Here’s an interesting science tidbit courtesy my weekly horoscope:
A few years ago, scientists at the University of California discovered a method for unboiling an egg. Through a combination of chemical treatment and a spin through a high-powered vortex machine, hard-boiled egg whites returned to their liquid state.
While the experiments involved eggs, the discovery is intended to help speed the processing of certain lab-created cancer proteins, which often turn to gunk during production. By proving that egg protein could be returned to a liquid state, scientists showed the process would also work for the cancer proteins, shaving weeks off the time needed to create and study them. You can read about it here.
Is there a life lesson here? Can we unboil metaphorical eggs with a similar mental process?
Like a lot of people, I get set in my ways, even when those ways don’t work as well as I’d like them to. Trying something new, upending my philosophies, or changing my outlook will require significant effort while providing no certainty of payoff.
But are those qualities baked in (pun intended)? Is it possible to tease out the helper proteins – creativity, health, balance, community – from all the useless gunk?
This week, I’ll be thinking about what’s not working for me anymore – processes, goals, results – and considering how to separate the good from the crap.