In a previous post on butterflies, I reported that the same efficient LED structure that was developed by an MIT engineer was subsequently found to exist in butterflies. "Isomorphic instantiation" is the term that I will assign to this phenomenon. I was thinking of using the term "reverse biomimicry," but a Google search revealed that somebody had already used that phrase.

In general, isomorphic instantiation can be defined as the phenomenon in which a complex technology developed by intelligence is subsequently found to exist in nature. The canonical example of intelligent design -- the bacterial flagellum -- can perhaps be recast in this light, since the bacterial flagellum is similar to outboard motors developed by humans. The sonar system found in bats is another example of isomorphic instantiation.

Can anybody think of other good examples of isomorphic instantiation?