The Strange Attractor

Hosted by Samuel Wines

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Sep 2026

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EN-AU

About the show

Welcome to The Strange Attractor, an experimental podcast exploring ways of being, seeing, and doing that are grounded in the interconnectedness and the systems view of life. Drawing on complexity science, philosophy, wisdom traditions, and bio-inspired design, we explore how learning to see differently can help us build and create a more resilient and regenerative future.

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26 recent

September 30, 2026Episode 251 hr 50 min

Incorruptible by design: What if Governance is the Real Innovation? ft. Samin Haque

A startup can start with the purest intention in the world and still drift the moment capital, growth pressure, and 'industry standard' advice kick in. That’s why this conversation with Samin from Melbourne Bionics goes straight past the surface-level startup talk and into the machinery underneath: governance, incentives, and how you design a company that stays true to its mission over a long time horizon. We trace Melbourne Bionics ’ path from early garage prototypes and the hard realities of medical device commercialisation, including TGA and FDA timelines, through to a deliberate strategy of rapid hardware iteration. Samin shares how fast prototyping, small-batch manufacturing, and real testing builds the one thing every medtech and sports performance product needs before it can scale: trust. We also talk about networking that actually works, built on reciprocity, giving value first, and treating collaboration as a non-zero-sum game rather than a battleground. Then we get specific about ' steward ownership ' style thinking and a four-entity structure designed to protect purpose: a holding company that owns IP and takes investment, an operating company with employee profit share, a mission guardian trust with real veto power, and a research entity that can publish openly while still feeding commercial outcomes when appropriate. Along the way, we touch on Mondragon -inspired cooperative models, why founders should stop treating legal structure as boring admin, and why sustainable creative work often depends on walks, downtime, and rejecting hustle culture. If you care about mission-driven startups, deep tech governance, medtech in Australia, and building organisations that can’t be pushed off-course, this one will give you plenty to steal. Like the episode? Share it with a founder who’s raising, and leave a review with your take: what would you change about the way startups are owned and governed? Want to read more about Business Unusual? Check out the following books: Incorruptible by Eric Ries Ecocivilisation by Jeremy Lent Bioregional Financing Facilities by Leon Seefeld, Samantha Power Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

September 24, 2026Episode 241 hr 39 min

The McMansion Problem, Insurers as Climate Enforcers & AI for Better Materials ft. Sonja Markovic

Australia keeps building some of the biggest homes on Earth – around 240 square metres on average, with custom builds regularly hitting 300 to 400 – right as climate events intensify, insurance gets tighter, and the construction supply chain starts showing real limits. That tension sits at the heart of our chat with Sonja Markovic , CEO and co-founder of Evitat , a startup helping architects, designers, builders and clients navigate sustainable building materials with far less guesswork and far more evidence. Sonja's journey started close to home. After a cyclone damaged her Queensland house, she set out to rebuild with better materials, and discovered just how hard it is. We talk candidly about why 'just choose better materials' is rarely simple on a real project. Lead times, cost blowouts, procurement habits, compliance questions and market incentives all push teams back to familiar products, and the playing field isn't level: conventional materials have had decades of subsidies and support that biomaterials haven't. We also dig into who's really shaping our homes, and why so many Australians consult a real estate agent before an architect when deciding what to build. Sonja breaks down how material passports can become a building passport that records what was specified and why, so decisions don't disappear when a project changes hands. We explore co-benefits that matter to everyday people but often get lost in a spreadsheet: mould resistance through better moisture management, healthier indoor air for asthma and allergies, durability, and resilience without defaulting to a concrete-and-steel bunker mentality. From there, we zoom out to the system. We cover what Europe is getting right with top-down targets for circularity and reuse, how government procurement could unlock circular construction here, why biomaterials need strong agricultural inputs to scale, and how insurance could become a surprising lever for better building standards. Sonja also walks us through Evitat's agentic AI workspace, designed to help teams interrogate a material schedule in plain language, attach evidence to sustainability claims and reduce the research burden without replacing professional judgement. We even tackle the elephant in the room: AI's footprint, data centres, and the need for efficiency and transparency. If you care about low-tox healthy homes, embodied carbon, circularity and practical pathways to better construction in Australia, this one is for you. Subscribe, share it with someone planning a build or fit-out, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. Recorded at CoLabs in Notting Hill. Keen to learn more about Evitat? website Sonja's Linkedin This episode is sponsored by CoLabs Australia. Want to get involved at CoLabs? Early-stage founder working in bio, climate or deep tech? Check out CoLabs programs here . Need a hand growing your venture? From validating ideas and finding the right talent to sales, comms and marketing, the CoLabs team can help. Get in touch . Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

