Chiefs: Rachel Armstrong, Ken Timmis

Many key inventions are made by chance – an idea floating into the brain while in the shower, a chance meeting with someone who delivers a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle of a new idea/concept, etc. But others are planned, and obtaining the bits of key information needed to realise the discovery are all part of a defined strategy. In these cases, time may be a relatively independent parameter of the discovery process. However, some discoveries are driven by a desperate need. Not all will progress as rapidly as desired, but the pressure of the need – personal, familial, societal – makes sure that progress goes as fast as is humanly possible. This is the basis of the phrase necessity is the mother of invention. Saving lives is a common form of necessity and the unbelievable speed of development of vaccines for Covid-19 which saved millions of lives is an obvious example. Let’s explore the microbiological discoveries born of necessity

Necessity-the-Mother-of-Invention-Humans Gallery

Contents

• Necessity: reducing greenhouse gas emissions of construction industry to slow global warming; Invention: biobricks Rachel Armstrong.
• Necessity: reducing greenhouse gas emissions of construction industry to slow global warming; Invention: bioconcrete Rachel Armstrong
• Necessity: global warming and high environmental footprint of construction industry; Invention: construction biomaterials Rachel Armstrong
• Necessity: reduce environmental pollution, energy need and greenhouse gas emission footprints of buildings by upcycling wastes and reducing consumption; Invention: smart and integrated bioservices Rachel Armstrong