Birds, bacteria, (water) bears, oh my....

Nature is a treasure trove of inspiration for designing materials, with organisms possessing a wide expanse of dazzling properties, appearances, and functionalities. Most of the talks in today's SB08 session each revolved around studying a different natural organism. Here are some from today and other fascinating organisms in general to stoke your imagination / derive your own inspiration:

• Birds (of all brilliant colors, especially for studying structural color)
• Octopi (for mechanical properties, shape-changing, color-changing, the list goes on)
• Algae
• Newts (tissue regeneration)
• Leaves (surfaces)
• Sharks (skin, anti-fouling)
• Whales (fins)
• Tardigrades (aka "water bears" and imaged below - just read about them, you won't be disappointed)