Paper

105 A.D.

Biomimetics (also called biomimicry) is the science of studying living things in order to develop new products with similar properties. Examples include an adhesive based on the stickiness of a gecko?s feet, flying machines based on bird and insect physiology, and paper. In the year 105 A.D., a Chinese court officer, Ts'ai Lun, invented a type of paper made from tree bark and other ingredients. Independently, Mayans also developed a type of bark paper around the year 500 A.D., and the Aztecs later improved it. For centuries, people in Europe relied on paper made from cloth rags, which were often in short supply. All of these methods were very time consuming. One day in the early 18th century, a French scientist named Ren