Technology Morphology

        The roar of machinery is overwhelming.  This is not the dull hum associated with a factory manufacturing setting, but instead a much more dynamic cochlear imposition.  Which is impressive, considering the outdoor environ, with no concrete walls or metal roofs in sight to amplify the sound.

         There’s plenty of equipment here, everything moving at its own cadence, executing its own task.  And contributing to the collective racket.

        All these mechanisms are designed to operate outside, impervious to adverse atmospheric conditions.  Which can vary widely throughout the year; weather is quite diverse and dynamic here in the direct middle of the United States.

          From a geographical standpoint, the continent of North America is rather well endowed.  Plentiful lakes and rivers.  Mountain peaks, rolling hills, and expansive plains.  Substantial flora and fauna biome diversity.  Large oceans on the east and west coasts, with friendly national neighbors along the entire width of this land mass, to both the north and south.

          As a result, levering just a small amount of acreage, the United States can grow and harvest enough crops to feed its large and dispersed population.  Much of this sustenance emanates from the middle portion of America.  Often dubbed fly-over country. 

        Midwesterners sometimes even get confused about which state the live in, given the similar geography and weather across the entire region.  That’s why Iowa needs to write the name on its state flag. 

         Iowa is middling on nearly every relevant metric.  Located near the center of the contiguous U.S.  The 29th entity to join the Union.  23rd from an acreage standpoint, and almost square in shape.  31st in terms of population. 

       However, there’s one category where Iowa ranks near the top of the class.  Agriculture production.  This ordinary state is second in the nation, trailing only the much larger land mass and vastly more populated California.  This produce and pig proclivity is a result of many beneficial factors: fertile soil, temperate weather, flat terrain, available water.

       Appropriately, Iowa itself translates to “beautiful land” in the tongue of the Native Americans, who occupied this region long before the state was officially founded.

        As a testament to the agriculture affluence, hogs outnumber humans here by a 7 to 1 ratio.  Nourishing this many swine requires an immense amount of feed.  Crops grown throughout the state don’t usually go directly to supermarkets in city centers, but often head just down the road to be used as fodder.

        Impressively, 92% of the land mass in Iowa is used for agronomy.  This results in a rural living, clean air, and fresh food atmosphere which local residents rave about.  Current estimates suggest this state generates 1/6th of the entire country’s foodstuffs, ranking first in corn, eggs, and pork production, along with playing second fiddle for soybeans and beef.  A lot of Americans would go hungry without this prolific output.

        Iowa is divided into 9 essentially equal agricultural districts by area.  The relatively square shape of the state, with essentially flat topography, allows for a simple grid structure to be established using existing county lines.  The format resembles a tic-tac-toe game board, denominated by standard cardinal direction monikers, with Des Moines, and Grundy County, lying directly in the central zone.

         Located just northeast of the Des Moines city center, state capital, and populous urban hub, Grundy is a very fertile farming region.  Directly in the middle of the state, this location is blessed with valuable trucking lanes via I-80 east to west, and I-35 north to south.

      Grundy County is the top agriculture producer in the state by sales revenue, tallying nearly half a billion dollars annually.  There are nearly 600 farms in this district alone, with an average farm size of almost 600 acres.  Due to consolidation, the number of operations has shrunk, with the overall size of each resultingly growing. 

        Even with these mergers, the demographics haven’t changed.  Nearly every farm owner is white, over 35 years of age, and part of a historical family operation.  Farming, while not incredibly lucrative, can allow a decent living to be made.  While business models vary, revenue breakdown here, like much of the state, is 3/4th crops, and 1/4th livestock. 

          The overwhelming majority of cropland is devoted to corn for grain and soy for beans.  Other local produce, grown in much lower quantities, include peas, potatoes, melons, hay, berries, and greenhouse vegetables.  Pigs and hogs are by far the largest livestock offering in Grundy County. 

         One new revenue stream is vegetable seed oils, becoming increasingly popular and prevalent with consumers, thus increasing demand.  Anything that can be planted for a profit will be, executed by at least one of the many entrepreneurial growers in this fertile farming zone. 

        The expansive operation here, at over 8k acres, highlights the recent merger trend in the industry.  Beyond sheer scale, this farm is also an outlier due to the diversity of crops raised and harvested.  Many of which are enabled by genetically engineered seedlings, with a multitude of enhance growth properties. 

         Modern modified crops have come a long way from the natural plant offerings which were cultivated in these local fields for centuries.  There’s a lot of redeeming for Iowa to do in that regard.  One of this region’s prior crop contributions is now known as potentially the worst fruit invention of all time. 

        Selected for fast growth, desirable shape, and bright color, as opposed to crunchy bite, juicy inside, and sweet aroma, it’s a miracle this product ever became popular.  The Red Delicious was first discovered in this state way back in the 1870’s.  Most consumers would be happy if that abomination of an apple never left the Peru, Iowa farm where the first seedlings were discovered and fostered.

     Apparently, shoppers in those days were more interested in aesthetics than taste.  Fortunately, this new line of genetically engineered plants combines vibrancy, looks, flavor, and heartiness in an unbeatable combination.  Good thing, since modern civilization needs all the sustenance which can be generated on increasingly small swaths of land.

         Farming is either directly or indirectly responsible for several key elements of modern human existence: feed, food, fuel, and fibers. 

       As the calendar transitioned into the 2030’s, global population crossed 9 billion souls, with the last billion added almost exclusively in Africa and Southeast Asia.  Meanwhile, China’s tally of inhabitants continues to shrink, and India’s growth has stagnated, despite the manipulated numbers coming in from both governmental entities. 

