George Whitesides: Toward a science of simplicity

Simplicity



Great consumer products, high-impact scientific research, superhit songs,  meaningful engineering inventions share one common trait, they are simple.



Professor George Whitesides (Harvard, who has the highest H-index of all living chemists) discusses his philosophical view about simplicity.



Something interesting to think about!

17 year old teenager invents VetiGel which can stop bleeding instantly

I would say this is a great invention. What could we learn from this invention?


I read this article from following source.


http://www.techworm.net/2015/06/17-year-old-teenager-invents-vetigel-which-can-stop-bleeding-instantly.html

17 year old teenager develops miracle product VetiGel, which can stop bleeding within seconds

A novel invention can now prevent patients from painful stitches whenever they have deep cuts or wounds.

Joe Landolina, a TED Fellow, now 22 year old invented an algae based polymer, VetiGel when he was just 17 years old and this miracle gel when applied to the wound can stop bleeding within seconds.

VetiGel is manufactured by a bio-tech firm “Suneris”, which has been co-founded by Landolina, who is also CEO of this firm.

As per an announcement made last week, Suneris would be shipping VetiGel to the Veterinary physicians around summer this year. Once the product gets sufficient consent from the authorities the gel can also be made available for the use of humans.

Landolina explained the working of this miracle gel. He says that as soon as the gel is injected into the site of a wound, within a matter of 12 seconds the gel helps in the clot formation thus the wound gets healed permanently within a matter of few minutes.

While speaking to Business Insider, Landolina said: “The fastest piece of equipment we have measures every 12 seconds. So we know that it happens in less than 12 seconds.”

Landolina then also mentioned that an individual batch of gel would begin as an algae, each made up of minuscule polymers. The individual polymers can be further broken down into tinier pieces which would resemble like the LEGO blocks. These tiny blocks can be put together in the form of a gel which is later injected into the site of  wound.

Once the gel comes in contact with the damaged tissue it forms a mesh-like structure instantaneously. The damaged tissue could be in the form of an open skin or even some biopsied portion of major organs such as liver, kidneys or spleens.

Landolina says: “What that means, on the one hand, is that the gel will make a very strong adhesive that holds the wound together. But on the other hand, that mesh acts as a scaffold to help the body produce fibrin at the wound’s surface.”

What happens during clotting of blood:

Fibrinogen is a soluble protein which is present in blood plasma which by the action of enzyme thrombin produces Fibrin, which is an insoluble protein. Fibrin is responsible for the production of fibrous mesh which blocks the flow of blood, this process is termed as blood clotting. So basically Fibrin is an essential ingredient in blood clotting and for tissue repair processes.

Fibrin plays an important role in sealing the blood leaks thus it helps VetiGel not only to stop the flow of blood but also to heal the damaged tissue. Hence, within a matter of few minutes of its application the skin heals allowing the gel to be removed safely.

While he was still in high school and just 17 years old, an early version of the gel was invented by Landolina from his grandfather’s lab.

 Landolina and a junior then entered the gel in a business competition where he applied as a freshman at New York University.  In comparison to the graduate students and university professors they were the only undergraduates participating and finally they won a second place in the competition.

Just like VetiGel, the inventor of this fast acting miracle gel was pretty fast.

Landolina took only four and a half years to shape the prototype of his miracle gel into business. Isaac Miller is Landolina’s project partner as well as co-founder and CFO of Suneris.

On Monday, Suneris has made VetiGel available to the (four-legged) masses. Veterinarian offices can now pre-oreder VetiGel and Suneris announced that it’s Brooklyn office will ship the products later this year, around summer.

Landolina’s VetiGel has now started taking shape.

As per Landolina, Suneris envisages on a US rollout first followed by European markets and plans to enter the Asian markets earlier next year.

The first roll out of Suneris would be a five pack of five milliliter syringes which would cost around$ 150.

With an aim to expand its manufacturing, Suneris has entered into a partnership with VetPlus which is a UK based company that manufactures the veterinary medicines.

Landolina says that within a matter of few years, Suneris aims to reach out to treat human species as well with its miracle VetiGel product.

Landolina foresees his miracle VetiGel to first help the military personnel and EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) who treat traumatic injuries and then move to operating rooms and lastly to individual households. However, the product would first require to receive FDA approval to test the gel on human wounds and Landolina expects to receive this approval within a year.

Landolina says: “Suneris has yet to observe any negative side effects of VetiGel.” Further to ensure that the product suffices the requirement, Suneris also conducts weekly meetings with the veterinarians.

Besides, VetiGel there is one more product known as Vitagel which has the similar properties to stop bleeding instantly which uses more or less similar methods like VetiGel.

Hopefully, VetiGel proves to be safe for animals and humans; thus we too can envisage a future where humans would no longer have to panic on non stop gushing of blood from deep cuts in some accidents or emergency situations.

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Madhumakshika and Bees

Madhumakshika is the sanskrit word for bee. Just as a bee collects nectar from different flowers and produces sweet tasting and nourishing honey, this group, in the same way, is aimed at the production and synthesis of nourishing and  powerful ideas from blooming and thriving minds.

The Rig Veda says 'Let noble thoughts come from every side'. This group is aimed at the collecting and assimilating ideas of all participating individuals, regardless of their background or where they come from. We should work like butterflies collecting ideas from everyone to metamorphosis and grow into something new everyday.

The beauty of life is that it gives us invaluable lessons to learn and grow even through -the most seemingly banal occurrences. The apple that fell from the tree made Sir Isaac Newton realize the concept of gravity,

Buddha became The Enlightened One as he sat under a tree and there was that great king, who was defeated in the war but learnt never to give up from a spider trying climbing up the wall. The king went on to win his next battle and so can we; many battles we face in our day-to-day lives if we pay attention to small things that make a huge difference.-

Here are life lessons from bees that we can learn:-

Excellent Communication Skill

Bees are excellent communicators and always stay in touch with their hives when they go out looking for food. They keep the entire group in the loop; any vital tips like where vast amounts of pollen can be found are relayed to other members. Every business and personal relationship can benefit from such effective communication where there no secrets kept.

Quick Learners

Bees are quick learners and use their natural surroundings to know what they can extract the most out of. Bees are observant in choosing the kind of flowers that give them good rewards but can as easily discard them in adverse weather conditions when they are of no use to them.

Believe in Team Work

Bees are team players as they work for each other. They work together in large groups; if an individual or a part of the group fails; other members make up of for it. That’s why productivity never suffers.

Stick to Tasks Assigned

Bees stick to tasks assigned to them and complete them to the best of their abilities. There is a defined hierarchy; male bees mate, house bees build hives etc. Bees assume roles given to them without a grouse and fulfill them with aplomb. After all, every task is important.

Multi Utility Products

Bees make multi utility products; besides honey that has its numerous uses, their wax is used in cosmetics, their hives are architects’ inspiration. So our goal should be to create products or services that have relevance in many fields.-

Highly Adaptable

They are highly adaptable to drastic changes in their surroundings and can get back to their jobs instantly. Only if we learned to be so adaptable to change.

Strong Sense of Responsibility

Bees are known to have a strong sense of responsibility. This is difficult to imbibe because it cannot be forced but has to be cleverly inculcated. Bees naturally have a strong work ethic; in fact they thrive on their work. -

Bees offer many such precious lessons, so don’t bee-little them but watch and learn. We should keep improving our personal ability or quality required to meet the demand of personal ambition and for success. I believe WE can do!!!-