September 16, 2026Episode 231 hr 16 min

The Designer Turning Oyster Shells Into Bioceramics ft. Chloe Harper E23

Oyster shells don’t look like the start of a serious construction material, but they might be. We sat down with Chloe Harper, a biomaterials-obsessed industrial designer, to talk through her journey from tinkering with early biocomposites to building Shellstone: a cold-processed bioseramic tile made from reclaimed oyster shells. Along the way, we get honest about what it takes to turn a beautiful idea into something architects can actually specify, from strength and water absorbency through to the brutal economics of certification and testing. We dig into biodesign and biomimicry in plain language, using the oyster as the blueprint. Shells are already nature’s high-performance composite, grown slowly, layer by layer, and Chloe’s process borrows that logic while swapping kilns for chemistry. We also explore the messy middle of innovation: learning materials science as a “non-scientist doing science”, building prototypes fast, and leaning on collaborators to turn curiosity into repeatable results. If you care about sustainable building materials, circular construction, green chemistry, and the future material palette for Australia, there’s a lot here for you. Then we zoom out to the bigger system. Why do biomaterials still face stigma? How do words like “waste” vs “reclaimed” change trust and buying decisions? What would it take to grow a real blue economy where oyster shells, kelp, and other marine resources support local coastal economies rather than feeding business as usual? We finish by looking at the need for bioregional biohubs, and Chloe shares an open challenge: creating a plastic-free, bio-based waterproof coating that performs like a glaze without the usual downsides. If this sparked something, subscribe for more conversations on biomaterials and regenerative design, share the episode with a designer or architect who needs new options, and leave a review so more people can find the work. Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

June 29, 2026Episode 221 hr 6 min

What Does Dubstep Have to Do With Regeneration? ft. Murray Gray | TSA E22

What connects a Shoreditch nightclub at 2am, a palm agroforestry project in the Amazon, and the question of whether anything can ever truly be 'regenerative'? In this long-form conversation on Strange Attractor, Sam sits down with Murray Gray – CEO of Sustainable Table, former systemic venture builder at Metabolic, and Fresh Ventures – to trace a throughline from DJing and the early dubstep scene in Shoreditch all the way to financing the transition to circular, bio-based economies. We get into the tension between systems thinking and mechanistic thinking, and why you need both – the yin-yang dynamic between the rigour of structure that enables the flow of emergence. We talk about 'lowercase entrepreneurialism', the unglamorous work of actually making things happen, and why the boring stuff (regulation, legal structures, governance) is where the real leverage usually hides. Murray shares hard-won lessons from building systemic venture studios, the trap of analysing everything before you act, and the shift from asking 'are you regenerative?' to 'are you regenerating?' – a move from noun to verb that changes who's in the room and who gets left out. And we go deep on finance: why so much of what gets called 'high risk' is really a perception problem, how patient capital works on 25–30 year timescales, and what it actually takes to fund the people doing the most important, most intangible early work. A wide-ranging, warm and occasionally provocative conversation about doing the thing rather than just talking about it, exploring systems thinking, patient capital, venture studios, and why the hardest work is usually invisible. 00:00 - Launching The Strange Attractor and Vision 02:13 - Introducing Murray and Starting Conversation 03:27 - Opening Remarks and Welcome 03:36 - Discussing the Building Systemic Ventures Paper 05:05 - Murray's Diverse Path and Operational Focus 07:55 - Personality Insights and Connecting Diverse Themes 09:19 - Conversation Flow and Mutual Understanding 11:12 - Balancing Planning and Action in Systems 12:14 - Electronic Music Scene as Systemic Innovation Example 15:19 - Discovering Systems Thinking and Circular Economy 17:38 - Evolving Awareness of Systemic Properties 19:04 - Tools, Language, and Prompt for Discussion 19:55 - Seeing Connections Yet Struggling to Act 20:15 - Challenges Translating Insight into Action 23:21 - Addressing Key Issue and Initiating Discussion 24:22 - Systemic Venture Building Framework Overview 26:14 - Venture Studio Support and Ongoing Presence 28:50 - Venture Survival Metrics and Founder Support 30:37 - Complex Challenges and Excitement in Venture Work 32:07 - Building Impact Ecosystem and Community Support 34:50 - Navigating Regulatory Barriers and Value Decisions 37:58 - Radical Shifts and Process Philosophy Insights 40:13 - Personal Struggle and Turning Point 44:28 - Shift After Group Meeting and Brazil Case 46:15 - Regenerative Agroforestry in Brazil and Long-Term Impact 51:27 - Patient Capital and Long-Term Return Considerations 53:46 - Rational and Perceptual Barriers to Funding 55:46 - Building Infrastructure and Trust for Innovation 59:08 - Applying Solutions Across Sectors and Challenges 01:03:17 - Conclusion and Looking Forward to Next Episode Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