       At least from an arable acreage standpoint there’s still hope for the Global South.  Only 7% of terrain in China is fit for farming, while 64% of the African continent is classified as such.  The zone from the Red Sea to the Java Sea falls somewhere in the middle, depending on how much drought or flooding is being experienced locally in a given month.  However, Africa is disadvantaged by many factors: climate change warming, lack of infrastructure, limited farming technology, unstable geopolitics.

       The global population, while growing at a slower rate in recent decades, will need to be fed in the face of increasingly volatile weather worldwide.  The confluence of challenges to civilization continue to mount.  Fortunately, humanity is resourceful, equipped with many tools to solve any challenge.  Provided these immense resources are allocated effectively.

      Over 800 million people go hungry on Planet Earth each day, with 60% of these suffering individuals living in conflict zones.  Global temperature rise is a huge concern; 200 million individuals are in danger if averages rise 2°C, and 1.8 billion exposed at a 4°C increase.  Floods, droughts, and catastrophic storms, outlier events which are all on becoming more prevalent recently, put both crops and livestock at risk.

     Basic grains, like rice, corn, and wheat, are key stables for human subsistence.  As such, these starches make great targets for bioengineering.  Even minor advances in yield, via faster growth, increased nutrients, or damage resistance, can have major beneficial effects on the vastest stage.

     However, many of the regions experiencing substantial and expanding population are in developing nations, with limited scientific capabilities.  As a result, it’s necessary for the developed world to support seed research and validation.  This Grundy County megafarm is a prefect model for the next generation of agriculture.  Hopefully relevant learnings can be scaled around the planet in coming years.

    There’s a distinct irony that, while the global collective continues to expand, people are definitely not evenly distributed.  As evidenced by the fact that here, in the heartland of America, it’s nearly impossible to find an able-bodied individual interested in earning a living wage, by toiling with their hands all day long.

       Due to the challenges with finding manual labor amongst the next generation of lazy humans in affluent countries, new mechanized means are now taking holds.  Just as the seed inputs, fertilizer applied, and crop rotation have been curated through scientific advancement, irrigation methods, tilling techniques, and harvest protocols are being equally aided by engineering optimization.

     Automated, instrumented, farming is now the norm here in Iowa, one of the most fertile regions on the North American continent, which is at the cutting edge of this innovation wave.

        Historical techniques to increase crop yield have been based around efficient planting techniques: multiple harvests, plant selection, efficient spacing, mechanized equipment.  Adventurous farming operations now have a new tool, invisible to the eye, but powerful in terms of results, at their disposal.  Genetically engineered seeds.  

     First-generation genetically modified organism crops garnered a bad reputation in the market, and thus faced challenges with adoption from consumers.  Some aggressive rebranding has been necessary to change this skeptical sentiment.

        This advertising is being funded by collaboration between the big farma, a clever term used to describe the budding agricultural biotech industry, and governments, ranging from the local to national level.  Odd bedfellows, but when financial goals are aligned, anything is possible.

        GMO is a broad term used to describe any manipulation to an entity’s genetic material.  In the past, such science has been achieved by introducing foreign DNA, then monitoring random mutations in a population of plants.  As a result, it can be very difficult to separate cause from effect in this forced selection approach. 

       In contrast, new CRISPR technology is very targeted, with a specific DNA segment, and plant outcome, in mind for each trial.  From an efficiency, timeline, specificity, cost, and repeatability standpoint, the CRISPR approach is clearly superior.  Which conveniently allows for some clever customer rebranding as well.

       In 2018, the USDA ruled it considered CRISPR modification of crops similar to natural breeding development, albeit accelerated.  In contrast, the EU, in this same calendar year, deemed that GMO and CRISPR scientific manipulations were essentially the same, both utilizing the process of mutagenesis, and thus each technique needing to be extensively scrutinized.

     Following this legislative decision, genetically engineered crops have proliferated broadly in the American agricultural complex during the past decade plus.  At this point, over 100 commercial CRISPR crops are approved by the FDA, with well over half of all produce grown across the country coming from seeds with some type of DNA modification.  No surprisingly, Europe, and the world at large, has lagged with regards to prototype plant adoption.

      The distinction between curated, engineered, and modified is a subtle one.  Many common fruits and vegetables are a result of decades of selective natural breeding and blending.  Tactful genetic modification just takes this organic reproduction mechanism and amplifies it. 

     The trick for successful biological innovations involves combining organically occurring traits with modern farming varietals, to create a healthy and hearty finished product.  At least that’s the story being spun to the naïve and uninformed general public.  

      From a scientific efficiency standpoint, it makes sense to focus on large volume, staple starch, products, since these enhancements can have the largest influence on a broad swatch of society. 

     Rice, with increased growth rates and reduced susceptibility to stress, resulting in 30% higher yields.  Wheat, using modified wild strains to minimize gluten, generating an 85% reduction in immunoreactivity to Celiac Disease.  Soybeans, now drought-proof and herbicide-resistant, yielding a measurable seed oil content improvement.

     However, such ubiquitous offerings are grown and harvested in a wide range of environs globally, so a targeted genetic engineering approach may be needed in the future, with custom-modified regional varietals.  The next gene editing unlock will be engineering crops that are resistant to climate change, specifically prolonged drought and elevated temperatures. 

      Specifically in the United States, a majority of acreage is devoted to the three “c”: corn, cotton, canola.  Plus, tons of soybeans, which screws up the alliteration.  Thus, this is where a majority of the national research over the past few decades has been focused.  But, recent years have brought about a new goal.  Finding out how many different crops can be grown in the same conditions at the same time. 

