What can we learn from butterflies
What can we learn from butterflies
By Eric Markowitz | Published: 2025-11-27 14:00:00 | Source: Business – Big Think
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Since I first read Janine Benyus’s book Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature“I went down a rabbit hole looking for something.”intelligence“It really means (and who has it). Maybe that’s why I like the name of this leaflet so much. (It is a worm, after all. A humble, indispensable creature buried beneath the soil.)
Benyus’s central argument is that the “smartest” solutions to human problems already exist in nature. We just need to know where and how to look for them. (For example: Wind turbines inspired by humpback whales.)
So perhaps it’s no surprise that I was drawn to A The last piece On monarch butterflies. The piece explains how kings In reality Navigation: using two independent compasses built into their biology. On clear days, they orient themselves using a solar compass. But when clouds gather or the weather becomes unpredictable, it switches to a backup magnetic compass that reads ultraviolet light to sense the angle of the Earth’s magnetic field.
In other words, they have evolved Recession Into the system, a topic I explored in more detail earlier this year. For butterflies, just like for humans or organizations, repetition – not improvement or efficiency – creates the conditions for long-term survival.
Main quote: “Monarchs have evolved two very sophisticated navigational systems. Most of the time, they rely on a system that orients them relative to the sun, keeping them facing south throughout the day by compensating for the sun’s movements across the sky. When clouds get in the way, monarchs turn to a backup compass that relies on ultraviolet light to detect the angle of the Earth’s magnetic field. Their dual compasses usually keep migrating monarchs pointed in the correct general direction.”
Culture, not artificial intelligence, is the real engine of progress
This week, Big Think released its own edition of Engines of Progress, which I highly recommend.
My favorite piece comes from Beatrice Erkers, a writer and podcaster who helps lead existential hope project.
Beatrice’s article explains that while hundreds of billions of dollars are flowing into the physical infrastructure of AI — data centers, power plants, chips, etc. — there is an even more powerful force that we are constantly ignoring: culture.
“We typically think of infrastructure as bridges, satellites, and fiber-optic cables,” she wrote. “But beneath the steel and concrete lies something less tangible but just as powerful: culture—the stories and symbols that make some futures seem absurd, others inevitable, and some worth building.”
Main quote: “Culture is infrastructure, yes, but it is infrastructure that is more like weather than bridges: highly unpredictable and sometimes destructive. These fluctuations are precisely why the tone of culture is so important. Left unchecked, fear and cynicism fill the space. To direct culture toward constructive ends, we need something more constant: hope.”
Some other links I enjoyed:
How business leaders can help solve the world’s toughest problems -Via Harvard Business Review
Main quote: “Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School, believes the world requires a new kind of business leader. She says so-called ‘forward leaders’ are working inside and outside their companies to address big issues like climate change, public health, and social inequality. She provides real-world examples and explains how business leaders can harness their expertise, networks, innovative approaches, and the power of their organizations to solve tough problems.”
In the digital world, reading print media is more important than ever – via Monocle
Main quote: “Perception and knowledge are always evolving in interaction. The abstract knowledge we acquire can shorten our path to rich experience, diversifying and intensifying our engagement with the sensory world. The apparent richness of the external world is in fact the richness of our internal world. Think of an exhibition: only those with knowledge of cultural history can fully understand the wealth of associations it offers.”
Subscribe to the Nightcrawler newsletter
A weekly collection of thought-provoking articles on technology, innovation and long-term investing from Eric Markowitz of Nightview Capital.
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