# Read this in silence. # Random VC and science ## [Woah, we’re halfway there, wo-ah, choppin’ up fi-ber](https://agfundernews.com/one-bio-ceo-were-making-odorless-colorless-tasteless-fibers-that-can-be-added-to-foods-at-uniquely-high-doses?ck_subscriber_id=2070519101&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UPSIDE%20Foods%20restructures,%20RFK%20Jr%20targets%20self-GRAS,%20FarmWise%20&%20Benson%20Hill%20in%20trouble,%20NotCo%27s%20GLP-1%20play,%20Eat%20Just%20to%20pay%20ABEC%20$4.4m%20%20-%2017000406) That’s one nice upcycling approach by One Bio: * made a **plant fiber structure database** * thought out an **expansion**: [cleaving those polysaccharide fibers](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17778-1#Sec2) into oligosaccharides using a mixture of catalyst (Fe3+) and hydrogen peroxide ([patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2021097138A1/en)) * those fibers **can be added in abundance** to food, as they’re odorless and tasteless Looks like a great start: * can potentially be used to **compose custom fibers** for **targeted microbiome modulation** * possibly collaborate with other alt-food companies like e.g. Solar Foods (will I ever shut up?) to produce a Matrix-style nutritious *stuff* (but tasty?) ![](https://i.imgur.com/k9o30bg.png align="center")
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I’d wait for the microbiome trials, though.
## [Climate tech is…not climate tech?](https://sifted.eu/articles/rip-dead-climate-tech) An interesting strategic (we’ll face this sooner than later) piece on climate technology. Some uneducated thoughts:
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“Most investment trends are grouped together into solutions, Jakobsson notes, such as AI, fintech or crypto. ‘Climate’ is, on the other hand, a problem and the answers to it fall across many different categories of solution.”
* Investors and people alike are putting too much faith into the “climate tech” label, and the moral/social implications of it - not the competitive edge * In reality, we should be happy solving the problem and building enablers/infrastructure for it - not an *‘anything related to’* but *‘anything that potentially helps us not fry/freeze/choke & drink coffee during the next 50 years’* * Oh and yeah - not using policies/tariff cuts for an advantage, but being competitive **and** sustainable * There was a point about **‘climate tech’ overshadowing issues** nonrelated to CO2 capture, e.g. biodiversity or even sturdier crops. Or, say, some agtech startups like [Ohalo](https://agfundernews.com/%F0%9F%8E%A5ohalo-ceo-on-boosted-breeding-yields-are-through-the-roof) (their ‘boosted breeding’ tech is indeed interesting and able to impact the climate) ![Revolutionizing Agriculture: How Ohalo's "Boosted Breeding" Technology is Transforming Farming- agtecher: The Agri Tech Place](https://agtecher.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ohalo-1024x603.jpg.webp align="left") * Hence and because of the macro-VC-trend, some of the thoughts were on further specialization, e.g. ‘synthetic biology’ - it rings reasonable esp. given the [recent post](https://posts.teleogenic.com/metha-venture-in-2025); but come on, **anyone forbidding from having more assessors/advisors + identifying more synergies?** * I’ve wanted to retort on the ‘and Tesla is also green’ with the battery manufacturing trope, but got caught in a [mythbusting article](https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths#Myth2). Sooo it’s all ✅… Also, we’re having [emerging tech](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/batteries-and-electrochemistry/articles/10.3389/fbael.2024.1377192/full) like sodium-ion (**sodium**, not **lithium**), lithium-sulfur (higher energy density) and solid state (even higher density but scaling is complex) that may change the landscape further. ![Bar charts showing lifecycle GHGs for an electric vehicle and a gas car](https://www.epa.gov/system/files/styles/large/private/images/2022-06/lifecycle-ghgs-ev-gas-cars-670px.png?itok=2RCNUe6A align="center") ## Inhale science, exhale startups (found a [Deep Science Ventures review](https://agfundernews.com/a-kenyan-scientist-entrepreneur-shares-her-journey-through-deep-science-ventures-alt-phd-program)) Trying to bridge science and startups to bring more deep tech impact to the world - what can be better? The peeps at DSV thought the same way - and made a PhD program catered to spew out sci-ups (a term I’ve just made up to describe startups growing out of research/papers). So, [Winnie Wambugu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/winnie-wambugu/) from Kenya settled on getting a World Food Foundation grant and being on the verge of becoming an agtech-preneur after unsuccessful job search (hint: similar to [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R4uTrA1vQ8)). Yet, she found DSV program and mentions that it helped tremendously. Let’s map the factors: * doing both research and entrepreneurship in one pack * networking with fellows and the companies/funds * a personal brand * synergies For a firm like DSV, that thing is marvelously in line with *“catch good and energetic teams the earliest + nurture them”* → so it’s early scouting + possible investing at essentially zero valuation + positive impact/fulfillment + a growing network of funds, founders, etc. Let’s not forget one of deep tech’s benefits - it’s not that prone to “our API wrapper NFT agent startup is experiencing tough times 🥺”, as it’s literally **bringing the change into the world**: ![deep tech venture capital vs regular tech venture capital](https://deeptechnation.ch/content/uploads/2025/03/2025-European-Deep-Tech-Report-copy.jpg align="left") # Noise and cojones Remember me telling you to read this in silence? Las pelotas desperately crave silence, and shun noisy environments! (Or maybe not, shh..) Here are the proofs:
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Chronic noise exposure of ≈ 100 dB leads to a significant reduction of serum testosterone in male rodents. Research on humans is highly warranted, especially given the steady trend in Western societies for increasing the burden of both male hypogonadism and noise pollution.