     Typically, many delicate plants have required greenhouses to promote the required growing conditions.  However, these installations are expensive to construct and run, between the plastic tarp over metal frame enclosures, and the regulated temperature using UV-mimicking heat lamps.

       At this central Iowa farm, a more natural approach is being used.  A wide range of species can be grown and harvested outside, leveraging the fertile ground which personifies this region.  Granted, the seeds being used are heavily modified from their native origin.

     Examining the field, one set of long, parallel rows, offers a vibrant color combination reminiscent of a Christmas wreath.  Tangled masses of bright green stalks, comingled with countless vibrant red orbs.  While the maintenance crew here isn’t cultivating mistletoe in late summer, the foliage density and aesthetics are strikingly similar.

       A closer inspection reveals the ruby spheres are larger than traditional holiday berries, and closer in circumference to a golf ball than a marble.  Though often confused for a vegetable, this offering is actually a fruit, despites its culinary applications being almost exclusively savory.  It doesn’t help that the specific name also includes reference to a common stone fruit.

      Cherry tomatoes.  Which are clearly almost ready to harvest, based on the size and color of the bounty.  While most home gardeners are used to training their tomato plants on tall, open-wire, trellises, a decidedly different tact is being used here.  One enabled by genetic engineering, combining preferential DNA from a multitude of different natural species.

    Lively seeds, which germinate and sprout quickly, even outside, thereby shortening the overall growing duration.  Compact plant growth pattern, that is more robust against wind and rain damage, while concentrating flavor.  Large, firmer fruits, which promote a uniform ripening timeline, with a robust stem connection enabling ease of mechanical harvesting.  Built-in resistance to the bacteria, salt, and pests specifically encountered in this region of the country. 

      All these advancements are great from a farm yield standpoint, but if the product isn’t flavorful, then it doesn’t matter how many are generated.  Fortunately, some savvy, biology-manipulating, scientists considered this important factor as well.

     These orbs are engineered to pack more vitamin C than their natural predecessors, and retain moisture for a juicy package.  Plus, there’s the obvious vibrant red color, and nearly identical spherical consistency.  As they say, humans eat with their eyes.   

    Most impressively, all these separate modifications have been made simply by leveraging beneficial traits of wild varietals.  It turns out tomato plants are a gold mine for gene-editing, their DNA profile easy to sequence and manipulate by skilled researchers.

      The diverse collection of heartier engineered plant types strewn out across the expansive fields offer many ancillary benefits.  Usage of both pesticides and herbicides has been completely eliminated at this facility, with even fertilizers only applied sparingly.  This approach result is lower input costs for the business, and healthier food for the consumer.  A true win-win.

      Understandably, biotechnology companies have focused their efforts on popular crops, which offer up the greatest sales opportunity, pedaling engineered seeds that offer up a substantial value proposition to farmers.  Getting rid of common agriculture risk mitigation techniques such as supplemental irrigation and repeated spray treatments, entrepreneurial operations like this Grundy County complex have become hooked on these super spores.  Despite their increasingly elevated pricing.

       While the bounty here is impressively diverse, there are many crops which won’t perform in this climate, no matter how much they are modified.  In fact, plants that have a very targeted growing environ are even more critical to protect through bioengineering. 

        Specifically, oranges, due to citrus greening disease, and cocoa, afflicted by black pod rot fungus, are currently at risk of catastrophic collapse, and potential extinction, if drastic genetic modification measures aren’t taken soon.  These endangered plants provide staple flavors of modern human consumption patterns on Planet Earth, from drinks to desserts.

      Shifting global weather patterns have changed the mix of available arable land, and matrix of crops which can be effectively grown.  Formerly abundant regions are now too hot, with not enough rainfall.  The Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamian fame is now a parched wasteland.  Ukraine’s historical Chernozem region, with centuries of rich black soil, is finally becoming depleted.  The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta in Bangladesh is perpetually flooded. 

       Understandably, civilization has aligned itself around these previously fruitful areas, with large population density, many of whom are impoverished.  Climate change will require substantial transport of either people or produce in the future, if humans are going to be afforded even basic sustenance.

       There’s a limited amount of fertile global soil.  Pushing for increased yields doesn’t allow the nutrients to recover.  Also, coastal erosion causes good dirt to be washed into the oceans.  Conveniently, one would be hard pressed to find a farming facility further from a large body of salt water than central Iowa.

      One of the accepted top-5 most productive regions in the world is right here in the middle of the United States.  Covering a broad longitudinal swath, if anything the slow temperature and precipitation changes being experienced across the planet have only benefited this productive farming zone.

      While the panhandle of Oklahoma now resembles the dusty Texas scrub brush landscape which surrounds it, the northmost portion of North Dakota, along the snowy Canadian border, currently has a lengthy and viable growing season.  Times are a changing.    

        Iowa is well endowed with rich soil, but has a lot of different deposits districts.  Farmers are generally able to manage their growing conditions through fertilizer and nutrient infusions.  Still, the earthen starting point is a key consideration.  Des Moines Lobe is a predominant dirt type here in the center of the state.  This horseshoe-shaped zone, facing up towards Minnesota, drains poorly, and has a generally colder and wetter climate than other portions of the state.  Way back in the geological record, this was a wetland, with natural tile drainage underneath, which resulted in a high concentration of organic material.  This hidden nutrient base is critical for generating multiple harvests annually.

       All manner of plowing techniques are utilized fairly evenly, from no till to intensive till, along with up to 15% cover crops.  In many instances, active earth agitation can be minimized through plant rotation and active nutrient infusions.

