0:00:02 > 0:00:05Humans are always trying to be better, brighter, faster, stronger, tougher.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07It's one of the things that makes us human.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11But nature has spent 3.5 billion years
0:00:11 > 0:00:15producing ingenious answers to life's questions.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18So a lot of the problems we're trying to solve
0:00:18 > 0:00:21have already been solved by evolution.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28'Meaning nature is teeming with bright ideas.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32'Like how to keep our cool...'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35It's cos it's hot.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'..increase our strength...'
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Ohh! This is not at all pleasant.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'..and turn invisible.'
0:00:44 > 0:00:46That is astonishing.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50'In this programme, we'll reveal some amazing animal abilities...'
0:00:50 > 0:00:53He found it blindfold.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55'And I'll discover how those same animals
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'have inspired a series of human inventions
0:00:58 > 0:01:01'at the very frontiers of science.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:04Yeah, it's driving itself.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Yes!
0:01:06 > 0:01:07- HE LAUGHS - It's gone!
0:01:07 > 0:01:09'We'll have to go around the world...'
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Oh, my God!
0:01:10 > 0:01:13'..and into some pretty unlikely situations.'
0:01:13 > 0:01:15We've just dived under the sea!
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'Because you never quite know
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'what surprises the animal kingdom has in store for you.'
0:01:21 > 0:01:23- DOGS BARK - Go!
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'It's all part of the miracle of nature.'
0:01:54 > 0:01:57We've all dreamed of having super-powers.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04Abilities far beyond the limitations of our human bodies.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10'Well, believe it or not, the animal kingdom can help.'
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'In searing conditions like these,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23'there comes a point when the human body can actually stop sweating.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27'Which is a worry.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30'Because if you can't sweat,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34'you lose the ability to regulate your own temperature.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39'And going more than just a few degrees above normal
0:02:39 > 0:02:41'will start to affect your brain.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56'The hotter you get, the worse your thinking becomes.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01'Until you lose the power
0:03:01 > 0:03:03'to do even the simplest of things.'
0:03:03 > 0:03:07As I shall now demonstrate using this child's toy.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Obviously, for this to be rigorously scientific,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13I should first have demonstrated to you
0:03:13 > 0:03:16how good I am in my front room at room temperature.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I'm brilliant at it, that's all you need to know.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23I'll now try it on a blazing hot salt pan.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24Right, here we go.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- TOY:- Bop it!
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Spin it!
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Spin it!
0:03:30 > 0:03:31Bop it!
0:03:31 > 0:03:32Spin it!
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Twist it!
0:03:37 > 0:03:41'The idea is that I just copy what the toy tells me to do.'
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Twist it!
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Twist it!
0:03:45 > 0:03:47'But I seem incapable
0:03:47 > 0:03:50'of following more than three or four instructions.'
0:03:50 > 0:03:51Spin it!
0:03:51 > 0:03:54'Which even by my standards is bad.'
0:03:55 > 0:03:58What actually is happening is as your brain gets hot,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00it lets you down in three critical areas.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02First of all...
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I've forgotten!
0:04:06 > 0:04:09What actually happens, as your brain gets hot,
0:04:09 > 0:04:10it lets you down in three critical areas.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12First of all, working memory.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15That's in this case, remembering which of these things does what.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Then your short-term memory,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19remembering what the machine's told you to do.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20And finally, co-ordination.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23You might remember what it's told you to do and which one does it,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25but you've got to get your hand there and use it.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Which is why, ridiculous though it might look, for our purposes,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33this was actually quite a good test of those three things at speed.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34Do some more.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Twist it!
0:04:36 > 0:04:38No!
0:04:39 > 0:04:40Stupid toy, anyway.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Pull it!
0:04:42 > 0:04:43No!
0:04:46 > 0:04:51'Now, all right, I realise it might not be incredibly useful
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'for me to be able to master a children's toy
0:04:54 > 0:04:56'in the middle of nowhere.'
0:04:59 > 0:05:02But there are plenty of real-life situations
0:05:02 > 0:05:05where keeping your brain working when it's hot
0:05:05 > 0:05:08isn't just desirable, it's critical.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17This soldier is being trained in bomb disposal.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22And here at a secret location in Gloucestershire,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27he's about to try and disarm his first unexploded device.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32What's certain is that he can't afford
0:05:32 > 0:05:36to make the same sort of stupid mistakes that I did.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Covered from head to toe in thick protective armour,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50he's getting very, very hot.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57So when it comes down to making the most life-or-death of decisions,
0:05:57 > 0:06:02how can he ensure that he has all his wits about him?
0:06:05 > 0:06:09And that is where the natural world can help.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15But it's not an animal that lives in these arid deserts
0:06:15 > 0:06:16that holds the key.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It's one from the frozen north.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29An animal that can survive
0:06:29 > 0:06:32some of the coldest temperatures on the planet.
