CHAPTER 1 ON THE LAND Before Before modern transportation existed people lived most of their lives in one small area Today many people travel all over the world But moving from one place to another can be difficult Scientists are always looking for faster and safer methods of travel In Japan bullet trains carry travelers as fast as 199 miles per hour 320 km h 5
Some of the best ideas for technology come from nature Scientists have been inspired by nature for hundreds of years They study nature to find ways to solve human problems Then they mimic nature's methods This process is known as biomimicry An example of biomimicry is the redesigned bullet train in Japan Earlier bullet trains had flat noses that pushed a wall of air ahead of them This created booming noises as the train entered tunnels The noises were so loud that they damaged tunnels Engineers found a solution to the problem by watching kingfisher birds 6
The kingfisher uses its splash less dive to sneak up on fish The kingfisher dives into water without making a splash The bird's long narrow beak makes this possible A rounded beak would push water forward But the kingfisher's beak is pointed As the bird dives water flows smoothly past its beak 7