        Regardless of approach, in Grundy Country, it’s important to till early and often, to promote soil drying as quickly as possible.  Subtle, but perpetual, climate change is shifting the weather patterns in this region, like everywhere else.  While oppressive heat and lack of moisture are bad for many growing regions around the world, Iowa is getting more fertile with each subsequent flipping of the calendar.

       Most relevant, flat land in this central plain minimizes any erosion concerns.  This is fortunate, as many other parts of Iowa, and even more so in adjacent states, are hilly, limiting tilling practices, while making runoff of water and nutrients a constant challenge.  Also, the multitude of moisture in the water table below allows for nearly infinite irrigation opportunity, using shallow wells and maneuverable pivots. 

      Dark, deep, and rich surface soil is great, but only tells part of the story.  Corn roots grow down up to 5 feet.  With over 1/3rd of the U.S. Corn Belt completely devoid of topsoil, Iowa is doing quite well relatively from a farming standpoint.  The most fertile swath will continue to shift west and north, as a result of global warming, from Indiana to Illinois to Iowa.

      Growing conditions change over time just like people; everyone gets old and weary.  The next generation of young American farmers will have a lot more to think about during daily business operations than their ancestors did.   

     GMO plant modifications are just one element of a much more complex social responsibility framework.  Major planetary decisions are now being made by taking into account environmental, societal, and governance factors. 

       Fully maximizing yields, as was emphasized by biotechnology behemoths in the farming industry of the past, is no longer the only goal.  Topics like biosphere chemical balance, safe working conditions, employee opportunity equity, are now additional paramount considerations.

     Also, there’s an increasing need to consider outcomes on a global versus local level.  The entire world is fully intertwined, from overseas product transit, to collaborative technology innovations, to shared climate change consequences.  Collaboration is key, despite a multitude of ongoing geopolitical tiffs.

       However, it doesn’t matter what magic beans and fancy gadgets farmers use to increase crop yield, if a substantial portion of their harvest goes bad before getting to consumers.  Food waste is a huge issue globally.  2.5 billion tons of edible items are wasted annually, which equates to 40% of all agronomy production.

        Roughly half of this biomass never leaves the homestead, due to product quality challenges, like misguided growing practices, or injury during collection.  No remunerations are received for such upstream waste.  Clearly, not an ideal outcome, in a very low-margin business like the agriculture industry.

        Barges.  Aircraft.  Trains.  Vehicles.  Many modes of transport working in harmony to get perishable products from the field to the shelves.  Despite extensive logistics coordination, this is by no means a perfectly choreographed dance.  Along the way, a substantial portion of the precious cargo is lost, due to damage, spoilage, or package.

        Even after loading and leaving logistics, much of the beneficial organic material will not make it to market shelves.  And not just because of plant perishability, as crate carrying and cold chain logistics are quite optimized here in the United States, even with the vast distances traveled.  There’s a much more visible, petty, reason for produce to be tossed in this elitist society.

      Poor aesthetics is a major source of waste; ugly product is not easy to sell.  A banana with too much curvature.  A zucchini with blotchy yellow and green coloration.  An onion with excessively flaky outer skin.  Fortunately, genetically engineered crops are solving all these challenges simultaneously. 

       Unearthed earlier this morning from the dark and rich dirt, heaps of white button mushrooms bounce gently along a moving conveyor belt.  All the steps which led from being buried underground and growing, to collected and cleaned, ripe and ready for packaging, are automated.

      Now, these objects, each one matching pale tan in color, with shape consistency mimicking the most cartoonish caricature of this ubiquitous shape, are heading on to the final step.  Identical size and density make mass metering easy, with the same number of plump pieces deposited into each 8-ounce tub. 

       These recycled cardboard bins, lightly coated with wax to resist moisture absorption, are topped with a swatch of clear biodegradable plastic, which allows the consumer to observe the perfect produce housed within. 

         Each square package slides in neatly via robotic arm, fully filling the large, reusable, transport crate in a 6-on-a-side, cube configuration, 2 feet in every dimension.  This form factor allows for convenient pallet loading of 8 total units, with individual boxes small enough for a human operator to carry at boutique grocery stores where forklift availability is limited.

        Mushrooms are notorious for being delicate and damageable during basic cleaning, handling, and transport.  There’s even an old wife’s tale which persists that water shouldn’t be used to wash them, as this additional moisture infusion can result in oversaturation of the porous inner flesh.  Clearly, a vegetable ripe for genetic modification to improve robustness.

     Not discussed in mycology class, this bioengineering feat to improve the mushroom’s lifespan is accomplished through knock-out of the polyphenol oxidase family of genes.  Deleting just 1 of 6 PPO’s has already demonstrated a 30% reduction in surface discoloration and flesh mushing over time.  There are additional opportunities for future improvement, but the plants here represent current state-of-the-art offerings.  Or state-of-the-science, more specifically.

      Damage also often occurs during transport.  While this specific operation hasn’t branched out into berries yet, this category is an area where most of the recent aesthetic advancements are occurring.  Genetic engineered for visual appeal and better durability, through brighter color pigment expression and spongier interior flesh texture, has been a boon in the fresh fruit field. 

       Improved shelf life after harvesting is a constant focus for eliminating food waste, especially when cold chain logistics are challenged, as is the case in many remote farming regions.  Not an issue here, as the plentiful bounty is simply head just an hour down the road to the Des Moines capital city.

      Regardless of equality motivations, for fundamental elements of human functioning, like sustenance, shelter, and safety, the path of least resistance, be it cost or yield related, will always be take.  Modern civilization is a perpetually optimizing machine.  As evidenced by the cargo loading operation currently underway.

       The robotic forklift hoists another pallet into the back of the tractor trailer.  Having nothing better to do, a pair of guys stand by, looking on: the farm foreman and the delivery driver.  With essentially every element of the loading automated, there’s not many manual tasks to be executed.

