About
A list of when relatively simple shifts that had disproportionate effect on the world
Examples
- A cholera epidemic cure. Dr. Nalin helped to save estimated 40 millions of lives during and following a cholera epidemic in Bangladesh (1968) with a simple innovation: eight teaspoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and one litre of water. hat tip: 80000hours.org
A person with cholera usually has diarrhea and can lose up to 20 liters a day of water, 10-20% of their body weight, leading to death by dehydration. Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) helps to rehydrate the person.
If ORT were applied to all patients who needed it, some estimate an additional two million lives could be saved annually and global savings in healthcare from home use of ORT would reach $10–15 billion US each year.
500 million packs of the oral rehydration solution are used each year in more than 60 developing countries.
“No other single medical breakthrough of the 20th century has had the potential to prevent so many deaths over such a short period of time and at so little cost” - UNICEF 1987
source: wiki
- Malaria bed-nets. They saved millions of lives. This come from a simple innovation insecticide + net. And then it doesn't matter even if the net has wholes in it. source Right now one nest distributed by Against Malaria Foundation saves on average one life per ~3.3k USD donated to the program.Matt Ridley
- Baggage with wheels. One pilot realized that it will be much easier if people would add wheels to baggage. This instantly changed the way people carry baggage.
- Three pointers basketball revolution. Shooting three pointers in basketball. Whole basketball changed during Steph Curry career. It is weird because it was known earlier that even though 3-pointer harder to score it has a high enough success rate that it will bring more points if the whole team prioritized it as a strategy
- Explaining crime. Kim Gordon explains that about 60% of imprisoned people has brain injury vs below 5% in general population from on After On PodcastAnaka Harris
Alternative Name: Naively Obvious
Endocrinologist see hormonal sickness just by looking at people. It’s so obvious and ubiquitous that some has dilemma weather they should be telling this information to strangers on the street. from https://youtu.be/UwAIpowcEYE