This review explores how biological mechanisms used by organisms like worms, ants, and tree roots for interacting with soil can inspire innovative solutions in geotechnical engineering. It highlights ongoing research in areas such as soil penetration, anchorage, and thermal transport, emphasizing the potential benefits while acknowledging the challenges of scaling up these natural strategies for practical applications.

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The paper provides a valuable review of current research and future directions for bio-inspired geotechnics. It effectively synthesizes knowledge from different disciplines and highlights the potential of this emerging field, although many of the examples are still proof of concept and need further testing and evaluation before large-scale application. Thus, this is a thorough review paper, and the rating is capped at a 4 as it doesn't introduce any novel findings.