0:06:48 > 0:06:54Huskies have evolved to live in unimaginably cold conditions.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58And not just to work and play, also to sleep on the ice
0:06:58 > 0:07:02at minus whatever, and they do that, cos, yeah, they have a fur coat,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04but it's not just a single fur coat, they're wearing two.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08There's the outer layer of coarse, waterproof hairs,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10and on the inside, underneath,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13there's a second layer of this soft, insulating fur.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16And it works really, really well.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19The problem is, what about when they exert themselves?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21DOGS BARK
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Huskies are bred to be sled dogs.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30They're capable of covering 100 miles in a single day.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36'So how do they cope with getting hot?'
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Right, if everybody's ready, 15 seconds to start.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45In 10...
0:07:45 > 0:07:46nine...
0:07:46 > 0:07:48eight...seven...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50six...five...
0:07:50 > 0:07:51four...
0:07:51 > 0:07:52three...
0:07:52 > 0:07:53two...one...
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Go!
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Ha ha!
0:07:59 > 0:08:02You might think that heat isn't really a problem
0:08:02 > 0:08:04in Arctic conditions.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08So to make their super-power a bit more obvious,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12we've decided to race them somewhere just that little bit hotter.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Without the cold snow,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23the huskies' temperature control is even more important.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Especially as they're incapable of sweating through those thick coats.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42I mean, we all know how even leaving a dog in a hot car
0:08:42 > 0:08:44can put it at risk.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48So how are they managing to avoid overheating?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Well, like all dogs, they open their mouths and pant.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58DOGS PANT
0:08:59 > 0:09:03But that's not enough to manage the temperature inside them.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The core temperature that can critically affect their brains.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14To cope with that, they're using something else entirely.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20They're using their paws.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24And there you go.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26That's a win for the blue team,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and that's how important managing that body temperature is.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33So let me try and get a closer look at those paws.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34If I can.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38There's a lot of paws.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39And nearly as many teeth.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42So I've got this device, a thermal imaging camera.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Which should allow me to show you what I mean
0:09:45 > 0:09:47without losing any fingers.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52You can see that this dog is a fairly even temperature,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55but its paws are glowing white-hot.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00They're criss-crossed by a network of tiny blood vessels,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04which means these pads basically work like amazing little radiators,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06letting out heat and cooling the blood
0:10:06 > 0:10:11before it's pumped back to the husky's body and brain.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15And it's that miracle of natural design that's led to an invention
0:10:15 > 0:10:18that might just help us keep our cool.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28To prove it, we're going to put these ten men
0:10:28 > 0:10:31to the same sort of test as the huskies.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Like the dogs, their bodies and heads are covered,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41making it difficult for them to sweat out excess heat.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45And we're making it just that little bit warmer than they're used to.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50So, let's get cracking.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05As they get stuck in, we keep cranking up the heat.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Until, like me on the saltpan,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12we see them start to make silly mistakes.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28It's at that point we remove two men we reckon have overheated the most.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Their core temperatures are not dangerously high,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36but the heat has affected them both physically and mentally.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45But we can help.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50With this.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59This odd-looking cylinder is designed to cool us down quick.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Like a husky's paws,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06our hands are filled with lots of tiny blood vessels,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10but they're much deeper under the skin.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15This device creates a vacuum to bring them closer to the surface,
0:12:15 > 0:12:20where a chilled cone of metal quickly cools down the hot blood.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27You won't see it on the thermal images -
0:12:27 > 0:12:29they only register heat at the surface -
0:12:29 > 0:12:33but these gauges represent each man's core temperature.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36And the effects are dramatic.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42You can plainly see the difference.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51More to the point, they can feel it.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Just two minutes of cooling is enough to get our guinea pig
0:12:54 > 0:12:59ready for action again, long before his team-mate has recovered.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03It's time I tried this thing for myself.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04So here goes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08That's a good seal to enable the vacuum.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10The vacuum is important, remember,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13it's pulling my capillaries in my hand to the surface.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18They're then closer to contact with the cooling iced water,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20and the idea of this isn't to cool my hand,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22which does feel cool right now,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25it's cooling the blood in those capillaries closer to the surface,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27which is returning through my body, lowering my core,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and more to the point, lowering the temperature in my brain.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33The quickest way to cool this right now is to cool that.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Right, the acid test.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39I feel sharper and cooler already.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- TOY:- Flick it!
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Pull it!
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Pull it!
0:13:48 > 0:13:49Flick it!
0:13:49 > 0:13:50Twist it!
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Pull it!
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Which should be very good news indeed...