Not only that, but noisy environment at home can [contribute to type 2 diabetes](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599755/) (can be caused by [shit life syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shit_life_syndrome) → you’re living in a noisy environment & you don’t have the means to rent in a better one) Workplace noise exposure also [contributes to testosterone decreases](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27749261/) in 👷. Causal-correlational questions here, too:
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younger, lower income, normal weight, better hearing, and workers not using hearing protection at work experienced significantly more severe adverse effects → say, one is working at a worse job (lower income) with more stress + has normal hearing (experiences more stress). Again, it may be one of the factors - but is not necessarily the defining.
## Some fun **life factor-testosterone level correlations** ### Higher education → ⬇️ T ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742730821057/e9240565-fb42-4a0d-952d-320ac6cf697d.png align="center") [A semi-explanatory theory](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6921596/) may be higher testosterone, while fueling motivation and grit (broscience pubmed master here writing, lads), also increases impulsivity and decreases self-control potential → *why should I even spend hours in the classroom/studying?* ### Underweight → ⬆️ T ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742730768118/393d3ca2-a0d1-4e9b-ada6-5fdb554e4d11.png align="center") * While [obesity is usually connected to lower T](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11745839/) (via fat cells enhancing aromatase activity etc.), we may make a far-fetched assumption that current weight scales are in for an edit? * Or the other way round, as having high testosterone is making one leaner: could losing fat mass/being sporty (not the gym, rather dancing/hiking or physical activity at work) settle someone in the ‘slightly underweight’ category ### Smoking → ⬆️ T ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742730787102/7ede14c6-6389-4469-bcf5-c760633e8731.png align="center") There’s a debate on whether this may be caused by [nicotine, cotinine and other tobacco alkaloids inhibiting aromatase:](https://sci-hub.se/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26763163/) ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742732632912/6479abb8-a75d-4446-81aa-13236498b33b.png align="center") More convincing is that women who smoke also seem to [have lower estrogen levels](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3711333/) → but yeah, don’t consider smoking to become the testosterone-ridden Chad. Please. ### Cadmium and lead levels → ⬆️ T (WTF?) ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742730903914/71541cf9-1d47-42d8-bde4-b80d1f05c9a1.png align="center") Weird as hell; may be problems with study design, or a hormetic response - e.g. no lead/cadmium-intoxicated, but quite a lot in the ‘a tad higher than the third cohort’ category. Would love to access the violin/candle plot at least… ![Manfinity Dauomo Men's Standard "There's Microplastic In My Ball" Funny Cat Meme Graphic T-Shirt](https://img.ltwebstatic.com/images3_pi/2024/12/25/37/1735088027ebb11435fb5dc4e58ed10fb61d895dde_thumbnail_720x.jpg align="left") ## Noise, lead and conclusions Let’s add all that noise/T connection to the fact that we’re better off [touching/seeing the grass and greenery](https://www.ecehh.org/research/urban-green-space/)... Hey, [chad-rats were born](https://biomedpharmajournal.org/vol7no1/prenatal-exposure-to-blue-and-green-colors-increases-serum-testosterone-levels-in-male-offspring-rats/) with increased green/blue exposure in their parents! The usual chad-rat (actually [myostatin-knocked out](https://www.technologyreview.com/2007/10/18/271042/mimicking-the-massively-muscular/)): ![Mimicking the Massively Muscular | MIT Technology Review](https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.technologyreview.com/p/pub/legacy/mightymouse_x600.jpg align="center") If so - would one be better off living in a green, quiet neighborhood with great views? Nah, no way… And the biggest secret? Living in a good, rich country: ![](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NZ68gPSVyEUjOeve36ePUx51JsZlidAF_14gIqDZUw4kO_lfFVcCwbtIbtE6vapAJmyqDVxn_KNE6fHHoho1MwTtfTmUZhFEBzcSROJBalDQyriIZyT6Y4HLuEA6IppDiZmZ5_3WU4rgpFAbuI2qd8ZHIWIc_mFyEt3-Q=s0-d-e1-ft#https://media.sailthru.com/composer/images/bazh/6su869qw/bcg/2o1/f7b/2025-03-25-happiness-hdi-min.png align="center") No fukn way. Yet the [Happiness Report](https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/) weirdly claims that, can you imagine? --- Welcome to **Teleogenic**❣️ Other places I cross-post (not always) to: * [**Hashnode**](https://posts.teleogenic.com) * [**Medium**](https://baldr.medium.com/) * [**Telegram**](https://t.me/ohmyboi) * [**Twitter**](https://twitter.com/ZakharKogan) * [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakhar-kogan/)