       This large wooden carton contains bunches of turnips, each lot secured by a stretchy chord made from composable natural fibers.  The stalks are bright green, and the skin a vibrant purple, on account of the washing line process, which removes all the dirt and fertilizer used for efficient underground growing. 

       The consistent stem length and perfect ovular shape of these root vegetables allows them to nest together dense and tight.  There will be no jostling or damage in transport with this lot.  Especially, lying inertly in the dark and cool cave they are being shipped in.

       Thanksgiving, a time for traditional turnip consumption, is just a few months away.  When the peeler and knife come out this holiday season, kitchen minions will be impressed with the ability of the pale interior flesh to resist browning, even without the typically necessary acidic water soak after piercing the colorful skin.

      Another biohacking advancement, achieved by eliminating the chemical elements in the unprotected flesh, which tend to oxidize when exposed to air.  The turnip chunks will simply lie there, stark white on the wooden cutting board surface, as the rest of the meal is prepared.  

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Green Thumb: Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, South America

        A full spread of food is organized on the long folding table, which covers one entire wall of the conference room.  All manner of items are included, from sugary treats to caffeinated drinks.  It’s important to keep the folks engaged and energetic all day long. 

       The available offerings fall into a duo of camps, breads and spreads.  The various starch items are carrier vessels for the multitude of accoutrements. 

      Pão de queijo rolls, crunchy on the outside, and doughy on the inside, with the rich combination of cheese, eggs, milk, and oil, all bound together by cassava flour, represent an incredibly hearty morsel on their own.  Still, a generous slathering of honey never hurt.

       In contrast, the pile of tapioca flour pancakes are fluffy and light, perfect as a medium to encapsulate the wealth of provided fruits and sauces in any manner desired.  Rolled, folded, or torn, then dipped, the sweet and savory combinations here are limitless.  Banana and chocolate seems to be the most popular.

      Then there’s traditional white baguette bread, sliced into rounds, with butter and jam smears available.  Toast with melted margarine is a boring choice.  At least the vibrant contrasting colors of papaya, strawberry, and guava can spruce up this dull palate selection.

        Plus, plenty of large fruit cubes are afforded, highlighting the local tropical bounty of pineapple and melon, for the gluten-free folks in attendance.

        On the liquid side of the ledger, the most prevalent item, from both a volume and aroma standpoint, are the dueling carafes of coffee.  The smells emanating from the preponderance of poured cups is rich and strong, just the way Brazilians prefer their morning brew.  This country, along with many of its South American neighbors, is known for quality beans, and novel roasting techniques.  No decaf offering here, everyone gets the diesel version.

        Then, for those requiring dessert after their meal, which seems absurd considering the quantity and quality of food provided, there’s a few dozen cups of acai berry smoothies, already blended to the desired consistency, and topped with granola and nuts, which provide a pleasant textural contrast. 

        The rich blend of antioxidants and fiber will be a welcome boost for all who partake, come midday.  There’s a lot of work to be done this morning.  Which explains why the diligent crew is assembled here in the office at 6 AM, not long after the sun has risen this morning.

        Happy workers are productive workers.  Providing free sustenance is a small price to pay.  This leadership ploy turns out to be quite astute, as employees put in long hours, expanding both sides of the normal workday. 

       A generous serving of Brazilian staple stews, be it robust “feijoada”, from beans and beef, or tart “moqueca”, using seafood and veggies, costs less than an hour’s wage for these skilled folks.  Aligned comradery and idea sharing is key in the competitive venture capital space.

       In stark contrast to the human labor, the supplemental brainpower at this company is much less needy.  Aside from the electrical energy which must be constantly provided.  The stack of computer servers, humming away in the basement, provides critical research intelligence.  There’s immense amounts of financial spreadsheets and research reports to pour over. 

       This electronic troop never needs to sleep, and never complains.  A pair of much appreciated attributes compared to the flesh and blood participants at this venture capital firm.  But each cohort serves an equally important role.

       An operation focusing on finding profitable business ideas to fund must be nimble yet focused.  The niche selected by this specific firm, stemming from the shared educational background amongst the savvy trio of founders, is biotechnology.

        Bioengineering is an evolving field of technology that’s becoming increasingly multi-disciplinary.  To succeed in this space requires combining fundamental biological chemistry with advanced computational analysis.  These two disparate fields get smashed together into unique and novel applications.

        This juxtaposing creates its own contradiction.  Predicting profitable winners in this cutting-edge space is essentially impossible.  The most skilled start-up companies are the same operations which often exhibit morally questionable judgement.  In the biohacking field, there’s significant potential to push technology too far.

       Fortunately, our combination of human and computerized screening, both true experts in this specific space, yields numerous tactics to separate the wheat from the chaff.  A farming practice which may become much faster if the husk modification infusion the seed company currently being backed pays off.  The classic industry phrase “providing seed capital” couldn’t be more apt.

       Due to the infantile, volatile nature of the nascent operations typically funded, venture capital is a bit of a spray and pray game.  This midsized firm doesn’t have enough investment capital to throw big checks at every pitch deck.  Thus, some discretion, and selection criteria, are needed.

        It’s important to execute deep dives into each specific emerging field of biotechnology.  As is being done currently.

     Sprawled out on the vast boardroom table are a menagerie of pitchbooks.  The format varies, from thick, spiral-bound, tomes, full of dense details, to single page, short, typed summaries, to glossy, laminated, obviously-marketing-based, materials.

       While the form factor of this jumbled pile diverges widely, there’s one obvious consistency.  The subject matter of the documented material.  A novel field of study, which this bold firm is hoping to make its first foray into.  Synthetic generation of organs.

