Birds conquered the air long before the Wright Brothers, the burrs on plants are uncannily similar to velcro fastenings, rattlesnakes have an alarm system, bats and dolphins have their own form of sonar... Nature is full of amazing designs and ‘mechanisms' that appear to have inspired the engineering and technology we use today. Nature Got There First by Dr. Phil Gates shows you how and why.
Dr Phil Gates lectures on biology at the University of Durham, UK, and regularly writes for BBC Wildlife. His other books for children on natural history include The Aliens Are Coming, The Amazing World of Plants and 365 Days of Nature and Discovery.