On this episode of ID the Future, the second in a series, host Andrew McDiarmid reviews three more displays of design in nature. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Researchers in McDiarmid’s native land of Scotland have shown that beavers, once considered by some as nuisances good only for their pelts, are actually great biodiversity engineers. The water lily is another marvel of hydraulic engineering that’s inspiring new designs for desalination plants. And the familiar walnut shell is made of cells interlocked more tightly than any 3-D puzzle ever invented, making it tough enough to need a hammer to open.

Photo: A North American beaver, Steve from washington, dc, usa [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.