May 18, 2026Episode 211 hr 32 min

The Age of Algae: Seaweed, Systems & Regenerative Futures ft. Vasundhara Gaur & Simon Beirouti from Compound | 21

Plastic is everywhere, and not just in landfill. It’s in our clothes, our water, and the invisible systems that make 'single use' feel normal. We sit down with Simon and Vasundhara from Compound , a CoLabs venture exploring algae biomaterials, to ask a simple question with massive consequences: what if we could replace soft plastics with materials grown from seaweed? Vasundhara brings an industrial design lens and a fast prototyping mindset, while Simon comes from tech and systems thinking. Together, they unpack why materials are the best place to start when you’re building towards a circular bioeconomy: fewer regulatory roadblocks than food, less capital intensity than carbon projects, and a direct path to everyday products people can actually touch. We also get into the uncomfortable history of petrochemical plastics, how wartime speed and cheap oil locked in “heat, beat, treat” manufacturing, and why the real challenge now is changing incentives, language, and consumer stress around recycling. From invasive kelp like Wakame to local blue economy collaborations, we explore what resilient, bioregional supply chains could look like in Australia. Then we go deeper: biological time versus industrial time, designing for change and imperfection, and flipping the culture from unboxing to 'boxing it up' at the end of a product’s life. If you care about regenerative materials, seaweed packaging, microplastics, PFAS, or life-centred design, hit play. Subscribe, share the episode with a mate, and leave a review so more people can find this work. Keen to hear more about Compound? Website Instagram Linkedin Vasundhara Simon Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

April 28, 2026Episode 201 hr 29 min

Utilium: A Nature-Based Biofilm Buster ft. Dr. David Stapleton | E20

David is a researcher-turned-innovator with three decades in biomedical science, a PhD-era discovery that reshaped our understanding of energy metabolism, and a new company, Utilium , born from a hospital bed and a handful of rocks from Bunnings. In this episode, we sit down with one of CoLabs' Impact Members to explore his bio-inspired approach to biofilms: the invisible microbial communities that cost global industry $2–3 trillion a year, fuel antibiotic resistance, and lurk in the rubber seal of your washing machine. David shares how crustaceans (who somehow keep their shells immaculate in an ocean seemingly devoted to the degradation of most things) became the blueprint for a technology that could transform healthcare, marine infrastructure, food production, and more. In this conversation, we explore how daydreaming is a useful method for ideation, the freedom that comes with constraint, trusting your instincts, and why the gold is always hiding in the detail. What we cover How David isolated AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) – a breakthrough enzyme central to energy metabolism – using a Velcro analogy and an analog lab setup, pre-internet The brutal economics of academic research: falling grant success rates, frozen samples, and an unceremonious exit A winding path through cannabis terpenes, horse probiotics, and ship biofouling that eventually pointed to biofilms What biofilms actually are – and why treating them as a bacterial problem misses the point entirely The first experiment: two rocks, some oregano oil, and 93 days in Port Phillip Bay How working with almost no equipment led David to discover something he would have missed in a fully-equipped lab The role of AI (including a helpfully sarcastic session with Gemini) in checking assumptions and staying honest Biofilm's reach: washing machines, chronic wounds, hospital sinks, dairy farms, pipes, marine hulls... a near-infinite problem space! Why antibiotic resistance is the wrong frame, and what crustacean shell chemistry suggests as an alternative Where Utilium is headed, and which applications David is backing first Keen to learn more about Utilium? Linkedin Website Patched Up Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