0:14:00 > 0:14:02..for bomb disposal men like Trainee Schroff.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13At this very moment,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17there are at least a million species of animal alive on Earth.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26But those are just the ones we've discovered.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Scientists believe there might actually be
0:14:31 > 0:14:33eight or nine times that many.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Eight million different types of animal for us to learn from.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Yet copying these creatures isn't always easy.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I certainly don't want to give the impression
0:14:49 > 0:14:52that imitating nature is always a simple process.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56It isn't - sometime it takes years of painstaking trial and error.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01And there's one thing in here that despite decades of trying,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03scientists have struggled to copy.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It's something thinner than a human hair.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19And so light that a strand long enough to circle the globe
0:15:19 > 0:15:21would weigh less than a kilogram.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29But unbelievably, it's still 30 times tougher than steel.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34It's spider silk.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43This amazing substance allows the spider
0:15:43 > 0:15:47to build a home and a trap almost anywhere.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55These tiny strands are strong enough
0:15:55 > 0:15:58to support the weight of the spider that made them,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and catch a fly in full flight.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11They're created using these small nozzles called spinnerets.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14And as the name suggests, they spin the silk fibres
0:16:14 > 0:16:16to help increase their strength.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Just like we do with string.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And it means the spider's unfortunate victim
0:16:29 > 0:16:31has no chance of escape.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37It is a remarkable material.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41One we've been trying to copy for the best part of 50 years.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46But the secret to spinning spider silk ourselves is still elusive.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50In fact, for scientists who copy nature,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53it's become something of a holy grail.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58So it's no surprise that they've started to look for alternatives
0:16:58 > 0:17:00to that grail elsewhere.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07What is surprising is where they're looking.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Eddie, I'd be no good at this, I can't see it.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Well, it's around here somewhere.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Hey, no-one said finding the Holy Grail would be easy.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44'Luckily, I've got marine biologist Eddie Kisfaludy along to help.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46'Once we can get past the language barrier.'
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- You call them "boo-ees." - They are boo-ees.- It's a buoy.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- It's buoys?- Yeah. - No, "boys" is like a little kid.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53No, it's not a boo-ee.
0:17:53 > 0:17:54This is a boo-ee.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57These are several boo-ees, in fact.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00- Ah, there it is. Good work.- You see?
0:18:00 > 0:18:01I got it!
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Ah-ha! I got it, I got it, I got it!
0:18:08 > 0:18:10- Do I just haul this in? - Yeah, go ahead.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18'Now, if you are remotely squeamish, you might want to look away.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21'Because what's at the bottom of this rope
0:18:21 > 0:18:24'isn't immediately appealing.'
0:18:34 > 0:18:35So these are them!
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Not pretty, are they?
0:18:38 > 0:18:41No, they're disgustingly ugly, to be quite honest.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43These are hagfish.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Not really fish, they're more like eels.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Yeah. - They don't have any scales or fins.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54They don't have any eyes to speak of,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56so they have to make a living
0:18:56 > 0:18:58by feeling and smelling their way around on the deep sea.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03It's almost like a snake that crawls around on the sea floor.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06'I don't know, it's probably just the rocking,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09'but I am suddenly feeling just a little bit queasy.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12'Mainly because I know what's going to happen
0:19:12 > 0:19:14'when we get them back to shore.'
0:19:17 > 0:19:19So have we got enough in here?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Well, looks like we only have about a dozen,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and I think we're going to want to get about 150 or so
0:19:24 > 0:19:26to really demonstrate what we're trying to do.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Eddie seems insistent, so we get to work.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46He's put out a lot of traps.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50'And unfortunately, it seems that most of them are full.'
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'Finally, with our slippery cargo slopping about the boat,
0:19:57 > 0:19:58'we head back to shore.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01'And the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07'Where I arrive the next morning
0:20:07 > 0:20:11'to reveal how the hagfish might challenge the silk-spinning spider.'
0:20:18 > 0:20:19Now, the thing is,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23it's actually quite easy to persuade a spider to make silk for you.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25I've done it, in fact.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But you would not believe the bother we're going to have to go to
0:20:28 > 0:20:31to get hagfish to do something similar.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34First of all, we have to fill that purpose-built tank
0:20:34 > 0:20:36with 400 gallons of water.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41Then we add to it the 150 hagfish that Eddie and I caught.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Then we need something with them to stir them,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48something in the tank to stir them up and provoke a stir. It's...
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It's me.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52I am the stirrer.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53In there...
0:20:53 > 0:20:55with the hagfish.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I just...is this really necessary?
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Unfortunately, Eddie assures me that it is.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06And he's wasting no time in getting our experiment ready.
0:21:10 > 0:21:16This might look like a very big tank for 150 small fish.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21But apparently, what they're going to do requires quite a bit of room.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30'Eddie's idea is that I play the part of a big, aggressive predator.'
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And the hagfish are my frightened prey.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39'Well, maybe they have a vivid imagination.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45'The only thing in that tank likely to be frightened is me.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'Especially when I see how Eddie intends getting me in there.'
0:22:12 > 0:22:16You know how people have those bucket lists
0:22:16 > 0:22:18of things you should do before you die?
