Palaeobiotechnology

Abstract

The majority of organisms that ever lived on the Earth, and hence the majority of evolutionary innovations, are now extinct. Only fragments of this past diversity are observable in the form of the fossil record. Biomimicry and biotechnology seek to utilize the astonishing diversity of living organism's solutions to complex biological problems as inspiration for human technology. This feature reviews the potential industrial applications of fossil‐inspired technologies, an emerging area of research here referred to as ‘palaeobiotechnology’ or ‘brown biotechnology’. Examples from vertebrate, invertebrate and molecular palaeontology illustrate the diverse potential applications of extinct organisms, including the design of new materials such as bone substitutes, development of pharmaceuticals, robots and anchoring devices for submarines. Palaeobiotechnological approaches are able to both inspire modern sustainable technologies and at the same time illuminate the biology of ancient organisms.