      Bioprinting, as the name suggests, is a spin-off of 3D printing using living materials to create biological benefits.  From this core technological tenant, the space spreads out broadly.  Advanced additive manufacturing methods have been burning venture investors for decades.  All sorts of promising product applications, few of which have panned out.  Thus, caution is needed.  

      Initial landscaping on the emerging bio-based segment of this prototyping technique suggests custom cultures will likely first be used in medical applications.  Bespoke tissues and organs for transplant, perfectly matching the body and blood type of the patient.  Better implant success, through reduced grafting side effects, while simultaneously easing donor shortages.  An amazing medical unlock, provided such services can be executed in an efficacious manner.

       Obviously, consider the vanity of modern society, cosmetic surgeries, utilizing this same custom creation technology, won’t be far behind. 

       The thickest binder on the table, which has been reviewed several times over by all participants in the room, is one of the most compelling options.  Sometimes bigger, and in this case bolder, is better.

      The espoused technology for this particular pitch is definitely detailed, and decidedly dystopian.  Utilizing genetically modifying pluripotent stem cells to facilitate growth of human organs in lab-raised pigs.  Splicing large sections of human DNA into animals allows creation of “transgenic” organisms, which are valuable for all manner of lab test research applications. 

     This could clearly be an interesting growth opportunity in the future.  But one which will certainly be difficult to explain to investors with a straight face.  Stomachs start churning just looking at the lab dissection images provide.  One less savory pancake may have been wise this morning.

      Stem cell research has been a highly controversial medical topic for decades.  Typically taken from embryos, this extraction technique sparks all manner of ancillary political posturing, from early-term abortion, to body privacy rights, to torturous corporeal punishment. Hopefully this new method, leveraging swine surrogates, can enable efficacious stem cell research.

        These unique building blocks are pluripotent, which means they can morph, via differentiation, into any other type of human cell over time.  Obviously, a valuable trait for all manner of medical research.  If only they could be produced more humanely, enabling expanded experimental opportunities.  Assuming the presented technical material in the binder is accurate, this opportunity may be right around the corner.

       Induced pluripotent stem cells, shortened to iPSCs, are a major breakthrough, as, rather than harvesting biological material from an unknowing infant, these are adult material reprogramed to have the desired morphing capability.  CRISPR is the best available technique to enable gene edit manipulation of iPSCs. 

        The ancillary opportunities presented in this extensive pitch deck are even more outlandish.   

       One proposition is generating organoids, miniature replicas of 3D organs, which offer much more functionally than basic cell cultures.  In the pharmaceutical industry, preliminary experiments are usually conducted on animals in a lab setting.  The next logical step is to transfer these revelations to humans, in miniature, manufactured form, as opposed to exposing actual living beings.  Such methods could revolutionize the study of disease.

      Then, there’s a presented plan for transferring beneficial genetic engineering technology from mice to pigs to people, scaling up the size, and adjusting the functionality, of the manufactured component to fit each subsequent host organism.  This plausible scenario is likely still some time off in the future.  But, the business revenue potential, and impact on society as a whole, is impossible to dismiss.

     Before committing to any new investment, especially one involving futuristic, humanoid biotechnology, it’s important to consider how the potential addition fits into the overall portfolio.  As such, on an easel in the corner stands a poster board, which lists the firm’s current holdings.  Assets and valuations are updated quarterly, then reprinted in this large format. 

      Between formal updates and interim changes, from major business expenditures to subsequent series fundraises, plus key scientific developments or all-important legislative approvals, copious notes are scrawled under each holding.  A specific marker color is consistently used to delineate each type of notation.  

     With just 4 days left in the month of August 2032, this sheet has been transformed from the original black text on white background, to a rainbow of color, about as difficult to interpret as late artist Jasper Johns teaching a class of elementary school students to write using finger paint.

       Brazil as a nation is the 2nd largest user of biotech engineered crops, behind only the United States.  Research in the supplemented seed space is funded by all manned of groups: university endowments, private investment, and public coffers.

      While important to the thriving local economy, this is a crowded space for deploying capital, which means a lower return profile.  The multitude of low budget operations consolidated down in Sao Paulo can take these marginal opportunities.  This high-end venture capital outfit is looking for more afield opportunities, in the punniest sense of the word.  

      As an example, the top listing on the page, and in the portfolio, gets right to the heart of Brazilian culture, while avoiding the challenging row crop sector.  The beef industry, which is a stable of the national diet.  This multifaceted investment is also addressing the environmental changes which are increasingly influencing flora and fauna simultaneously across the largest country in South America.

      This start-up modifies livestock so that they’re more tolerant to the slowly but steadily rising global temperatures; difficult conditions which can influence milk production and meat quality.  Also, genetic infusions can minimize disease from pathogens that thrive at higher temperatures, like tuberculosis, which easily spreads from cows to humans, thereby creating a safer livestock farming environment.

     While the bovine bet is decidedly local, the next line item is a long-shot foray with global implications, potential beneficial impacts spreading well beyond Brazil.  In venture investing, diversification in all aspects is key.

    A repeated portfolio commitment, through 3 rounds of subsequent funding after the initial seed investment, this operation is continuing to advance.  Their foundational tenant is to genetically engineer insects, in the pursuit of eliminating widespread diseases, transmitted naturally by certain invasive organisms.

     Clinging ticks, hard to spot on human skin, transferring Lyme disease, a lifelong ailment.  The bubonic plague of yore, recently making a comeback, via tiny fleas, still stealthily traveling via rodents.  Common house flies, their innate contact with fecal matter unknowingly spreading dangerous intestinal diseases, like typhoid fever and cholera.

