The basic thesis of the book is that this old paradigm is fatally wrong. It will lead us to the destruction of Earth and ourselves. Instead, we must learn to copy nature's (specifically biology's) designs and use them. The author looks at agriculture, computing, power, medicine etc...
There were interesting accounts of the conversations the author had with numerous scientists that are investigating life's designs (whether it be the process of photosynthesis or the adhesive mollusks use). Some of them are detailed investigators, while others are creative people who can fathom future applications of the discoveries and imagine possible models and theories to explain the biology.
Overall, I found the book quite interesting. The technical level of certain passages (e.g. the chemical process by which photosynthesis functions) was difficult for me to understand and I imagine the lay, non-specialist reader would find that material challenging (and possibly boring). However, there are projections of possible technologies scattered all about the book (e.g. a protein-based data storage device the size of a 5.25 inch disk with a storage capacity, theoretically speaking, of 200,000 GB).
I have two basic problems with the book however; the occasional drift towards nature worship and the uncritical references to macro-evolution (e.g. change from one species to another species) as having produced everything in nature.
In places, Benyus seems talk about nature as if it were a conscious living entity that has God-like qualities. For example, on the last page she says, "... similar to the Mohawk prayer spoken by a midwife at the moment of birth, 'Thank You, Earth. You know the way.' Although the scientists and innovators I met might be hesitant to phrase it this way, it could just as easily be their journeying song." Or in a personal story which she ends with this post script, "The preparation for this echoing was a quieting on my part, a silencing of my own cleverness long enough to turn to nature for advice." Evolution consistently gets the credit for basically deigning magnificent pieces of nature. Also, evolution gets the credit for designing a stable eco-system (where thousands or millions of species live together in sustainable way); no small feat. Lest you think that I am some fool for criticizing macro-evolution, consult my, "About me," area.
Overall, the book is very interesting in its ideas and its investigation of nature. It is also a return of one of the primary ideas of science: observation.