0:22:18 > 0:22:20This was never on mine.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Eurgh!
0:22:26 > 0:22:29'Now, if you thought the hagfish's looks were bad,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32'just wait till you see what their party trick is.'
0:22:32 > 0:22:33Ooh!
0:22:34 > 0:22:38'Because hagfish have the power to slime.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40'Big time.'
0:22:40 > 0:22:41That's disgusting!
0:22:41 > 0:22:43I'm not hurting any of these fish.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I am just alarming them.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Ohh!
0:22:49 > 0:22:51This is their natural, in-built response.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56You see, he thinks I'm a predator after him,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01so rather than bite or swim away, he just sends out a ton of slime.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08'The point of it is that that slime would instantly clog up
0:23:08 > 0:23:10'the mouth of any fish coming in for a nibble.'
0:23:11 > 0:23:13It's quite a benign way of seeing off a predator, really.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15I mean, they don't bite.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Well, I don't think they bite.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I've just persuaded one of these guys to come and say hello,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22and actually...
0:23:22 > 0:23:24If you look, you can see...
0:23:24 > 0:23:27along the side, these tiny, white holes,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29they look a bit like mouth ulcers, actually.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33And that's where it makes the slime to protect itself.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'And you can see now why we needed such a big tank.'
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Apparently, just one of these fish can make enough slime
0:23:42 > 0:23:45to fill a bucket of water in seconds.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48So they produce a lot of this stuff.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Just to make sure they don't get eaten by something else.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54I mean, it would put me off, to be fair.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55I'm not hungry.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59This is a lot of slime in here, now.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Ohh!
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Now, this might look pretty disgusting,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07and to be fair, in fact, it is,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09but there's a good reason why we're doing this,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11not just to have a laugh at my expense,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13cos it's about the slime,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and it's about what the slime is actually capable of.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19It's probably time I got out now.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20Yeah.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Let's get me out of here.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24It's...ohh!
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Oh, this is...not at all...
0:24:26 > 0:24:27pleasant.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31It's not nice.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34However, this stuff, disgusting as it is,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36is quite fascinating.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'I know it doesn't look much like spider silk,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43'or feel like it...'
0:24:43 > 0:24:44Ohh!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'But that's because I haven't finished with it yet.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51'To turn this into something that can compete with spider silk,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55'I need to put it on my special hagfish slime hanger.'
0:25:00 > 0:25:02And now, I think, a shower.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Leaving my hagfish slime to dry out overnight.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16So what exactly is in this slime?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Well, basically, it's sea water containing tiny strands of protein,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23represented for the purposes of this demonstration by,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25well, bits of wire.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28But here's the thing that's getting scientists excited -
0:25:28 > 0:25:31if spider silk were to be represented by pieces of wire,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34each of these strands would look more like this.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37'Because spider silk is already pre-spun
0:25:37 > 0:25:40'by the spider's spinnerets.'
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Yeah, that's a lot more complicated.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45You can see why this is going to be tricky to synthesise.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48But this might be worth having a crack at.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52The question is, is this going to be as strong as spider silk?
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Time to find out.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58First, we need to lay down some ground rules.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01The basic way to measure the strength of any material
0:26:01 > 0:26:04is by doing what's called a tensile test.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09It's not complicated in theory.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12This machine stretches the fibres until they snap.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And the results are carefully measured.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23So let's take a quick look at some other natural fibres
0:26:23 > 0:26:26that we humans already put to good use.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Wool breaks at a force of around 28 ounces.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Coconut hair at 41.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Sisal fibres last till 40.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47And horsehair till 45.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56Spider silk, though already spun and much finer,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58manages a whopping 70 ounces.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Right, now we've seen the competition,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05let's have a look at what hagfish slime can do.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Now, this might not look like it,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13but this in fact is the hagfish slime that I harvested yesterday.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Overnight, the sea water has drained away and evaporated,
0:27:15 > 0:27:16and it's dried.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21So I think a scientific test is called for right here, right now.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I've got some weights here.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25There's a five-ounce one.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28I'm hanging it on.
0:27:33 > 0:27:3510 ounces.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39OK, that's pretty good.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Right, I'm going to go for a heavier weight. Let's see.
0:27:47 > 0:27:4916 ounces.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57'OK, this next weight is the point that the wool snapped.'
0:27:57 > 0:27:59That's a 28-ounce weight, right there.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Right...
0:28:04 > 0:28:05Oh, there it is!
0:28:06 > 0:28:09And bear in mind the fibres right now are just hanging straight down.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13To make something stronger, normally you'd twist it.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Wind the fibres around, that's just straight.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18OK, so now we're on...
0:28:19 > 0:28:2140.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'That's sisal gone.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:2545...
0:28:25 > 0:28:27'And horsehair.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30'And we're up near spider silk territory.'
