Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The power of persistence and determination

This is quite a young man. I love people with dedication. I'll take that over geniuses.


  • Pancreatic cancer is a devastatingly fatal form of cancer, and is typically regarded as the most deadly and universally rapid-killing form of cancer
  • A 15-year-old freshman high school student, Jack Andraka, invented a dipstick-type sensor to detect pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer that is 168 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive, and 400 times more sensitive than the current standard of detection. The test costs three cents, takes five minutes, and has a 90 percent accuracy rate
  • His primary research tools were Google, Wikipedia, and freely available research studies—online resources available to virtually anyone on the planet with an internet connection
  • Three lifestyle issues known to contribute to pancreatic cancer are sugar/fructose consumption, lack of exercise, and vitamin D deficiency