Serendipity is when a person finds or discovers something by chance. For example, when George De Mestral, a Swiss engineer was walking his dog some of those pesky burrs got stuck to his clothes. He then examined the burrs and noticed that they had small which allowed them to attach easily to the fabric. This inspired the design that led to Velcro, this is an example of an invention that happened by chance.
Errors occur quite often, and those who advance oftentimes learn from their mistakes. Sometimes, mistakes can lead to new innovative ideas. For example, such as Viagra which was first created to treat patients suffering from angina, a heart condition that causes pressure in someone’s chest. The drug was ineffective at treating angina, but it was discovered that the patients who took the little blue pill were able to maintain a longer erection (Concordia University, 2021).
Exaptation is when you have invented something, and you then repurpose the original invention into that invention for a new purpose. For example, the classic children’s toy play-doh was originally invented to be a household cleaning product. It was invented by a soap company, and it was supposed to be used as a ready-made wallpaper. The ingredients consisted of salt, flour, and water which was a malleable substance that kids enjoyed playing with. The company was then convinced that it could be more profitable by creating a play substance that children can play with as a toy. The company then created the substance in various colors and re-branded it into a toy. Play-doh was discovered by chance. Another innovative product that was discovered by chance was Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola was originally intended to counteract morphine additions. The inventor, Dr. John Pemberton was addiction morphine after he was seriously injured in a fight. Dr. Pemberton was a pharmacist who wanted to create a cure for his own addiction, and his plan was to use cocaine in a liquid form to help curb his morphine addiction. The drink has used as an alternative to morphine to help alleviate anxiety and headaches. It was used to relieve symptoms associated with nervousness and exhaustion. It was later discovered that this tasty treat could be marketed a sweet, tasty treat by removing the coca and adding more sugar. Coca-Cola is now one of the top-selling carbonated beverages in the world (Bellette, 2019).
References
Bellette. (2019). 5 Inventions That Ended Up With A Different Purpose. Retrieved on September 27, 2022, from https://bellette.com.au/dig-deeper/5-inventions-that-ended-up-with-a-different-purpose
Concordia
University. (2021). 9 Successful Inventions Made by Accident. Retrieved on
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