Resourceful Resources: Materials Make a Difference During the Pandemic

There’s a very fine line between scientific discovery and fortuity.

The two are not mutually exclusive, though the latter is not always a catalyst for the former. Working in tandem, the pair have beget countless extraordinary advancements throughout history, from the discovery of gravity and radioactivity to the breakthrough creation of X-rays and penicillin.

None of these developments, however, would have been possible without the capacity for interpretation and observation. Certainly, luck has had an integral role in many modern innovations, but good fortune can only breed great progress through astute awareness and insight. As French microbiologist Louis Pasteur once noted, “...Chance favors only the prepared mind.”

For only prepared minds can recognize the opportunity generated by chance, turning unexpected or chance developments into “Eureka!” moments instead of roadblocks. The discovery of gravity, for example, exemplifies the privilege of chance observation and creative insight: Sir Isaac Newton wasn’t the first (or only) person to notice an apple falling from a tree, but he