The Verge: Innovation Takes A Lesson From Nature

I bumped into a new word recently - the verge.

There is an interesting article in Optimise Magazine about "The Seven Rules Of Innovation," in which the following powerful observation is made:

Ecological research shows that Mother Nature does her most radical innovations as far away from intense competition as possible. In the center of the ecosystem where competition is highest, if you try a breakthrough idea and it fails, you’re eaten. The only thing you can do safely in the center is incremental innovation. Mother Nature innovates most radically at the edge of the ecosystem, where it bumps up against another. This shared edge is called a verge.

When you go to the verge, you encounter things you ordinarily don’t bump into...

The biological term "mutualism" is the most powerful relationship in nature. It builds on differences so we combine our differences to allow us to solve problems neither of us can solve alone.