Strange things—sometime exciting and unexpected things—happen at the edge, a place that can inspire both creativity and craziness. We can be “on edge,” be “pushed to the edge,” or be “on the cutting edge.” As gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson once wrote: “[T]here is no honest way to explain [the edge] because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” But if one can avoid falling off the precipice, edges often provide some unique perspectives on our social, cultural, or scientific landscape. Nature provides important lessons about why this happens.