Evolving Technology
Bringing biological processes into the heart of innovation
What if nature and technology worked hand in hand?
Biotechnology is the use of living cells and bacteria in industrial and scientific processes. This might sound futuristic, but humans have been shaping nature to meet their needs for thousands of years. Early examples include the domestication of animals and the selective breeding of crops for food.
Today, biotechnology is becoming even more creative and innovative, transforming industries to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.
As Ginger Krieg Dosier, Co-Founder of Biomason, puts it, "we’re in a biotech revolution” – and it’s already sparking change around the world.
Though agriculture has been critical to human development, it has contributed significantly to soil degradation and climate change and is now one of the sectors most vulnerable to its effects. Fyteko have created a solution to help crops adapt to our changing climate. Using biostimulants to induce a plants’ natural defence mechanisms, they help crops withstand the droughts and extreme heat that are becoming increasingly common.
Agriculture isn’t the only sector that can benefit from biotech. LanzaTech have engineered microbes to capture carbon from industrial waste streams, preventing CO2 from entering the atmosphere and heating the planet. This captured carbon is then transformed into useful products like jet fuel, fabric, and packaging.
Just as microbes can turn waste into fuel, other biotech innovations are reimagining how we build our world and reduce the environmental impact of cities. Mycocycle train mycelium to decompose waste, breaking it down and then secreting a material that can be made into new, bio-based building blocks. Meanwhile, Biomason are imitating the process of coral formation to grow ‘biocement’ in the lab, producing a planet-friendly concrete that sequesters carbon.
As we rethink the materials that shape our cities, we must also consider the systems that sustain them. Water is a precious resource and treating it can be both challenging and inefficient. Retein are addressing this by mimicking the cell membrane – nature’s most effective separation technology – to filter impurities from water while retaining valuable minerals like lithium, which would otherwise be lost.
Biotechnology harnesses the tools of life itself to support our lives on Earth, and just like nature, it's always evolving.
With thanks to the following contributors:
Simon Isaksson, Co-Founder and CEO, Retein
Deborah Brosnan, Marine Scientist and Climate Risk Expert
Ginger Krieg Dosier, Co-Founder, Biomason
Lauren Donnelly, Operational Readiness Manager, Novo Nordisk
Guillaume Wegria, Co-Founder and CEO, Fyteko
Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech
Daniel Reyes, Mycology Expert
Jane Scott, Researcher, Newcastle University