0:28:32 > 0:28:3555 ounces, and I've run out of weights.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38OK, it's not the most scientifically rigorous of tests,
0:28:38 > 0:28:39and it may be a while yet
0:28:39 > 0:28:42before you pull on your brand new hagfish sweater,
0:28:42 > 0:28:43but the fact is,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46this could be really useful.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50'Because many of the man-made threads are made from oil,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53'and we know that might not be around forever.'
0:28:55 > 0:28:58'If artificial hagfish slime could take their place,
0:28:58 > 0:29:02'then that would make it a very big deal indeed.'
0:29:02 > 0:29:05No-one is synthesising hagfish slime just yet,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08so I can't show you anything actually made from it,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12but one day it could be used to make everything we once wanted to make
0:29:12 > 0:29:13using spider silk -
0:29:13 > 0:29:16ropes, parachutes, suspension bridge cables,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18artificial tendons, clothes...
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Anyway, it's not every day you find the Holy Grail.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27'It's not just spiders and hagfish
0:29:27 > 0:29:30'that have something to teach us about strength.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34'There is one that's found in every corner of the globe.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37A type of creature that outnumbers
0:29:37 > 0:29:40all the other animals alive on Earth.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Outnumbers them by more than three to one.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47They're known as arthropods.
0:29:47 > 0:29:52Which just begs the question, "What is an arthropod?"
0:29:58 > 0:30:00Well, this crab is one.
0:30:02 > 0:30:03So are these.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09In fact, all crabs and lobsters are arthropods.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11And all spiders.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14And all insects.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18So what do they have in common?
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Well, it's the fact that they have an exoskeleton.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Basically, all the soft bits are on the inside.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33And the hard skeleton that supports them is on the outside.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Giving these crabs super-powerful protection and strength.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Powers that would be useful for us, too.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Which got me thinking about whether there's an easy way
0:30:49 > 0:30:54to get to grips with how an exoskeleton actually works.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57And what I came up with was this.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58Bear with me.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Now, cows aren't known for having exoskeletons,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03because, well, they don't.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07But this toy cow works on a lot of the same basic principles.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10What you've got here is a series of hard tubes,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13connected, held together by muscles,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15represented here by the strings inside.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Right now, the strings are taut, the muscles are working.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Relax them, cow flops down.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Tense them up again...
0:31:23 > 0:31:25He stands up, becomes rigid once more.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30'And that rigidity gives an arthropod a big advantage
0:31:30 > 0:31:32'when it comes to strength.'
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Let me try and show you what I mean.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39When I pick up this weight and hold it out stretched,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43I'm having to use all my muscles to keep my arms licked horizontally.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Ugh! Which means I can't hold them out for very long.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48But what if I was built differently?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51What if I had the strength and rigidity
0:31:51 > 0:31:53and armour of an exoskeleton?
0:32:22 > 0:32:25This is the Patented Hammond Exoskeleton.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26It's not really patented.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Neither is it technically an exoskeleton,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31because I'm inside it, and I have a skeleton inside me.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35But I'm going to try and make my internal skeleton irrelevant here.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38My job is just to tense and hold these pieces together.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41So let's see if this set-up makes it easier
0:32:41 > 0:32:43to hold those weights outstretched.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Yeah, well there you go, I'm just contracting my muscles inside
0:32:55 > 0:32:58to hold these things rigid and straight, and it works.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00It's a success.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03That's good. Yeah, it works.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05Yeah.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06It works.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Maybe...it's worked enough.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11Yep.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13I think...point proven?
0:33:13 > 0:33:16'OK, so there is room for refinement.'
0:33:16 > 0:33:18'But I could hold the weights for much longer.'
0:33:18 > 0:33:19It works!
0:33:19 > 0:33:21'And those same principles have been used
0:33:21 > 0:33:24'to build something very cool indeed.'
0:33:26 > 0:33:31This man is wearing a state-of-the-art exoskeleton.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34It increases his strength tenfold.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Allowing him to comfortably carry up to 40 kilos.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47But the most important thing that you should know about this man
0:33:47 > 0:33:51is that he's paralysed from the waist down.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56'The way people look at me when I'm in my wheelchair
0:33:56 > 0:33:58'is they look down upon me.'
0:33:58 > 0:34:01They see the wheelchair moving, they don't see the person.
0:34:04 > 0:34:0924-year-old Steven Sanchez broke his back eight years ago
0:34:09 > 0:34:12going over a jump on his BMX bike.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16He hasn't walked since.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26But today is going to be the day that all that changes.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31He's been summoned to an unprepossessing-looking basement
0:34:31 > 0:34:34under the University of California,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38and what's inside this room will change his life.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53He's been asked to test-pilot a remarkable new piece of technology.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00An exoskeleton based on the way an arthropod works.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07'The way that I got involved with the UC Berkeley exoskeleton project'
0:35:07 > 0:35:10was everyone at the school was, like, you know,
0:35:10 > 0:35:16"We need testers, basically, to test out the machine."
