Berengario's drill: origin and inspiration

Serendipity, Generosity, and Inspiration

Inspiration (and perspiration) from biology.

The exquisite structures produced by biological systems provide inspiration for the fabrication of nanomaterials. We sometimes forget, however, that Nature can provide muscle while serving as a Muse--a wide array of nanosystems are produced biologically that can be used for the design of functional materials. At the 2007 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting in Boston, Symposium MM (Biomolecu...

My Inspiration

I sometimes have difficulty walking and use a cane. Recently on a journey to Northern Arizona, I knew I was going to pass near an iconic image of the Colorado River and the desire to witness that sight kept teasing me. I had read about the access to Horseshoe Bend and knew that it included a walk through sand that was about a mile from the parking lot. Although the hike was described in the gui...

Khaki Drill and Skin Irritation

Sir,?The following facts may possibly be of interest to your readers and of use in cases similar to my own. For several years I suffered from an irritating skin disease which, without pathological examination of scrapings, was diagnosed variously as " tinea" or "lichen." Various doctors prescribed various ointments ?chrysarobin, benzoic, resorcin, salicylic, etc., etc., and iodine liniment, all...

On speaking, writing and inspiration

eggs unlike their own? One possibility is that they are new hosts, with insufficient time to have evolved defences. The other is that defences are costly — for example, egg rejection may involve recognition errors — and parasitism levels may be below the threshold where it pays to sustain these costs. Even among host species that have evolved egg rejection, individuals are less likely to reject...