1. Trial and Error is an effective means of figuring stuff out (but it takes a long time)
2. It is more efficient to learn from someone else's Trial and Error. (because you do away with the time portion)
3 Evolution is Nature's attempt to figure stuff out via Trial and Error (and its been going on a really long time)
RESULT: Many cool things have been created by mimicking Nature

Discoveries
* phi - efficient packing processes
* bee hive cells - efficient packing materials
* goose down - modeled in synthetic insulators
* burrs - modeled into velcro

Just a stray thought while I was having my daily smoke... pondering the aesthetic nature of phi. I couldn't think of any practical applications at first, then I realized that several packing containers have been designed around the principle.