Wasp Nests and the Universe

Can you believe this wasp nest?  My assistant found it in her backyard in her crabapple tree and brought it to school, where the children examined it in-depth (all the wasps were gone, of course).  All summer long the lush leaves covered the amazing handiwork of the wasps and the nest was only finally revealed in the winds of fall.  The intricacy of what nature produces makes me realize that the universe has  revealed to us only a tiny bit of what is possible.  If wasps can get together and create something so practical yet beautiful, what are we capable of if we use our collective intellect?  My son has been talking about an "elevator" tethered from earth to a distant space outpost that would serve as a launching pad to deep space.  One of the books I'm reading posits 11 dimensions.  There is so much to learn!