A while ago I remember reading about a breakthrough discovery - inspired by the structure of a specific pasta - to bridge spinal cord injuries. Titled the 'bucatini project,' Italian researchers developed a tube which would allow regrowth of spinal cords by giving cells a new "point of reference". Taking inspiration from everything around you, like food, seems like the best kind of design to me, as you are using things that are already concrete to then build up on them.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20927993.800-spaghetti-junction-bridges-gaps-in-broken-spines.html