March 4, 2026Episode 191 hr 31 min

From Ocean Pests to Regenerative Products ft. Henry Cole from ROPA #19

Kelp forests are disappearing into white rock deserts, and Henry Cole is wading straight into the problem—then bottling the solution. We bring you a frontline look at how invasive seaweed and exploding urchin populations can be harvested to restore reefs and transformed into premium skincare actives and agricultural inputs that people already want. Henry’s journey runs from deep-sea fishing and oil-and-gas diving to helping build Victoria’s first commercial seaweed farm. The science landed; the scaling dragged. Meanwhile, wakame kept spreading, and long-spine urchins carved out barren 'Moonscapes' across Victoria and Tasmania. That mismatch unlocked a practical pivot: remove what harms ecosystems now and convert it into high-value products that fund more removal. Think wakame-derived fucoidan and fucoxanthin for barrier support and collagen-friendly skincare; think water-soluble chitosan from urchin shells replacing harsh antifungals in farms, improving seed protection, and adding film-forming performance to hair care and sunscreens. After extraction, the remaining biomass flows into fertilisers and foliar sprays to rebuild soil health—no waste, just new value. We dive into shark gates and tuna ranching, government policy gaps, and why 'commercial capacity' is the missing link between plans and thriving reefs. Henry breaks down how authorisations, pro dive teams, vessels, and onshore processing create a true ocean-to-shelf pipeline, while partnerships with abalone divers, Surfers for Climate, and research groups steer work to where it counts. The vision is clear: within a decade, juvenile kelp returns, apex predators follow, and coastal towns gain new jobs in bioproduct manufacturing alongside healthier fisheries and tourism. This is a story of logistics and hope, engineering and ethics, and a business model built on collaborative advantage. If you’re curious about the bioeconomy, seaweed science, chitosan, and how consumer products can drive real restoration, you’ll find a roadmap you can act on. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves the ocean, and leave a review to help more people find conversations that turn problems into products. Keen to know more? Check out what Henry's up to here: Website Instagram Henry's LinkedIn Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

January 27, 2026Episode 181 hr 27 min

Rethinking Design, Systems & the Future of Materials with Sarah D'Sylva from Hyloh | #18

What if the issue isn’t the material itself, but the system wrapped around it? In this conversation, we jump straight into the uncomfortable truth that there are no sustainable materials – only better choices made in context. Joining us is designer and Halo co-founder Sarah de Silva, as we unpack how coatings, building codes, logistics, incentives and infrastructure can quickly turn a ‘green’ option into a risky one. We explore how designers and decision-makers can find their way back to integrity, through clear end-of-life thinking, transparency and honest trade-offs. We move beyond slogans and into what actually works. Think material passports that track what things are made of and where they’ve been. Think facade-as-a-service and take-back models that plan for recovery from day one. Think internal marketplaces that keep fit-out and retail materials circulating rather than sending them to landfill. We dig into why paper-versus-plastic isn’t a morality tale, when mono-material PET can outperform fibre, and why local infrastructure often decides the real-world outcome. Place matters, and Australia has a rare opportunity right now. We talk bioregional manufacturing, smarter import standards, and pairing Indigenous knowledge with processing close to feedstocks. From fast-growing kelp to hemp, we highlight materials with outsized potential when paired with circular systems, and get real about what actually drives change within organisations: risk, talent and resilience. If you’re working in circular design, packaging, architecture or supply chains, this conversation offers a grounded path from theory to practice. Give it a listen, share it with someone who writes specs, and tell us the one barrier you’d love to see removed next. Keen to see more about Hyloh? Website Materials Encyclopaedia Book Sarah's LinkedIn Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

