The Best Ideas Arise from a Passionate Interest in Commonplace Things

The best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things Mankind has show a profound ability to draw inspiration from even the most mundane situations and surroundings. Throughout history, the commonplace has often spurred uncommon achievements for impassioned thinkers including Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac newton. In modern times, the scientific community increasingly gleans groundbreaking ideas from the natural world in the emerging field of biomimicry.Archimedes eureka moment in the can is the stuff of legend, exactly it is unlikely the great mathematician and inventor would have delivered the famed remark without pursuing his profound interest in hydrodynamics and the intertwined relationships of buoyancy and displacement. On one hand, water was (and remains) a ubiquitous presence for the seafaring Greeks. Likewise, anyone who has watched a child in the bathtub can relate to the simple joys it affords.Archimedes eponymous principle, however, took a natu ral interest in water and floating bodies several steps further to determine whether a crown was made of solid gold and discover define the laws of physics. Leonardo da Vinci, the archetypal Renaissance Man, was unquestionably inspired by commonplace things throughout his feverishly productive life. One must find out no further than the geniuss manuscripts and notebooks for evidence that da Vinci was intensely curious about some of the worlds most normal elements.Studies of the human beings body, certainly among the most familiar of forms, are likely the masters most replicated composition. Perhaps it is no coincidence the Italians Vitruvian Man pen-and-ink cogitation ranks among the most well-known and reproduced drawings in the world. Whether Leonardos passion and interest in reproducing the human body contributed to his other innovations and wiles beyond art is difficult to assess, but one thing is certain da Vincis unquenchable thirst for knowledge of his earthly surroundi ngs was inextricably tied to his ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.The unlikely course of events that lead Isaac Newton to formulate the theory of gravity offers an example of a revolutionary idea spurred by something as banal as a piece of fruit. What is the invisible force that causes an apple to fall to the ground? the great thinker wondered. While some have disputed the veracity of Newtons apple incident, there is no doubting the role the everyday world played in conjunction with Newtons observant and reflective mind.While the laws of motion took years to fully devise and compose, there is perhaps no better illustration of the nascent brilliance the human mind is capable of uncover when awakened by the natural elements. Many of the worlds leading contemporary minds continue to find inspiration in their environs. Over the last decade, the scientific community has become more willing to turn to nature for answers to difficult questions. As it turns out, p otentially outstanding ideas have often been tested and confirmed or rejected by the flora and fauna all around us through natural selection, according to pioneers in the biomimicry field.Proponents of biomimicry have studied humpback colossus flippers as a means to improve wind turbine performance and plant leaves as a model for green cleaning process that some paints and make materials now incorporate. Clearly there is much still to be learned from nature. It has been a long time coming, but it appears many in the world are prepared to accept that the best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things. Perhaps necessity is not the true mother of invention history demonstrates that inquiring minds and Mother Nature herself more often inspire greatness.