Practical Biotechnology

[psygnisfive]

Over on the Psychonautica forum, Victoria posted a link to a video of a talk by Paul Stamets, and at one point he talks about how he experimented with a mycological pesticides in which a large mycelial mass is used to "fortify" a structure against insect infestation, which got me thinking about how biotechnology can and should be used in the coming years.

What I envision is, you would have a structure, perhaps earthen in the less densely populated parts of the country, that has building material designed specifically to contain a mycelial mass. The material would keep insects out, and the structure could also provide a source of water. If the structure could be made primarily from biological organisms, then it would be easy to expand or manipulate the structure, or repair it if damaged.

I think Bruce Sterling also touched heavily on this idea in a book he wrote, tho I never really got deep into the book to know.

What are your ideas for practical biotech in the coming years?

[KMO]

I could go for something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fab_Tree_Hab

[KMO]

I could go for something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fab_Tree_Hab

Actually, here's a better link:

http://www.archinode.com/bienal.html

[psygnisfive]

Ooh very interesting. Impossible to use in an urban environment but definitely something that should be used in suburban ones.