Your Curiosity Can Change the World

Curiosity is the Source of Creativity
Let's begin with the story of a physicist. In 2010, Andre Geim, a physicist, received the Nobel Prize in Physics for successfully isolating graphene. What is graphene? It is also known as monolayer graphite, which is graphite with only one atomic layer.

To illustrate with a concrete example, if a piece of graphite is like a book, then graphene is like a page of that book. However, graphene is much thinner than paper, with a thickness of only one millionth of a paper's thickness. When we lightly draw with a pencil, we are actually using dozens or even hundreds of layers of graphene.

Don't underestimate this technology; it is also known as one of the "greatest materials of the 21st century." The successfully isolated graphene has a hardness comparable to that of diamond, making it an ideal material for aerospace applications. Moreover, it is a highly sensitive sensor and can be used as an energy storage device. Batteries made from graphene can be charged in just a few seconds and last for over half a month.

But here comes the problem: we have to peel graphite to get graphene so that it can exhibit these remarkable properties. For decades, scientists tried various methods but failed to obtain monolayer graphene. Many of them gave up, believing that single-layer atomic graphite was impossible to exist.

However, the physicist Andre Geim did it. One day, he had a sudden idea inspired by watching students using tape to stick exam papers, and he observed that the traces of incorrect answers were transferred. He found it interesting and wondered if the same method could be used to peel graphene. With this idea in mind, he and his colleague Konstantin started their research, developing a special type of tape that they applied to both sides of a polished graphite piece. After repeatedly splitting the tape, they finally succeeded in isolating the world's first piece of graphene in 2004.

Curiosity is the Key to Sustained Success
You might say that Geim's success was just accidental. Not in the least. He openly stated that nearly all of his achievements were driven by his curiosity.

Back in 2000, he was bored and observed a group of superconducting magnets in his workshop, so strong that when you placed an object inside and adjusted the magnet's polarity, it would shoot out like a bullet. He had an idea: could the object be suspended in the middle if the magnet's angle and polarity were adjusted right, just like pressing two palms together with equal force without moving them?

But Geim thought that using ordinary objects for this experiment would be too mundane. He thought about using water instead. However, any mistake would be fatal to the equipment as water could penetrate and destroy it. Nevertheless, he didn't care and proceeded with the experiment. Surprisingly, the water droplet did float. His curiosity didn't stop there; he further wondered what would happen if a live organism was placed on it. So, he put a frog on the water droplet, and the frog successfully floated without any harm. Later, driven by curiosity, he mimicked the physiological structure of gecko palms and invented materials that allow people to walk on walls and roofs, taking biomimicry to new heights.

Letting Curiosity Bring Value: The 4 Steps
Curiosity is essential, but can we think that having curiosity alone guarantees success or the ability to change the world? Of course not. Ian Leslie tells us that there are four crucial steps to let curiosity bring value.

What are the four steps? Let's find them out in the story of Elon Musk, the Iron Man of Silicon Valley and CEO of Tesla.

Years ago, during a speech, Elon Musk mentioned an idea that stemmed from his curiosity: leading people to migrate to Mars after 2050. At the time, many people thought he was just bragging. However, in his biography "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future," he explained that this idea was not unrealistic but achievable.

So, what were the difficulties hindering his Mars migration plan? The answer was obvious: the technology level was insufficient to send so many people to Mars. What was the most urgent problem to address in technological development? It was the funding issue. To solve this problem, there were two paths: either make more money or significantly reduce unit costs.

With the current technology level, sending a person to Mars costs $10 billion, and sending a million people would cost $1 trillion. Making that much money within 50 years was clearly impossible. Thus, Elon Musk focused on reducing the cost, setting himself a specific goal—$200,000. If he could reduce the cost of sending a person to Mars to $200,000, his ambitious goal could be achieved.

Then, he designed four solutions to lower the cost:

1. Reusing rockets: The most significant cost of rocket launches is materials. Once rockets can be reused, the cost can be significantly reduced. To achieve this, Musk had already registered a space company, and by 2015, they had successfully completed the rocket recycling program.
2. Refueling spaceships in the air: If the spaceship is fully fueled when taking off for Mars, its weight will increase threefold, requiring more fuel for the trip and driving up the cost. However, if fuel can be refueled in the air, the cost can be reduced hundreds of times.
3. Finding alternative energy sources on Mars to manufacture fuel.
4. Selecting the most cost-effective fuel: Musk chose methane because Mars's underground layers are filled with abundant methane, which can be produced at low cost.

Through these steps, Elon Musk reevaluated the cost of sending a person to Mars and successfully reduced it to $200,000. You might wonder if Musk's grand vision will come true. It's not 2050 yet, so it remains to be seen. But on February 7, 2018, SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying Musk's personal car. Then, on May 31, 2020, SpaceX successfully launched another rocket, this time carrying two astronauts. Musk's dream is getting closer and closer to reality.

Conclusion (continued):
Alright, that's all for today. Let's summarize the key points:

1. Psychologists call curiosity "cognitive need." People with strong curiosity and high cognitive needs are more adventurous and eager to explore the world in various ways, which can greatly impact their success.
2. Curiosity, alongside intelligence, plays a vital role in determining success. Curiosity has four times the impact on success compared to intelligence, according to a study at the University of London.
3. To let curiosity bring value, there are four crucial steps:
   a) Set a specific goal for your curiosity, just like Elon Musk's goal to lead people to migrate to Mars after 2050.
   b) Continuously analyze the fundamental reasons that hinder you from achieving your goal, as Musk's goal was limited by the current technology level and funding constraints.
   c) Quantify your goal, making it feasible and realistic, like Musk's aim to reduce the cost of sending a person to Mars to $200,000.
   d) Minimize the costs associated with your goal, similar to Musk's solutions of reusing rockets, refueling spaceships in the air, finding alternative energy sources on Mars, and selecting cost-effective fuel.
4. Once you believe that the costs associated with your goal are within your reach, take action and start working towards it, just as Elon Musk did.

Remember, curiosity is a powerful driving force that can lead to remarkable achievements and change the world. With a curious mindset and determination to overcome challenges, you can unleash your full potential and make a significant impact in your field of interest.

Thank you for reading, and see you tomorrow for more insights and knowledge. Have a great day!