0:35:16 > 0:35:17And I was like, "I can do it."
0:35:19 > 0:35:22So, for the past 12 months,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25the Berkeley team have been creating a custom-built suit
0:35:25 > 0:35:28that can be tailored and programmed just for him.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41These are Steven's new legs.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Just like an exoskeleton, they go on the outside of his body,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48providing rigidity and support.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50And, as with all arthropods,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54the hingeing joints are now on the outside, too.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Time to try it.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Steven plugs in the motor...
0:36:11 > 0:36:13..and prepares himself.
0:36:27 > 0:36:28That was good, man.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37We're good. Get your balance here. Get your balance.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45The muscles in Steven's legs aren't capable of supporting him,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49but the rigid exoskeleton is doing the job for them.
0:36:58 > 0:37:04These are the first steps Steven Sanchez has taken for seven years.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07And they feel pretty good.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11'The way that I felt in the exoskeleton,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15'the first time I took a walk, was a great, happy, achieving feeling.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20'Taking a step was no longer an issue.
0:37:20 > 0:37:21'It was just, "do it."'
0:37:23 > 0:37:28It's pretty nice to be back where I used to be.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Out in the corridor, there are some special onlookers.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Steven's mum and dad have come
0:37:36 > 0:37:39to see their son learn to walk all over again.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43It's a proud moment.
0:37:44 > 0:37:45For all of them.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55I don't want to knock you over.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11The doors to Steven's world have been thrown open wide.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16He arrived today on wheels,
0:38:16 > 0:38:19but he's leaving on his own two feet,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22in an exoskeleton inspired by nature.
0:38:36 > 0:38:42A major part of the miracle of nature lies in its infinite variety.
0:38:47 > 0:38:48The countless ways
0:38:48 > 0:38:51that different animals approach similar problems.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Take, for instance, camouflage.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03OK, cut the motor.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04BOAT MOTOR STOPS
0:39:17 > 0:39:19You could easily believe
0:39:19 > 0:39:23that a zebra's stripes were designed to make it obvious.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Stands out like a pony in pyjamas.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31But in fact, they act as camouflage in several different ways.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36The vertical wavy lines are great for hiding amongst tall grasses.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42And they break up the animal's shape, its silhouette.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45And when they're in big numbers in the herd,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47it's actually very difficult for a predator
0:39:47 > 0:39:50to make out an individual animal to go for.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53They just see a confusing jumble of stripes.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04So those stripes partly break up their outline,
0:40:04 > 0:40:08and partly help them merge with their background.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14And that's the way we've tended to do camouflage, too.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Take something you want to hide...
0:40:21 > 0:40:22EXPLOSION
0:40:27 > 0:40:30..and paint what's called a disruptive pattern on it,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34in colours designed to blend it in with the background.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38And it sort of works.
0:40:39 > 0:40:40You probably didn't even spot
0:40:40 > 0:40:44that there was a tank hiding in the last couple of shots.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Yeah. That's the problem.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49They still stand out like a sore, brightly-coloured thumb.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Especially if, like with our huskies,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55the weather suddenly changes,
0:40:55 > 0:40:59and they find themselves painted completely the wrong colour.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06What we need is something just that little bit cleverer.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13And this is it.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20The cuttlefish has taken camouflage to the next level.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24They can change their colour, shape and texture
0:41:24 > 0:41:26to blend in with the background.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31It's hard to believe it looking at these pictures,
0:41:31 > 0:41:36but all these cuttlefish are exactly the same species.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39They're simply changing their appearance
0:41:39 > 0:41:41depending on what's around them.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46It's called adaptive camouflage,
0:41:46 > 0:41:51and it's perfect for hiding from both predators and prey.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00But can the cuttlefish adapt to anything?
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Really, you must applaud the cuttlefish
0:42:02 > 0:42:06for its amazing ability to blend into its surroundings.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09But how clever is that really?
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I mean, vanishing amongst things that are around it all the time.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16It's one thing for a cuttlefish to camouflage itself
0:42:16 > 0:42:19against seaweed, sand, pebbles and stuff like that,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21but how would they fare camouflaging themselves
0:42:21 > 0:42:24against something a bit more complicated?
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Something a bit like this.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Yeah, I know, it's hardly Grand Designs,
0:42:35 > 0:42:39but I've gone for this rather lurid decor for good reason.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42I want to see how the cuttlefish
0:42:42 > 0:42:45tackles something a bit more challenging.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50So I've chosen stripes, chessboard and some old-style chintz.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53OK, time to see how they cope.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Let's get our cuttlefish settled in and dim down the lights.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05He's having a look at it.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13And he's gone straight for the big one -
0:43:13 > 0:43:15the chequerboard flooring.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23And amazingly, I think he's having a crack at it.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28There's definitely the beginnings of a chequerboard there.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36He's not quite lined up right, but, you know, still impressive.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38Right, what next?
