Engineering in Nature

An illustrated science story from Wonder Science — free to read, with narration.

Engineering in Nature — an illustrated science story, set in United States. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Science.

Engineering in Nature — book cover — Wonder Science
Engineering in Nature — an illustrated science story, set in United States. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Science.

Page 1

The ferry churned through the choppy San Francisco Bay, sending a cold spray over the deck. Ezra pointed with a gasp, grabbing her father's arm. "Look!
The ferry churned through the choppy San Francisco Bay, sending a cold spray over the deck. Ezra pointed with a gasp, grabbing her father's arm. "Look! How did that pelican just do that?" A large brown pelican had just folded its wings and plunged headfirst into the water, emerging a moment later with a wriggling fish. Her mother laughed, pulling her coat tighter, "He made it look so easy, didn't he?"

The ferry churned through the choppy San Francisco Bay, sending a cold spray over the deck. Ezra pointed with a gasp, grabbing her father's arm. "Look! How did that pelican just do that?" A large brown pelican had just folded its wings and plunged headfirst into the water, emerging a moment later with a wriggling fish. Her mother laughed, pulling her coat tighter, "He made it look so easy, didn't he?"

Page 2

"That wasn't just a dive, it was perfect engineering," her Father said, kneeling down to her level. "Engineers call it 'biomimicry'—that's when we study nature…
"That wasn't just a dive, it was perfect engineering," her Father said, kneeling down to her level. "Engineers call it 'biomimicry'—that's when we study nature to get ideas for our own inventions." Ezra's eyes widened. "So you're saying that bird is like... a super-advanced airplane?" He nodded, "Exactly, nature has been perfecting its designs for millions of years."

"That wasn't just a dive, it was perfect engineering," her Father said, kneeling down to her level. "Engineers call it 'biomimicry'—that's when we study nature to get ideas for our own inventions." Ezra's eyes widened. "So you're saying that bird is like... a super-advanced airplane?" He nodded, "Exactly, nature has been perfecting its designs for millions of years."

Page 3

This idea of learning from nature wasn't new; it traveled back in time over five hundred years. The scene shifts to the bustling streets of Florence, Italy…
This idea of learning from nature wasn't new; it traveled back in time over five hundred years. The scene shifts to the bustling streets of Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance. Horse-drawn carts rumbled over cobblestones, and the air buzzed with the sounds of artists' workshops and inventors' dreams. Here, one man was more obsessed with observing nature than anyone else.

This idea of learning from nature wasn't new; it traveled back in time over five hundred years. The scene shifts to the bustling streets of Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance. Horse-drawn carts rumbled over cobblestones, and the air buzzed with the sounds of artists' workshops and inventors' dreams. Here, one man was more obsessed with observing nature than anyone else.

Page 4

"His name was Leonardo da Vinci," Ezra's Father's voice narrated. "While everyone knows him as the artist who painted the Mona Lisa, he was also a brilliant…
"His name was Leonardo da Vinci," Ezra's Father's voice narrated. "While everyone knows him as the artist who painted the Mona Lisa, he was also a brilliant inventor and scientist." Leonardo was fascinated by everything, from the flow of water to the anatomy of the human body. He filled thousands of pages with his observations, written backwards in a special mirror script because he was left-handed.

"His name was Leonardo da Vinci," Ezra's Father's voice narrated. "While everyone knows him as the artist who painted the Mona Lisa, he was also a brilliant inventor and scientist." Leonardo was fascinated by everything, from the flow of water to the anatomy of the human body. He filled thousands of pages with his observations, written backwards in a special mirror script because he was left-handed.

Page 5

Leonardo would spend hours in the Tuscan hills, just watching. He sketched the wings of birds, trying to understand the secret of their flight.
Leonardo would spend hours in the Tuscan hills, just watching. He sketched the wings of birds, trying to understand the secret of their flight. He once wrote, 'Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else,' and he truly believed it. To him, the curve of a bird's wing held the key to letting humans soar through the sky.

Leonardo would spend hours in the Tuscan hills, just watching. He sketched the wings of birds, trying to understand the secret of their flight. He once wrote, 'Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else,' and he truly believed it. To him, the curve of a bird's wing held the key to letting humans soar through the sky.

