The World is Poorly Designed. But Copying Nature Helps.

Japan’s Shinkansen doesn’t look like your typical train. With its long and pointed nose, it can reach top speeds up to 150–200 miles per hour.

It didn’t always look like this. Earlier models were rounder and louder, often suffering from the phenomenon of "tunnel boom," where deafening compressed air would rush out of a tunnel after a train rushed in. But a moment of inspiration from engineer and birdwatcher Eiji Nakatsu led the system to be redesigned based on the aerodynamics of three species of birds.

Nakatsu’s case is a fascinating example of biomimicry, the design movement pioneered by biologist and writer Janine Benyus. She's a co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit encouraging creators to discover how big challenges in design, engineering, and sustainability have often already been solved through 3.8 billion years of evolution on earth. We just have to go out and find them.

What’s So Great about the Great Lakes? - Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys

The North American Great Lakes — Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior — are so big that they border 8 states and contain 23 quadrillion liters of water. They span forest, grassland, and wetland habitats, supporting a region that’s home to 3,500 species. But how did such a vast and unique geological feature come to be? Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys takes us all the way back to the Ice Age to find out.

Lesson by Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys, animation by TED-Ed.

Health Benefits From Walking In Nature

Walking in nature makes us happier and healthier. Spending time around trees and looking at trees reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and improves mood.

How to Relax - 8 Relaxation Tips for Your Mental Health

Exploring relaxation can help you look after your wellbeing when you’re feeling stressed or busy. Have a look at these tips and ideas to see how relaxation can fit into your daily life. Don’t worry if some ideas don’t work for you – just enjoy the ones that do.

Get Outside: How Nature Benefits Our Well-Being

UW Health Senior Psychologist Dr. Shilagh Mirgain reminds you why its important to get outside.

The Amazing Ways Plants Defend Themselves - Valentin Hammoudi

Plants are constantly under attack. They face threats ranging from microscopic fungi to small herbivores like caterpillars, up to large herbivores like elephants. But plants are ready, with a whole series of internal and external defenses that make them a less appealing meal — or even a deadly one. Valentin Hammoudi explains some of the fascinating ways that plants defend themselves.

Lesson by Valentin Hammoudi, directed by Juan M. Urbina Studios.

Nature Walks Good For Mental Health, Stress A Study Finds

Examining Group Walks in Nature and Multiple Aspects of Well-Being: A Large-Scale Study

Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?

Among living things, the color blue is oddly rare. Blue rocks, blue sky, blue water, sure. But blue animals? They are few and far between. And the ones that do make blue? They make it in some very strange and special ways compared to other colors. In this video, we'll look at some very cool butterflies to help us learn how living things make blue, and why this beautiful hue is so rare in nature.

Healthy Trees...Healthy People

The relationship between trees and human health.

Prescribing Nature for Health | Nooshin Razani | TEDxNashville

Dr. Nooshin Razani talks about the healing power of nature as well as why it is her mission to prescribe time in nature as a way to treat health conditions. Watch Dr. Nooshin Razani's talk to learn how and why nature can be an essential part of healthy living.