#11 Deeptech Analysed - Shaking Up Food Security: Why Salt Is a Global Threat and What We Can Do About It & Fighting Back Against Deepfakes: Detection and Countermeasures for a Safer Online World
What's happening this week? 6th February - 12th February
In this week edition…
(1) Salt, a global threat to food security
(2) Deepfake detection & countermeasures
Shaking Up Food Security: Why Salt Is a Global Threat and What We Can Do About It
By David Levy, Deeptech Expert
What is going on?
There is a surge in saltiness on fertile ground in all inhabited continents around the world. Due to climate change, faster rates of sea level rise, water evaporation, and longer dry seasons, are enhancing the trace levels of salt naturally occurring below ground, where crops are grown. Rising salt concentrations result in crop death, and pose a global threat to food security. Vegetables struggle to sustain these levels of salt. Hence, yield is drastically diminished. Salt-tolerant crops have already been genetically engineered as a viable solution. There are also novel non-GM solutions.
What does it mean?
Rising sea levels has led to an increase in contamination of ground water. The situation is at its worst in Bangladesh, where livelihoods are the most impacted in the world. Thousands of people ultimately die each year from the consumption of contaminated water. Bangladesh is especially targeted because of its unique geomorphology. Its' mostly plain land is exposed to the Ganges delta, also known as the Bengal delta, the largest river delta in the world.
This is a global problem. The modern means of pumping ground water for both irrigation and tab consumption, along with higher rates of water evaporation and increased seawater entry into fertile soil through deltas around the world (due to sea level rise) – exacerbate this salty pickle.
Why does it matter?
There are traditional methods in place to reduce fertile soil salinity, such as the planting of trees, the dilution of irrigation water and the formation of trenches around crop plantations. Even genetically modified seeds have been introduced. However, these solutions might not prove efficient for all agricultural region. Furthermore, the issue is projected to worsen, since climate change maintains its course and the global population increases. Moreover, there aren't yet any long-term studies' results on potential environmental side effects to genetically modified crops, which makes this practice still controversial today.
💸For markets: what initiatives are happening around?
Rimonim is an Israeli venture capital investment firm focused on small to mid-sized value-oriented companies in the numerous fields of Agrotechnology (Agtech). Rimonim's team selects promising companies for its portfolio which specialize in one or more fields of Agtech, such as indoor agriculture, automation and drones, IoT (internet of things in agriculture), soil and crop technology, Irrigation, water and more.
One of these promising companies, SaliCrop, an Israeli company based in Kfar Vitkin, develops unique non-GMO treatments to crop seeds which induces them to grow well in high salinity. The practice involves epigenetics, a branch of molecular biology. Epigenetics is the study of the molecular environment which affects genetic expression. Essentially, SaliCrop has found a practical way to induce the expression or suppression of genes involved with salt tolerance, without the need to artificially modify any genes.
Chinese company 'Shandong Binyuan Agricultural Science and Technology Co' has joined a team formed by the late Yuan Longping, China's "father of hybrid rice", in order to improve salt affected soil and cultivate seawater rice, a salt-resistant strain of rice.
🧑🏿🤝🧑🏻For society: the challenge of food security.
NIBN, the national institute for biotechnology in the Negev, an arid southern region of Israel, is a world-renowned scientific Research and Development institute. It promotes research in the burgeoning field of agricultural biology (Agbio), using cutting edge molecular biology and microbiology techniques to increase sustainable agriculture.
Ensuring the supply of basic foods such as grains, is a major strategic issue given both geopolitical and climate pressures. Grains such as rice are known to provide large quantities of nutritious yields, when compared to other types of crops. The cultivation of grains has been the main focus in densely populated areas with relatively poor soil such as China.
Bangladesh, for example, as well as arid countries in the middle east such as Israel, constantly work to maintain food security and independence for an unknown future, by looking into ways to sustainably improve yield.
🔮What’s next?
The key to success is a multidisciplinary cooperative approach. The global Agtech community is empowered by local farmers, scientists, managers and engineers. The improvement of seed enhancement, microbial soil manipulation, the use of epigenetics and other biotechnologies, alongside advances in Agtech automation as well as bioinformation is expected to, well, yield more yield.
Fighting Back Against Deepfakes: Detection and Countermeasures for a Safer Online World
By Karol Djanashvili, Deeptech Expert
What is going on?
Deepfakes are synthetic media, such as videos or images, that are created or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. They are designed to look and sound like real people, but the content has been altered to present a false reality.
What does it mean?
Deepfakes can be used for malicious purposes, such as spreading false information, impersonating individuals, or creating fabricated evidence. This can have serious consequences for individuals, organizations, and society as a whole, as it can undermine trust in the authenticity of information and erode the credibility of the affected parties.
Why does it matter?
💸For markets: potential risks and damage to reputation.
In the business world, deepfakes can be used to spread false information about companies or their products, which can lead to reputational damage and financial losses. They can also be used to impersonate company executives or employees, which can lead to confusion and miscommunication within the organization.
🧑🏿🤝🧑🏻For society: content manipulation & security leaks.
In the media and entertainment industry, deepfakes can be used to create fake celebrity endorsements or manipulate the content of films and television shows. This can erode trust in the authenticity of media content and lead to confusion and misinformation.
In the security field, deepfakes can be used to spread false information or manipulate public opinion, which can have serious implications for national security and privacy. They can also be used to create fake evidence, which can undermine the integrity of legal proceedings and investigations.
🔮What’s next?
To mitigate the risks posed by deepfakes, researchers and technology companies are developing deepfake detection algorithms and countermeasures. These include techniques that analyze the physical characteristics of videos, such as blinking patterns and head movements, as well as audio analysis and metadata analysis. The development of these countermeasures is crucial for ensuring the authenticity of media content and preserving the integrity of information. However, as deepfake technology continues to evolve, it is likely that the arms race between deepfake creators and deepfake detectors will continue.