ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the nature's approach towards developing its materials and how it frequently achieves performance greater than the sum of its parts. It also discusses the concepts of bio-inspiration, natural variation, structural hierarchies and most importantly evolutionary context, arming the reader with a biologist's perspective about material choice. The chapter presents the case study illustrating how fundamental research has enabled to tweak the processing of natural materials in order to enhance the properties. Hence, almost all natural materials are composites, i.e. combinations of multiple materials. As a result, examples of structural hierarchies which co-ordinate the multi-component integration are prolific in nature. However, natural materials are also the result of hundreds of millions of years of research and development under a life or death scenario (i.e. evolution through natural selection). The chapter represents more than just the face value; bio-inspiration can be drawn from not just the structures in the materials themselves but also the processes by which they made.
