Exploring Complex Problems Through the Lens of Nature: What If We Applied the Same Principles to the Universe?

Ever have one of those days where your mind starts drawing connections between completely unrelated things? That’s where I am today. This is one of those ‘thinking out loud’ moments, so bear with me for a second.

In our pursuit of understanding complex problems, sometimes the answers lie in unexpected places. For many of us working in technology, business, or science, we face challenges that seem too vast or intricate to fully comprehend. But one thing I’ve learned is that sometimes, to solve the most complex problems, it helps to look at something we already understand deeply: nature. It often already has the answers, we just have to pay attention.

After all, we learned to fly by studying birds. The Wright brothers observed how birds changed the shape of their wings to steer, which inspired the control surfaces in airplanes. Velcro was invented after a scientist noticed how burrs stuck to his dog’s fur. We even designed high-speed bullet trains with aerodynamic noses modelled after a kingfisher’s beak to reduce noise and improve efficiency.

Nature follows patterns of adaptation, renewal, and optimization. Take our own skin, for example. It continuously sheds and regenerates, with older cells being replaced by new ones, keeping us protected and resilient. But what if this principle of continual renewal and recycling extends beyond our skin?

Could the Earth itself work the same way; its crust constantly reshaped by the core, with old landmasses eroding and new ones forming? And if we zoom out even further, could galaxies and black holes follow similar cycles of destruction and rebirth?

The more I think about it, the more I see fascinating parallels that might offer new ways to understand the world around us.

From Skin Cells to Earth’s Crust: A Cycle of Renewal

We are all familiar with the concept of the Earth’s crust constantly being recycled, with new material being created from the core and old material being pushed to the surface. The core of the Earth generates heat, driving the tectonic processes that lead to the movement of plates, volcanic activity, and ultimately the renewal of the crust. As old crust is destroyed and pushed down into the mantle, new crust is formed from volcanic eruptions, perpetuating a cycle of creation and destruction that keeps the planet dynamic.

Now, let’s connect this process to our skin cells. Just as older skin cells are sloughed off and replaced by new cells, the Earth is constantly refreshing its surface. The core, like a hidden powerhouse, drives the recycling and renewal of the crust, maintaining a balance that keeps the planet alive and constantly evolving. Could this principle of regeneration in nature be a useful framework for solving other complex systems?

What If Galaxies Follow the Same Principle?

This line of thinking naturally leads to a deeper exploration of the universe. Let’s consider the massive black hole at the centre of most galaxies. In a way, could it serve a function similar to the core of the Earth, renewing and driving the galaxy’s evolution? Black holes are often thought of as destructive forces, sucking in everything that comes too close. But they also expel massive amounts of energy and material, shaping the very fabric of galaxies.

Could the black hole at the centre of a galaxy be recycling matter, just as the Earth’s core recycles the crust? The material that falls into the black hole - gas, dust, even stars - may eventually be re-emitted in the form of energy or relativistic jets, driving star formation and influencing the conditions necessary for new planetary systems to form. In this sense, the black hole could be seen not just as a destroyer, but as a creator renewing the galaxy in a way that mirrors the process of tectonic activity on Earth.

That got me thinking. Earth’s core rotation generates a magnetic field that protects us from harmful solar radiation. In fact, black holes can also generate magnetic fields around their accretion disks. If Earth’s magnetic field shields us from radiation, what might a black hole’s magnetic field do on a galactic scale? Could it act as a boundary, keeping other forces or even other galaxies at bay? The parallel is intriguing.

The Parallels in Nature: How Understanding One System Can Help Us Solve Others

When you step back and view these ideas side by side, the parallels are striking. Whether it’s the constant renewal of skin cells, the recycling of Earth’s crust, or the dynamic processes of a galaxy’s central black hole, the theme of continuous transformation is everywhere in nature. By recognizing this pattern, we might start to see new solutions to problems in other areas. Be it in business, technology, or even human behaviour.

For instance, in business, we can apply this idea of continuous renewal to organizational health. Just as the Earth must constantly renew its crust to remain active, a business must refresh and adapt its strategies, technologies, and processes to stay competitive and sustainable. The balance between destruction and creation, whether it’s a product that needs to be retired to make way for innovation, or a culture that needs refreshing, mirrors the natural processes of our planet and universe.

What If? The Power of Asking Big Questions

The true power of this thinking lies in the “what if?”, what if the same natural principles that govern life on Earth also govern larger systems, like galaxies or even the universe? What if we could unlock new solutions to age-old problems by drawing inspiration from nature’s processes of recycling and renewal?

By looking at familiar systems through a new lens - whether it’s our skin cells, the Earth’s crust, or a galaxy’s black hole - we might find new ways to approach our most complex challenges. The interconnectedness of nature, from the microscopic to the cosmic, can serve as a powerful model for understanding and solving problems across all domains.

Conclusion: Embrace the Cycle of Renewal

So next time you’re faced with a tough problem, take a step back and think about nature’s cycles of renewal and recycling. Whether it’s Earth’s core, the regeneration of skin, or the creative destruction of black holes, there’s a lot to learn from the forces that shape our world. Embrace the "what ifs" - and remember, the answers might just lie in the patterns that nature has been following all along. Or perhaps I just have a wandering mind. Maybe I should rename the title of this article to 'Wandering Mind'… What do I know? I dunno.