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Feral by Design
Feral by Design is a podcast that uses biomimicry to steal nature’s smartest strategies for human chaos.
Each episode starts with a messy real-world problem, turns to a creature that’s already solved something similar, looks at their strategies and follows the thread you didn’t see coming. Sometimes it lands on one idea, sometimes a few - but it always lands somewhere useful.
Grounded in real science, told through self-deprecating stories, and always surprisingly practical.
Biomimicry made accessible, useful, and genuinely fun.
Nature owns the patent. We get to copy it.
Feral by Design
Hooked: How Burrs Inspired Velcro
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Hooked: How Burrs Inspired Velcro - and Why Curiosity Is The Real Innovation.
Ever spent an hour on your kitchen floor pulling burrs out of your dog’s fur while questioning your life choices?
Those annoying little hitchhikers accidentally sparked one of the most successful biomimicry stories in history, the invention of Velcro.
In this episode, Pia unpicks the legend: a Swiss engineer, a hunting trip, and a microscope moment that turned frustration into a global, nature-inspired design breakthrough. Two tiny words did it all, hook and loop.
But it doesn’t stop at the origin story. From space suits to school shoes, Velcro solved one problem brilliantly, and left another wide open. And that’s the part worth rethinking.
It’s funny, a bit sticky, and surprisingly deep. Because sometimes the best ideas start with the stuff that drives you mad, you just have to look closely enough to see what’s actually going on.
If this quick trip to the moon and back was worth it, share it with someone who’d enjoy the ride.
Follow Feral for new episodes every fortnight.
Instagram / Facebook / YouTube : @feralbydesignpod
feralbydesign.com
Created and hosted by Pia Williams
Clever by Nature. Feral by Design.