For centuries, homo sapiens has learned tricks of design from other species, including both non-human animals and plants. In applied sciences such as engineering and aerodynamics, “biomimicry” exploits designs that arise from natural selection. The inventor of Velcro hook-and-loop fasteners, used in everyday clothes as well as high-tech products, copied the hooks by which cockleburs snag the fur of passing animals; the shape of the Mercedes Benz bionic car mimics the boxfish to maximize aerodynamic efficiency; and Speedo’s Fastskin body-hugging swimsuit, recently adopted by most Olympic swimmers, mimics the micro-features of sharkskin to minimize drag (Bushan...