2001: A Sequence Odyssey

People enjoy food. Some people even think about food. But they may not think about it enough, or in the ways we wish they would. For example, ask a friend to give three examples of food that comes from stuff that’s not alive, and be prepared for a response of silence, salt, and baking soda.

It’s a revelation for many people that almost all our food comes from stuff that’s alive: plants, animals or microbes. When domesticated, we call them crops, livestock, and cultures.

Recently, news of a complet…