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Zebra-skin rug?
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Now he's improvising.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Let's get him back to the task in hand.
0:43:53 > 0:43:54Now that's more like it.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00He's blending into the chaise longue a treat.
0:44:04 > 0:44:05But notice one thing -
0:44:05 > 0:44:09he's not camouflaged with what he can see in front of him,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12he's camouflaged with what's underneath him.
0:44:17 > 0:44:22So is it possible for us to copy camouflage like that?
0:44:29 > 0:44:30It's me.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32I'm in front of you right now.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33But I'm invisible.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37See? That's me.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40And I'm wearing my sandwich board of invisibility.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43It's my own creation, let me talk you through it.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45On the front, we have an LED flat-screen TV,
0:44:45 > 0:44:47on the back, there's a camera.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50The camera sees what it can see behind me,
0:44:50 > 0:44:52throws that image up on the TV,
0:44:52 > 0:44:54so it's as though you are looking through me,
0:44:54 > 0:44:55and here's the fascinating thing -
0:44:55 > 0:44:59this is actually very close to the way the cuttlefish works.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02Well it doesn't use a flat-screen TV, obviously.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04What it has instead is light-sensitive cells
0:45:04 > 0:45:08all over its body, so the cells on one side
0:45:08 > 0:45:10tell the cells on the other side what they can see
0:45:10 > 0:45:11so they can replicate it,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13and it's as though you can see through the cuttlefish.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16It's the same deal.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18But like me, it's not using its eyes to do this.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21I'm using a camera, it's using its light-sensitive cells.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24So it's not doing this consciously, it just happens.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26The biggest difference, perhaps,
0:45:26 > 0:45:28is the energy taken to do this.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30I tried doing this with batteries.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Didn't work.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Then I tried it with a car battery, lasted about a minute.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39In the end, I've plugged it into the mains in my house.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42A cuttlefish doesn't have to use the mains, it can do all of this,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45and it can do it on 1,500 calories a day
0:45:45 > 0:45:47that it gets from crab and shrimp.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50I couldn't power this with crabs and shrimp.
0:45:50 > 0:45:51I need the mains.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58The question is, can we use the cuttlefish's super-power
0:45:58 > 0:46:00to hide 60 tons of tank?
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Well, not exactly.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Engineers haven't worked out a way
0:46:09 > 0:46:12for a tank to be quite as camouflaged as a cuttlefish,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15at least in daylight.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17But with the help of these special tiles,
0:46:17 > 0:46:21they have worked out a way to make it invisible at night.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29OK, I know you can still see it right now.
0:46:29 > 0:46:30And that's the thing.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33At night, colours don't matter.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36And for anyone equipped with infra-red cameras,
0:46:36 > 0:46:38they stand out even more.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43Because they generate an enormous amount of heat.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47And that heat is picked up on camera.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56Which is where the special panels come in.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00Because you just watch what happens when they turn them on.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12The tank completely vanishes.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21The panels read the background temperature,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24and then display the same heat signature on the front,
0:47:24 > 0:47:26just like the cuttlefish does with colour.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39And, like the cuttlefish, it has another trick.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43It can pretend to be something else entirely.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47In this case, it's impersonating a small family saloon.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49Astonishing.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56An invisible tank based on cuttlefish camouflage.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Not bad for a quiet evening in.
0:48:00 > 0:48:06The power of invisibility is obviously quite an attractive one.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08But there is another animal super-power
0:48:08 > 0:48:09that does the exact opposite.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13It makes the invisible visible.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25This is a kingfisher,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27and below it is a slow-moving river
0:48:27 > 0:48:30that the kingfisher knows will contain fish.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34But spotting them is almost impossible.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41There's so much glare and reflection on the surface
0:48:41 > 0:48:43that you can't see a thing underneath it.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04With conditions like that, the kingfisher should have no chance.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10But it does.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19One fish, expertly skewered straight through the middle.
0:49:24 > 0:49:30And it's only possible because kingfishers have a super-power.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31One that enables them
0:49:31 > 0:49:36to see straight through that surface glare and reflection,
0:49:36 > 0:49:40and pick out the fish below with absolute accuracy.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02And if you think that the kingfisher is simply spotting the fish
0:50:02 > 0:50:04once it's dived underwater,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07then take a look at that same dive at normal speed,
0:50:07 > 0:50:11and see just how quickly it all happens.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19It's over in the blink of an eye.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23So how on earth do they do it?
0:50:24 > 0:50:27You know how when human beings reach a certain age,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30they end up with one pair of glasses for reading,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32another pair of glasses for watching TV,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and then another pair of glasses for driving,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38and another pair of glasses just for finding their glasses?
