This week’s question doesn’t only question the potential application of a fascinating man-made material but more interestingly, highlights the two most decisive factors that determine the success of any technology – scalability/possibility of mass production and cost. The context of this question was our discussion on the least dense solids made by man till date.

Coming from a 4th grader, it is an impressive display of a very systematic thought-process. Once children are comfortable understanding a concept and its application, they naturally move on to figuring out the factors that make it viable in our daily lives. At the end of the day, science and technological innovations are meant to be for the betterment of our society!

Interestingly, an article published in a tech magazine last year addressed this very issue of what is limiting the boom of the aerogel industry currently?