ring

The Third Step

LOOK

How to Be Aware of the Answers All Around You

 

People only see what they are prepared to see.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

In 1941 George de Mestral went on a hunting trip with his dog in the Swiss Alps. It was autumn, and the underbrush prickled with burrs—a kind of seed pod that sticks to an animal's fur. This is evolution's genius: animals carry the seeds far and wide, spreading the plant's offspring over a vast area. But the mechanism is annoying for dogs—and for their owners. Burrs were stuck all over de Mestral's dog, and also on his pants. Most dog owners never notice how cleverly burrs are designed; they just get annoyed ...

Get Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.