Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : A BUG IN INJECTION MOLDING

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

A bug in injection molding – an injection-molded part in a bug?

Neither! Nature and injection molding have reached similar results.

Nature created the first micro-gear long before any human engineering existed. One such example is the Issus coleoptratus (shown in the picture).

Furthermore, only now are we reaching the point where injection-molded polymer microgears can approach this level of performance.

Looking at the images, which one do you think is the natural gear, and which one is the molded version?

It is not that easy to tell, right? Their appearance and operating principles are surprisingly similar.

Chitin, a natural linear polymer, forms what nature essentially "molds” into shape.

In engineering, we rely on advanced technical polymers to produce similar geometry through actual injection molding.

They are not the same material, yet they solve the same issue:

Stiffness, dimensional stability, and reliable function at a scale where tolerances dominate everything.

Nature’s micro-gears are „ancient” solutions.

Our micro-gears are modern engineering achievements.

It always amazes me how far ahead of us nature is.

What do you think?

Can biological structures inspire the next generation of micro-manufacturing technologies?

source : Jozsef Gabor KOVACS

Failure isn’t the opposite of success

 Here’s something no one tells you about failure.

If you failed, congratulations.

Seriously.

Most people don’t fail because they never even try.

From experience, failure usually isn’t a sign of incompetence.

It’s a sign of exposure.

It means:

You put work out there.

You took a risk.

You chose action over comfort.

The people who never fail?

They’re usually stuck perfecting drafts, waiting for permission, or staying quiet so they don’t look foolish.

Progress doesn’t come from getting it right the first time.

It comes from being willing to be wrong in public and learning faster because of it.

Failure isn’t the opposite of success.

Avoiding it is.

source : Chase Dimond

TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG

This is the fastest way to keep your brain young:

Be willing to feel stupid again.

The moment you stop learning, you start aging faster.

And I don't mean that metaphorically.

People will often treat learning like something with an end date.

You finish school, you land a job, you figure out how things work...

And then you just... stop.

You settle into what you know because it's comfortable.

Life gets too busy.

But your brain doesn't settle with you.

It's either growing or it's shrinking.

There's no staying the same.

Just take a look at this image.

One brain is active, lit up, building new connections.

The other is dim and slowly fading.

The difference between them isn't age, but simply whether you're still asking it to do new things.

Your brain can keep rewiring itself well into old age.

But only if you give it a reason to.

When you learn something new (a skill, a topic, a different way of thinking),

You build up what's called cognitive reserve.

Think of it like a buffer.

It protects you against dementia, mental decline, and against that foggy feeling that creeps in when you've been coasting too long.

And it doesn't stop there.

Staying curious actually changes how you handle stress and helps regulate your mood.

There's even evidence linking it to better physical health.

People who keep learning tend to stay sharper and healthier for longer.

Now, I'm not saying you need to go back to university.

Learning can look like:

→ Trying a hobby you've never touched before

→ Reading something outside your usual interests

→ Picking up a bit of a new language

→ Taking a short online course

→ Having real conversations with people who see the world differently

It doesn't take huge amounts of time or money.

It just takes being willing to feel like a beginner again.

All these small bits of learning add up.

But remember... so can stagnation.

So I'll leave you with this:

What's one thing you could explore this month that you genuinely know nothing about?

Doesn't have to be big.

Just has to be new.

♻️ Repost to educate someone in your network.

source : Gareth Lloyd for more on health & wellness.