the sharks follow. Although the sea turtle theory hasn’t been proven as of yet, it is a popular idea among scientists. As scientists continue to try and understand exactly how turtles go about using their natural GPS, they have found that this ability not only exists in the ocean but in birds and naked mole rats as well. Learn More (turtle) Learn More (shark)

So the next time you are racking your brain trying to think of the next great invention to make millions off of, take your time and stop to smell the sea pansies; who knows what natural technology you might discover.

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