Page 6

His breakthrough observation was the shape of the wing itself. Leonardo saw that a bird's wing wasn't flat; it was curved on top and flatter on the bottom.
His breakthrough observation was the shape of the wing itself. Leonardo saw that a bird's wing wasn't flat; it was curved on top and flatter on the bottom. He realized this shape, called an airfoil, caused the air to move faster over the top, creating lift. This single observation was the foundation for all his flying machine designs.

His breakthrough observation was the shape of the wing itself. Leonardo saw that a bird's wing wasn't flat; it was curved on top and flatter on the bottom. He realized this shape, called an airfoil, caused the air to move faster over the top, creating lift. This single observation was the foundation for all his flying machine designs.

Page 7

Leonardo's flying machines never actually flew, but his ideas about aerodynamics were centuries ahead of their time. That same airfoil principle he discovered…
Leonardo's flying machines never actually flew, but his ideas about aerodynamics were centuries ahead of their time. That same airfoil principle he discovered in birds is used today in the wings of every airplane, from small propeller planes to giant jumbo jets. "It's amazing how much power is in nature's designs," Ezra whispered, "I read that a single lightning bolt is five times hotter than the surface of the sun!"

Leonardo's flying machines never actually flew, but his ideas about aerodynamics were centuries ahead of their time. That same airfoil principle he discovered in birds is used today in the wings of every airplane, from small propeller planes to giant jumbo jets. "It's amazing how much power is in nature's designs," Ezra whispered, "I read that a single lightning bolt is five times hotter than the surface of the sun!"

Page 8

Back on the ferry, the cold wind whipped Ezra's hair as Alcatraz grew closer. She turned to her parents, her face bright with understanding. "The pelican!
Back on the ferry, the cold wind whipped Ezra's hair as Alcatraz grew closer. She turned to her parents, her face bright with understanding. "The pelican! Its wing is a natural airfoil, just like Leonardo observed!" Her mother smiled, "So that's how it controls its dive so perfectly." Her father added, "See? You're thinking like an engineer already."

Back on the ferry, the cold wind whipped Ezra's hair as Alcatraz grew closer. She turned to her parents, her face bright with understanding. "The pelican! Its wing is a natural airfoil, just like Leonardo observed!" Her mother smiled, "So that's how it controls its dive so perfectly." Her father added, "See? You're thinking like an engineer already."

Page 9

"It's everywhere!" Ezra exclaimed, looking around. "The way a maple seed spins to the ground is like a helicopter!" Her mother pointed to the churning water…
"It's everywhere!" Ezra exclaimed, looking around. "The way a maple seed spins to the ground is like a helicopter!" Her mother pointed to the churning water behind the boat, "And the shape of a whale's fin helps it move through water, which engineers copied for ship rudders." Her father chuckled, "Even the fastest jets can't beat light speed. Light travels from the sun to Earth in just over eight minutes!"

"It's everywhere!" Ezra exclaimed, looking around. "The way a maple seed spins to the ground is like a helicopter!" Her mother pointed to the churning water behind the boat, "And the shape of a whale's fin helps it move through water, which engineers copied for ship rudders." Her father chuckled, "Even the fastest jets can't beat light speed. Light travels from the sun to Earth in just over eight minutes!"

Page 10

Ezra took out her notebook and quickly sketched a wing. "Nature is the best engineer there is," she said, holding up her drawing for them to see.
Ezra took out her notebook and quickly sketched a wing. "Nature is the best engineer there is," she said, holding up her drawing for them to see. Looking at the powerful currents swirling around Alcatraz Island, her father posed a new question. "If nature is so good at designing things for the air," he asked with a twinkle in his eye, "what secrets do you think it's hiding for moving through water?"

Ezra took out her notebook and quickly sketched a wing. "Nature is the best engineer there is," she said, holding up her drawing for them to see. Looking at the powerful currents swirling around Alcatraz Island, her father posed a new question. "If nature is so good at designing things for the air," he asked with a twinkle in his eye, "what secrets do you think it's hiding for moving through water?"

About this story

  • Location: United States
  • Audience: kids (ages 6–12)

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