      With a few small genetic tweaks, if proliferated worldwide thorough natural means, can be a life-changing innovation, in more ways than one.

       Aside from the perpetual cash infusions provided by the venture industry, government contracts are finally starting to trickle in.  Realization on the societal benefits of eliminating catastrophic natural afflictions is finally materializing.  Granted, it would be great if this business started turning a profit soon. 

       At the bottom of the page is an investment so new that there’s barely any added notes surrounding it.  Even this single line description is hard to understand without prior industry knowledge. 

       CAR-T, denoting chimeric antigen receptor therapy, with engineered T cells used to treat various forms of cancer.  These modified protagonists actively fight the invasive material, leveraging the body’s natural immune system.  This novel medical approach is a combination of cell therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy, all in one tidy scientific package.

       This final ambitious item on the list highlights a technology which has sparked quite an explosive revolution in the biotech field, especially with regards to genetic modification.  CRISPR.  An amazing advancement that everyone in the room is intimately familiar with, even those employees without a formal educational background in chemistry.  This innovation is essential to the biohacking space.

        There’s lots of scientific terminology that must be learned just to begin grasping this innovative technique.  And thus, a multitude of acronyms to digest.  Most relevant is the underlying moniker by which this entire field is defined.

         CRISPR, short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.  A definition that isn’t very helpful, as it sounds more like an a cappella group singing scheme than a gene editing methodology.

       A second acronym provides more clarity on the actual mechanism for this magical feat.  “Cas”, which stands for CRISPR associated nuclease.  This refers to an enzyme that cuts and binds the DNA chain, using a double stranded break.  Meanwhile, the guide RNA, aptly known as gRNA, provides direction to Cas on where to modify the genetic material.

      In normal immune mechanics, invading virus DNA is automatically clipped out and disabled, in a process called bacteriophage.  Cleverly, the CRISPR-Cas approach simply leverages a valuable component of human’s natural biological protection system, which is able to clip discrete DNA material, for ulterior purposes. 

     The viral DNA material snipped off, known as a protospacer, is stored in the body’s bacterial genome, which is essentially an immune system memory bank, to avoid repeat affliction, after using the Cas9 and gRNA mechanisms to remove the invasive germ.  These viral spacer fragments are stored between repeated palindromic sequences, hence the CRISPR nomenclature.

       The protospacer adjacent motif, or PAM, is the sequence of DNA upstream and downstream from where the strand cutting occurs.  Proactive gene editing simply involves engineering chimeric single guide RNA, sgRNA of course, rather than relying on the body’s natural healing mechanics.

       Understandably, it’s hard to keep track of all these acronyms and definitions.  Through countless hours of slogging research, this venture capital team was able to condense the CRISPR-Cas9 technique into a simple, singular sentence.  Which everyone on the small staff is required to deeply memorize, and perfectly regurgitate on command.

       Biotech scientists are now able to repurpose the existing DNA scissor feature to allow precise gene editing.  The potential of this profound realization is powerful.  Surprisingly, the underlying methodology has been around for a while now.  Recent advancements in other realms of medicine are finally allowing this revolutionary genetic manipulation tool to be capitalized on.

         The catchy CRISPR abbreviation was first coined and published way back in 1987, by a trio of Japanese researchers at Osaka University.  It would languish in relative obscurity for over a decade, until the start of the new millennium, when advances in computing power ushered in a new wave of research to this segment of biotechnology.

         The foundational CRISPR paper, suggesting its use as a gene editing tool, was published by Dr. Jennifer Doudna, out of U.C. Berkley, on the west coast of America, and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, hailing from MPUSP, in the heart of Berlin, Germany, via the renowned journal Science, in 2012. 

        This dynamic duo won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their breakthrough work, the first all-female team to do so, as the gene modification benefits of this inventive mechanism became realized by labs around the world over the subsequent years after their foundational article.

         Currently, now two decades on from that seminal study, CRISPR is enabling novel drug discovery research, through fast and efficient large scale screening studies. 

       The approach is to create a multitude of sgRNA variants, then make different edits on each line, and monitor the effects.  This experimental setup, using both healthy and diseased cells, allows relevant genes in the disease pathogenesis to be identified.  Scientists are now able to rapidly and decisively learn about the relationship between genotype and phenotype.

        CRISPR’s simple mechanism for rewriting the genetic code of any living organism is the cheapest and most precise means of gene editing currently available to researchers.  Making it an incredibly valuable investment opportunity.  Upon which the pack of hyenas milling around in this cloistered conference room are hoping to capitalize on.  Early-stage investing is a cutthroat gig.

         There’s a budding biotechnology scene here in Brazil, understandably focused around the major city centers where talent and resources are readily available: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais.

       Many venture capital firms, and other investment support entities for this lucrative field, have understandably flocked to these locales.  This operation has taking a different tack.  Setting up shop in the country’s Federal District capital provides many benefits. 

         Centralized positioning within the vast state of Brazil.  Access to governmental and lobbyist characters who pull the purse strings.  International city culture and resources which enable storytelling. Differentiation from competitors in a crowded, competitive industry.  A confluence of factors providing utter uniqueness.

       Recently, the Brazilian federal government has drummed up all sorts of funding incentives for small businesses, hoping to spur commerce, create jobs, and boost economic progress.  In return for their generosity, the administration gets an equity stake in each subsidized opportunity, hoping for their own high rate of return in the years to come.

