John Longchamps

Denise DeLuca

Biomimetic Design

MCAD | Summer 2015

Discover: Long-term systemic sustainability through

implementing diverse, locally attuned functionality and

response stemming from a high-level context-adaptive

agile framework.

Project Objective: Create a context-adaptive agile framework to support

national youth employment and career development in the United States with

local modes of implementation.

Purpose of this exercise:

Identifying biology that leverages locally attuned functionality and

diversity to provide natural inspiration for the project

functionality, “long-term systemic sustainability through leveraging

diverse, locally attuned functionality and response,” in support of

the objective, “supporting youth employment and career development.”

Function being addressed: Long-term systemic sustainability through

leveraging diverse, locally attuned functionality and response,

establishing a context-adaptive agile framework to support national

youth employment and career development in the United States with

local modes of implementation.

Biology that Perform this Function:

The following pages highlight biology that performs functions-of-

interest and were identified through the three separate sources:

Source 1: Robert J Brooker et al. “Biology.” Third Edition - Boston -

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc – 2012.

Source 2: National Institute of Health (NIH)

Source 3: nature.com (Nature Publishing Group)

Source 1: Genomes (Brooker, et al.)

Image: Brooker, et al, “Biology”

“The genome, which is comprised of DNA, is the entire genetic

composition of an organism. Most of the genetic material is found in

the cell nucleus. The primary function of the genome is to encode the

proteome, which is the entire protein complement of a cell or

organism. Proteins are largely responsible for the structure and

function of cells and complete organisms.” (Brooker, et al.)

Strategies Utilized:

Chemistry – The cyclical uptake and export of

substances/resources.

System – Localize the entire genome sequence in the nucleus of

each cell. The complete “assembly guide” for the organism.

Source 2: Gene Transcription (NIH)

Image: NIH – National Human Genome Research Institute

“Transcription is the process of making an RNA copy of a gene

sequence. This copy, called a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule, leaves

the cell nucleus and enters the cytoplasm, where it directs the

synthesis of the protein, which it encodes.” (NIH)

Strategies Utilized:

Process – Transcribing gene sequences to produce necessary arrays

of diverse proteins.

Chemical – The nucleotide in DNA consists of one of four bases

(cytosine (C), thymine (T), adenine (A), guanine (G). These

chemical bases form together as the building blocks of DNA

nucleotides.

Source 3: Complete Gene Expression (nature.com)

Image: nature.com

“Genes encode proteins and proteins dictate cell function. Therefore,

the thousands of genes expressed in a particular cell determine what

that cell can do. Moreover, each step in the flow of information from

DNA to RNA to protein provides the cell with a potential control point

for self-regulating its functions by adjusting the amount and type of

proteins it manufactures.” (nature.com)

Strategies Utilized:

Process – Gene expression - dictating cell functionality -

follows a sequential process that applies to specialized cells

throughout the entire organism.

Scale – Gene expression happens within every nuclear cell in an

organism.

Pattern – Certain gene combinations elicit certain

functionalities.

Strategy Selection:

Strategies discovered from all three sources in this “Discovery” phase

exercise will be emulated for the project objective of “long-term

systemic sustainability through implementing diverse, locally attuned

functionality and response stemming from a high-level context-adaptive

agile framework.”

All three strategies are being selected due to their interdependency,

system-wide application, and context adaptive (locally attuned)

efficacy, and will be leveraged in the biomimetic design process.

Genomes embody the high level context-adaptive agile framework.

This will be useful for creating the high-level implementation

guide library that will be available through the web-based

portal.

Gene transcription embodies the “curation” or development of

custom development guides (locally-attuned context-specific) that

pull from the central library.

Complete gene expression embodies the functional on-the-ground

effects of implementing the custom development guides in the

field.