Leveraging Tech Trees for Goal-Oriented Synthetic Biology Research
A short think-piece, brought to you from some of the core team at ValleyDAO.
As a community who loves to learn how the world works and use that knowledge to create positive change, we've long been fascinated by the potential of decentralized science (DeSci) to revolutionize how we conduct research. Specifically, the concept of "tech trees" has emerged as a powerful tool for mapping out obstacles and identifying pathways to overcome them in pursuit of a common goal.
In the context of synthetic biology research, tech trees can offer a strategic framework for enabling the research process. By clearly defining a quantitative and qualitative problem statement, we can establish a shared understanding of where we are now and where we want to be in the future. From there, we can break down the specific challenges and obstacles preventing us from reaching our goal, ultimately identifying real actions that can be taken to create meaningful impact.
One of the key advantages of tech trees is their ability to aggregate and synthesize vast amounts of information, where we could leverage the power of large language models (LLMs) to create a unified and structured knowledge base. A "creation mechanism" could enable researchers to contribute their expertise, while a "curation mechanism" allows voting on and consolidating additions.
The result: a continuously evolving representation of our current understanding and the pathways to the future we envision.
For ValleyDAO, tech trees present a powerful tool for aligning goals, leveraging diverse skill sets, and incentivizing quality contributions. By structuring the creation process and implementing token-based rewards, we could encourage researchers to participate in building out these knowledge bases, creating a sustainable cycle of collaboration and discovery. This type of structure has benefitted us at ValleyDAO greatly since we embarked on this journey, allowing us to untether research from universities and think tanks and work towards democratizing SynBio research for all.
But the potential applications of tech trees extend far beyond research coordination. They could be used for market analysis, identifying opportunities for collaboration and partnership, and even developing targeted applications to address specific challenges in SynBio. By treating tech trees as a "layer one" information base, we can empower developers to build tools and services that rearrange and synthesize this information in new and impactful ways.
One clear example to us of how tech trees can be leveraged would be for something like the community Carbon Arc initiative. The Carbon Arc focuses on raising awareness about the potential of synthetic biology to power carbon capture technologies and mitigate the effects of climate change. By defining the initial high-level problem statement as "too much carbon-based greenhouse gases in our atmosphere," we can use tech trees to map out the specific challenges and obstacles that prevent us from effectively capturing and sequestering carbon at scale.
For instance, the tech tree might be used to identify and break down the problem into key areas such as improving the efficiency of carbon-fixing microorganisms, developing cost-effective bioreactors, and optimizing downstream processing for captured carbon. Each of these challenges could be broken down further into specific research questions and engineering tasks, allowing researchers to contribute their expertise and propose novel solutions. As the tech tree evolves, it can highlight the most promising pathways for development, guiding resource allocation and fostering targeted collaboration among researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
Moreover, by integrating market analysis and policy considerations into the tech tree, we can ensure that the solutions developed are not only technically feasible but also economically viable and aligned with broader sustainability goals. This holistic approach can help bridge the gap between research and real-world impact, accelerating the deployment of synthetic biology-powered carbon capture technologies.
Of course, realizing the full potential of tech trees will require overcoming barriers to adoption, particularly among researchers unfamiliar with DAOs and Web3 technologies. By abstracting away the complexity and presenting tech trees as a standalone resource, we can lower the barriers to entry and encourage widespread participation. Over time, as the value of these tools becomes increasingly clearer, we can work to build bridges between the traditional scientific community and the emerging world of DeSci. By leveraging these tools in the context of synthetic biology research, we can accelerate progress, overcome obstacles, and drive meaningful impact in the pursuit of a more sustainable and equitable world.
Brought to you by Morgan Richards and Mark Lord, initial transcription by Aryan Sachdev
As a frequent hackathon organizer, i can see the potential of tech tree methodology has for rapid usage in this type of settings, especially if it is properly introduced (through pre-hackathon online/offline workshops) and transposed in an easy to use properly adapted set of forms, instructions, canvases, decision making mechanisms, reporting and presentation formats, etc.
Hackathons can be the best way to promote the tech tree methodology and to introduce it to enthusiastic (future) professionals.
Wondering, Morgan, what you think about this idea and if you know about any practical explorations of tech tree methodology usage within (bio)hackathons.