discussion.
value.
The biggest value behind our project would come from the research we conduct to enable the kind of microbial flavorings we propose. There is still so much to be done to understand the specific contributions of microbiomes to flavors, that the research alone would unlock so many other endeavors!
Our microbial flavorings, if made, would change the way people view microorganisms- from foe to friend; and the “Microbial Archive” initiative would connect people around the world through their kitchen microbiomes.
feasibility.
This project will require more research before it is viable in the way we envision it. Prior to Covid-19, a more significant part of our project was dedicated to carrying out research to determine whether we could identify geographical microbial terroirs in yogurt made at homes and in a controlled lab setting.
As we shifted towards considering a speculative future, we have continued to believe that a product in this vein should sit atop more robust science before existing.
human impact and risk.
We want to see a world where humans have a healthier relationship with the invisible, microbial world. One where we respect our companions, understand their value, and yes, their potential for harm, in its full complexity. This project, if pursued the wrong way, poses the risk of viewing microorganisms as monocultures, as strains or species that can be separated from their environments and used in heavily engineered contexts.
But if pursued with a respect for the gestalt-like nature of microbiomes, our goal is to allow humanity to embed and retrieve its memories, its idiosyncratic experiences, within the structure of microbial networks. We envision the outputs of microbiome sequencing, with all of its nuance, to function as a kind of archive, and if reproduced in a usable way like our microbial flavorings, this could lead to seeing the world around in a new, novel, and full way.
sustainability.
Our team is committed to only making a product that would contribute to the restoration of our lived, and unseen, world.
As we think through what it would take to make this speculative idea a reality, we would commit to:
Our product being made only with biodegradable, recyclable and reusable material.
Using glass droppers and containers and stainless steel items in our kits, which would encourage many uses, and long cycles before replacement.
The kit itself being made with mycelium packaging, a completely compostable material made with the root system of fungi.
Scale is not our goal; quality and advancing citizen science are more important.