Compsci is closer to Math than to Engineering. While you can study nature to find useful algorithms and approaches to solving real world problems, the fact something is not useful or solves no real problem never stopped mathematicians from exploring the idea. The very distinction of real problems from less real ones is totally strange to mathematicians. ;-)

It usually works out that the useless math of one day becomes very useful some later day, usually in an incredibly unexpected way. It is also usual that physicist tend to discover a use well before any engineers start poking around it.

As for observing nature, it's also frequent that engineers find ways to control and use something well before physicists have any clue as to how and why it works.