0:50:38 > 0:50:39Well, think of it this way.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43It's as though the kingfisher has all of those pairs of glasses,
0:50:43 > 0:50:45but it can wear them all at the same time
0:50:45 > 0:50:49by putting them in different places around the lenses of its eyes.
0:50:49 > 0:50:50That's why you never see a kingfisher
0:50:50 > 0:50:53with its glasses on its head asking where its glasses are.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56And in fact it's even more sophisticated than that,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58because it also has a series of coloured lenses
0:50:58 > 0:51:03by means of which it can filter out very specific wavelengths of light,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06to enhance its ability to, say, see through water.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11These coloured lenses are actually oil droplets.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15By magnifying a kingfisher's eye 1,000 times,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17you can clearly see them.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21And they sound like quite a useful super-power.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24So we're going to scale the whole thing...
0:51:24 > 0:51:26up a bit.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38This light aircraft is going to represent our kingfisher.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45And a very special piece of technology
0:51:45 > 0:51:48is going to do the job of the kingfisher's eye.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Because this camera was directly inspired
0:51:53 > 0:51:57by looking at the way those oil droplets work.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08But instead of spotting minnows from a branch just above the water...
0:52:10 > 0:52:13..we're going to be flying at 1,000 feet.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Admittedly, this is going to make things tricky
0:52:28 > 0:52:31'for the man operating the kingfisher camera for me,'
0:52:31 > 0:52:33engineer, Dustin Medeiros.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43So to give him a chance,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46we've scaled the fish up a little bit, too.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51From four centimetres long to a whopping 15 metres.
0:52:55 > 0:52:5835 tons of humpback whale.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04And yeah, I know, whales aren't really fish,
0:53:04 > 0:53:08but for the purposes of this experiment, they are perfect.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14Humpbacks migrate every year between Mexico and Alaska.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19Which means they pass parallel to this California coast.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24We even know the route they take.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28But on a lovely Californian day like this, it's not really helping.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29Seen any whales yet?
0:53:29 > 0:53:31- No, not yet.- Ah.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34It's hard to see anything through that water,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36just glare coming back up at you.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Yes, especially if it's bright out, or as the sun gets lower,
0:53:39 > 0:53:42it really blocks anything you can see with the naked eye.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45To combat that,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49the kingfisher has four different types of colour receptors.
0:53:49 > 0:53:54So we've got four special cameras arranged around a fifth normal one.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Each camera has a filter on the front of it,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59which allows a different spectrum of light through.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01So you can take one, subtract one from the other,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04- and effectively you can see right below the waves.- Right.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14We're making our way out to the Whale Super Highway -
0:54:14 > 0:54:18a strip of ocean where the humpbacks make their 10,000-mile round trip.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23Right now, we should see them moving from south to north.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25From Mexico, so you'll see them essentially travelling,
0:54:25 > 0:54:27usually in ones or twos,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29and they'll basically be coming up to breathe.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34I'm keeping an eye out in an analogue sense.
0:54:34 > 0:54:35Actually using my eyes.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38You're using this digital system.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42But even with both of us looking,
0:54:42 > 0:54:44our oversized kingfisher plane
0:54:44 > 0:54:48doesn't seem to be having too much luck.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57And then we get one.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58There you go.
0:54:58 > 0:54:59There they are.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00Right there.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04This view from the ordinary camera
0:55:04 > 0:55:07mimics pretty much what I was seeing with my naked eye.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11But turn in our digital oil droplets,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15and our kingfisher cam sees something very different indeed.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29Side by side, you can see just how remarkable that difference is.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37It is kind of appropriate, really -
0:55:37 > 0:55:41we were using a piece of technology inspired by a kingfisher's eyes
0:55:41 > 0:55:43to do pretty much what a kingfisher does -
0:55:43 > 0:55:45spotting things in the water from the air.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48It's just that we were a lot higher up, going a lot faster,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51and the things we were spotting were a lot bigger.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53But as much fun as it was,
0:55:53 > 0:55:56possible human applications for this technology
0:55:56 > 0:55:58go beyond looking for whales and dolphins.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07Already, the designers are looking into applying kingfisher tech
0:56:07 > 0:56:09to air-sea rescue.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Last year, over 5,000 people
0:56:14 > 0:56:16were successfully rescued from British waters.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24But a further 300 lost their lives or were never recovered.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30This camera could change all that.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Thanks to the kingfisher.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37The last of our miracles of nature.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39In these three programmes,
0:56:39 > 0:56:41we've been able to look at just some of the many ways
0:56:41 > 0:56:44in which nature has provided the inspiration
0:56:44 > 0:56:47for us to solve our problems and meet our needs.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50But what interests me is what does the future hold?
0:56:50 > 0:56:52How many more times will we discover
0:56:52 > 0:56:54that the problem we've been scratching our heads over
0:56:54 > 0:56:57has already been answered by nature?
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd