Image: Richard Wheeler, Wikimedia Commons. Engineers – and artists – have often sought inspiration from the natural world. Take for example the story of the discovery of Velcro by a Swiss gentleman when he observed how plant burrs were tightly stuck to his clothing and the hairs of his dog. This utilitarian view of nature [...]

An interesting website, Zester, explores the culture of food and drink – including a range of different species with potential for exploitation, as well as recipes about cooking them. Hopefully it does not give too much encouragement of wild collection (Sept 17: see comment below) or unsustainable fishing practices! I was particularly interested in an article, “Eggplant’s [...]