What Termites Can Teach Architects About Skyscraper Design

Did you know Intel processors brought personal computers

to the home?

Totally.

And then Intel made them more efficient,

so that you could fit all this into a laptop.

Tight. Real tight.

And then they helped bring wi-fi to everybody.

Whatever that is.

Fine, come on.

And now, Intel's best processor ever is here,

which helps PCs do things you never thought possible.

Like time travel?

Hey, these pants are timeless.

[Narrator] Introducing Intel's new

sixth-generation core processor.

It's our best processor ever.

[Narrator] What biomimics do is they say,

what in the natural world has already invented this,

and then they try to mimic what they see.

Normally, when you say, termites and building,

you think of termites eating the buildings,

but in this case,

termites are teaching architects something.

Termites actually create buildings of their own.

Those termite mounds that you see,

compared to the size of a termite,

those are quite large skyscrapers.

They're also amazing ventilation devices.

Termites farm fungus, and so they need to keep that fungus

at a particular temperature, 87 degrees Fahrenheit.

No matter how hot it gets outside

or how cold it gets outside,

it has to be 87 degrees Fahrenheit,

and they do this by creating channels

inside their mounds.

Scientists are now investigating those channels

to see if we can replicate those channels

in the walls of our buildings

in order to increase ventilation in our own buildings.

So here you have something so small as a termite,

but it's creating a heating and air-conditioning system

that is far more efficient than our skyscrapers,

by shaving material use.

By working in beautiful coordinated ways,

life's learned how to live gracefully on the planet.

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