“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better,” is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein. And accordingly, fellow scientist Professor Subra Suresh, and President of the Global Learning Council, looks to nature for some truly spectacular innovations.

Against the backdrop of the fitting location of Villars-sur-Ollon in the Swiss Alps, Suresh presented breakthrough insights from his latest work during the fourth Villars Institute Distinguished Lecture to open this year’s Villars Institute Symposium.

The Symposium brings together our partners, leading academics and entrepreneurs with 152 Villars Fellows – an international Gen Z cohort who are beginning their life-long development as systems leaders. Here, in the artfully restored Villars Palace, a place of peace beyond the modern world, philosophers, scientists and visionaries can pause to think what the future of the world could be – and how we can get there.

For Subra Suresh, President of the Global Learning Council, a National Medal of Science award winner and Vannevar Bush Professor Emeritus at MIT, the relationship between nature and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence presents us with powerful opportunities.

Protecting the planet and AI are often dealt with as separate issues however Suresh believes that the future depends on combining AI, nature, and science. As he noted, the next stage of humanity lies in the potential of AI, nature and science to work together in a harmonious way, turbo-boosting learning and expanding our ability to respond to crises. “Now with digital manufacturing technologies, artificial intelligence, large language models and the power of computing you can create unique opportunities to either understand nature or translate what nature does effortlessly into products.”

In a wide-ranging lecture covering everything from eco-friendly pollen paper to weather-predicting umbrellas, Suresh’s optimism and deep professional curiosity for the future shone through. “If you want to solve complex problems that affect nature and humanity, you have to go way beyond your own discipline in which you are deeply trained.” Read below to discover the 10 incredible things we learned from his Distinguished Lecture.

1. It’s possible to make paper from pollen

Scientists have discovered a way to transform tough sunflower pollen into a soft, non-allergenic, nitrogen-based material, to create pollen paper. This unique material can absorb and release water, changing its shape in both wet and dry states. And unlike traditional paper, it doesn’t require cutting down (or growing more) trees. This innovative material can help industries cut energy use by up to 40%, and aid courier companies in developing superior weather-resistant packaging.

2. The Venus Flytrap can count to five

Suresh highlighted the fascinating features of the Venus Flytrap – particularly its ability to count to five when its hairs are triggered by an insect. Remarkably, it can distinguish between prey insects and pollinators, snapping shut using an electrical signal only when necessary. This behavior inspired a 2016 experiment in Germany where scientists found that anesthetic, which stops electrical signals in human bodies during surgery, produced the same response in the plant.

3. Geckos have inspired an entire industry of sticky paste

A new generation of responsive sticky pastes and tapes is being developed with inspiration from one of nature’s stickiest creatures – the gecko. These agile lizards can cling to both horizontal and vertical surfaces thanks to the intricate micro, macro, and nano structures in their legs. By using nanoscale spatulas, they securely attach to surfaces yet can quickly retract them when they need to take off. This natural nanotechnology, employed by geckos long before humans discovered it, is now guiding innovative adhesive solutions.

4. Birds’ energy-saving flying formations are inspiring NASA

As Suresh explained, when birds fly long distances, they form specific patterns, and the vortex created by the leading birds reduces the energy needed by the trailing birds. “In order to preserve energy, birds intuitively know how to form the most optimum geometrical shape on long flights,” he said. And this natural aerodynamic instinct helps birds find the most efficient shapes for long flights. Organizations such as NASA and Boeing are now looking to these natural formations to make aircraft lighter and more fuel-efficient.

5. There’s an umbrella that can predict the weather

“Can you have an umbrella that opens itself when it senses the rain?” asked Suresh. His answer? Of course! Because in nature “plants do it all the time”. A recent experiment, inspired by the rhapis excelsa plant, proved that where nature goes, innovation follows. NTU and the University of Oxford have collaborated to create a moisture-sensitive umbrella, modelled after the plant’s abilities. This umbrella opens and folds based on environmental conditions, showcasing the potential of biomimicry in technology.

6. It is possible to bend a diamond

Despite being the hardest substance on Earth, diamond is brittle: apply enough force, and it will deform and eventually fracture. Drawing inspiration from nanotechnology in nature, Suresh and his team have developed diamond needle structures capable of ‘bending’ – a breakthrough that could revolutionize thermal management and the electronics industry.

7. AI can help detect future blindness from diabetes

Diabetic retinopathy, a consequence of diabetes affecting the retina, can lead to blindness if untreated. Yet machine learning could have a profound role to play in predicting and treating it effectively in the future. Suresh envisions AI-powered microfluidic devices capable of diagnosing diabetes by analyzing the speed and movement of cells in a patient’s blood. “Using AI simulations and patient data in these pictures we can potentially diagnose the severity of the disease as well as the progression – and tailor therapeutics to that patient’s particular medical history,” he said.

8. AI could help speed up diagnosis of hereditary blood disorders

The potential of AI to analyze medical data and predict disease outcomes will become increasingly influential – particularly in disorders involving red blood cells such as malaria, sickle cell anemia and elliptocytosis, where a swift diagnosis is crucial in improving patient outcomes. By utilizing computer simulations, he says, AI can enhance our understanding of red blood cell shapes and their significance in disease diagnosis and prevention, advancing medical knowledge and potentially transforming how these disorders are diagnosed and managed.

9. Scientific breakthroughs can take decades to be commercialized

Although developed in the 1960s, GPS only became widely used with the rise of mobile phones in the 1990s. And this crucial delay may well prove true within the AI revolution too. “It can take years for technology to mature until somebody picks it up and commercializes it,” he noted. “You establish the science, you establish the discovery, then there’s a quantum jump…but that sometimes takes 20-40 years.”

10. Funding scientific research has a return on investment unlike any other

According to Suresh, academic research has a high return on investment, whether through spurring innovation or scaling up discoveries made during research – but proper funding is critical. To illustrate this, he discussed his role as former head of the National Science Foundation (NSF) where he helped to create the NSF Innovation program 10 years ago. From this one program alone, designed to spur innovation and entrepreneurship, 2700 companies were created in the US, attracting a staggering $4 billion investment.

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks,” said the US naturalist John Muir. And his words resonate profoundly, when considering Suresh’s insights. As we delve deeper into the symbiotic relationship between AI, nature, and science, we can glimpse a future where innovation not only solves today’s challenges but harmonizes with the natural world to create a sustainable and better tomorrow.

This article started with an Einstein quote, so let’s finish with another aphorism from the 20th-century’s greatest theoretical physicist, who once said, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” Einstein’s maxim not only summarizes the mission of the Global Learning Council, but it also acts as an exhortation to us all to take a closer look and be more curious about the awe-inspiring natural world which surrounds us: the wondrous numbers-work of a Venus flytrap, the native nanotech of geckos’ feet, the energy-saving V-shaped formation of a gaggle of geese in flight. As Suresh pointed out, alloying our learnings from nature with the latest advancements in technology presents one of humanity’s best shots at finding new solutions to the climate crisis and a net-zero future, something that the Villars Institute, the Global Learning Council and so many others are currently striving for.