When we speak of “technology,” we usually mean the machines and systems we design. Yet what we invent is not separate from the world around us. The roots of our technology are nourished by something deeper than human creativity. It grows from the natural technology built into us and from the natural technology that surrounds us.

Take hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid is strong enough to corrode metal. If you poured it on your hand, it would burn straight through tissue. Yet your stomach produces and contains this substance daily — without digesting itself. That’s not a trivial trick of nature. It’s a system with layers of timing, containment, and control. The stomach produces this highly corrosive substance in order to denature (break down) proteins, destroy pathogens, and activate the enzyme pepsin.