      The second sentiment espoused on the Brazilian national flag, “Progress”, is directly liked to continued business investment, especially in the innovative bio-tech start-up space.  Granted, the other, leading, term listed on this pennant, “Order”, is a less common sentiment in this volatile realm.  Which is why the public sector ranks have enlisted help from private sector experts, like the group amassed in this capital city office building, to execute their screening and assessment duties.

       Diligence is critical to attracting the best opportunities.  While any start-up is happy to take a no-strings-attached signed check, the more discerning entities are carefully who they get in bed with. 

        Fundraising is a two-way street, like a marriage.  The technique, timeline, and terms must be aligned.  And each party needs to bring something to the table which the other entity desires.  Again, the relationship analogy is apt.

         There’s one other reason this firm set up shop in Brasília.  Closer proximity to the nation’s northern zone, where the fund’s first ever investment was made, which has gone on to provide immense profits, and facilitate numerous future endeavors.  This entire operation wouldn’t still be around, at least not at its current substantial scale, without that early win.

       As the home of the Amazon, Brazil encompasses a massive amount of ecological diversity.  Scientific projections estimated 20% of all organisms on earth are housed within this single national footprint.  There’s a clear synergy with regards to biotechnology that can benefit the natural environment, in both the short and long terms. 

        Investing in the Amazon seems simple enough, as the entire country, and many of its citizens, have hung their hats on this vast resource for centuries.  In these times of global climate scrutiny, a little more tact is needed than in the past with regards to this immense forest and river system.  Fortunately, the originally funded biotechnology advancement is decidedly positive from a sustainability standpoint.   

         The crown jewel of this VC portfolio cleverly combines ancient homeopathic remedies with modern bioengineering analysis.  The original company was founded way back in the 1950’s, commercializing basic creams, oils, and balms, utilizing the healing powers of local plants, which have been well known and oft utilized by native tribes here for centuries.

       From this humble beginning, the operation grew organically for several decades, in the most literal sense of the word, expanding the portfolio of sales offerings, leveraging the abundant natural compounds available from the biodiversity of the Amazon region.  In fact, this firm created an entire new industry dubbed phytomedicine.  Consumers loved the products, and the owners loved the profits. 

      Venture capital funding wasn’t needed until the turn of the millennium, when historical research and jungle exploration tapped out on known homeopathic materials.  A more scientific approach was needed.  Fortuitously, this modern era, with biotechnology just becoming a relevant field, unlocked by microscopic machinery and computerized calculation advancements, spurred further scientific understanding.

         Leveraging a large fleet of in-the-field researchers, flora and fauna materials have been collected and curated from all over Brazil, in a systematic manner.  Occupying nearly half of the land mass in South America, Brazil is sprawling and diverse.  Which makes this cataloguing of nature quite a chore.

       Teams have traveled to the far reaches of the country, covering all manner of terrain and ecology.  The silty river delta in the north, to the mountainous peaks of the south.  The sandy beaches along the lengthy east coast, to the densely vegetated forests out west.  No greater set of biodiversity is available, packed into a relatively small zone of land, throughout the entire globe.

      Collecting an immense number of biological samples, some of species not yet identified or named, is one thing.  Analyzing and quantifying all these specimens is the real unlock.  When trapsing through the jungle, a person is just as likely to pick up a poisonous berry as an edible nut.

        Conveniently, biotechnology advancements now allow for rapid DNA sequencing in just hours, at much lower cost than before.  An increased understanding of the genetic code for various formerly unknown lifeforms is a major scientific breakthrough.

        The newly created corporate bioscience department now holds the largest library of organic molecular, with over 20k fraction entries.  Such a wealth of information is impossible to comb through alone, so various interesting extracts are farmed out to elite biomedical labs worldwide for further study.  Many novel drug formulations have been developed to cure formerly untreatable diseases.  The bounty of nature is seemingly endless.

         Still, all this collection and analysis isn’t a cheap process.  Hence, the need for continuous capital infusions.  Which the venture capital firm, which led the initial funding found over 3 decades ago, is happy to provide.  Their initial investment has already seen a 100X return, based on a few key compounds that have materialized into commercialized medical treatments, with widespread global health implications. 

         Which allows the crew to make new bets, selecting from the wealth of incoming pitches like the collection currently encompassing the boardroom.  It’s time to make a decision, and deploy some capital.  Series A checks run on the order of tens of millions of Brazilian real.  Not a huge amount relative to the overall portfolio, but still worth making a thoughtful and informed choice.

      Consensus is eventually reached, through a fairly democratic process, albeit with the firm’s partners holding significant sway.  It’s difficult to debate one’s boss, even in an atmosphere specifically designed to promote constructive criticism and organic discussion.

         Tallies officially counted; the underling of the group collects all the paperwork from the conference table, quickly turning this layered mess into an impressively tall pile at the far corner of the room.  This stack is too large to fit in the provided trash receptacle, but will be shredded then recycled tonight by the janitorial staff, per protocols. 

      Here, alignment of business practices, from secrecy to sustainability, permeate through the entire corporate hierarchy.

         Remaining is just a single brochure on the middle of the vast, glossy, wood surface.  The thick, three-ring binder, filled with pictures of pig cadavers and miniature human organs.  Not the best imagery to soothe the stomach after a big breakfast.  But the scientific story foretold is compelling.

        The computers in the basement are currently whirring away to provide digital confirmation on the countless possible bioprinting technology proliferation scenarios.  This prolific mass of expensive circuitry isn’t as sluggish as their humanoid colleagues.

       Most important to this analysis is the table of financial projections, included at the back of the paper ream.  Thumbing to the addressable market metrics, everyone agreed there was a lot of green to be made on this investment.  Which means a great payday for all involved, if the business model pans out as projected.

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Black Daze: Suez Canal, Ismailia, Egypt, Africa