November 28, 2025Episode 171 hr 16 min

From Lab Bench To Dinner Plate: Funding, Regulation, And The Future Of Cultivated Meat In Australia with Paul Bevan | #17

What does a $10k cultivated meat dumpling taste like? Pretty great. But honestly, that’s not the point. The real story is how fast that price is free-falling, and what that unlocks for real food on real plates. In this episode, we sit down with Magic Valley CEO Paul Bevan to get past the headlines and into the gritty, resilient work of building a cultivated meat company in Australia. We kick off with culture, because tech is easy compared to humans. Paul shares why hiring for outcomes over optics is essential, and how the best interns don’t wait for job descriptions; they earn them by solving obvious problems early. From there, we dig into the power of storytelling and marketing, especially when you don’t have a product yet. In emerging categories, education is the product. Media isn’t vanity, it’s scaffolding. It is how you build trust with investors, regulators and supply chain partners. Then we talk money. Mission-aligned angels, smaller VCs who understand timelines, matched grants like the Industry Growth Program, and making the most of Australia’s R&D Tax Incentive. We touch on why crowdfunding works best when you already have a crowd, and why disciplined runway beats hype every time. And the plot twist? The economics are finally shifting. Food-grade suppliers are undercutting pharma, bioreactors once costing millions are dropping into six-figure territory, and culture media is falling fast with a credible path to one dollar a litre. Add FSANZ’s dedicated cellular agriculture pathway, and the route to viable products looks far more concrete than the doom-scrolling suggests. If you’re into cultivated meat, future-fit food systems or the art of founder survival in tough markets (with integrity, clarity and a dash of cheek), this episode is for you. Hit subscribe, share with a friend who geeks out on food tech, and drop us your biggest question. Keen to hear more about Magic Valley? Website LinkedIn Instagram Youtube Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

October 2, 2025Episode 161 hr 9 min

Crafting with Life: Mycelium, Biodesign, and a Regenerative Materials Economy with Amanda Morgan from Fungi Solutions | #16

If you could ask a living material to help fix our mess, what would you grow first – packaging, panels, or leather? We sit down with Amanda from Fungi Solutions to share how mycelium turns waste streams into durable, lightweight, and compostable products that actually work at scale. From early experiments binding fashion off-cuts to refined packaging that replaces polystyrene, we map the practical steps, the surprises, and the mindset shift from manufacturing to collaboration with living systems. We get specific on biofabrication: substrates, environmental tuning, and the difference between compressive strength and torsion when you’re eyeing the built environment. Amanda walks us through treatments and finishes – waterproofing, laser texturing, surface skins – and why designing for decomposition is a feature, not a flaw. We talk testing before certification, how to manage MOQs as a small team, and the honest limits today: organics are ready now, plastics need pretreatment and more R&D. Along the way, there’s additive manufacturing with mycelium pastes, sculptural interiors people refuse to throw away, and the sensory surprise of a material that feels like cork meets velvet. Zooming out, we explore the circular economy infrastructure at a systems-level scale. From waste mapping, regional feedstock modelling, and how AI might supercharge biomaterials (automating humidity, predicting contamination, and powering local facilities). We celebrate community labs, open-source cultivation, and non-traditional pathways into STEM, because access fuels innovation. And there’s fresh news: mycelium leather is now available for distribution, with R&D underway to push performance and craft. Suppose you are one of those wonderful humans who care about sustainable packaging, biomaterials for construction, regenerative manufacturing, or want to see fungi outcompete foam. In that case, this conversation offers an insightful take from someone who is actively pushing forward in this space. Enjoyed the chat? Follow, share with a friend who geeks out on biodesign, and leave a review to help more people discover these regenerative solutions. Keen to learn more? Check out the links below: Amanda Website Instagram LinkedIn Keep Following the Pattern Sam's Instagram Substack CoLabs CoLabs Newsletter This is an evolving experiment. The Strange Attractor is a living experiment supported by CoLabs, a practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet. Like the ecosystems we're part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one. If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line . We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines – the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay curious!

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