Hi HN! I'm a 16-year-old student from Kazakhstan and I recently dove deep into a problem that shook me: coral reefs are dying faster than we're reacting.

Most existing solutions focus on reducing CO₂ or replanting corals — but what if we could go deeper? What if we could *rethink coral biology* from the ground up?

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## 💔 The Problem

Corals are not just pretty rocks. They are complex **symbiotic ecosystems**, especially with tiny algae called **zooxanthellae**. These algae live inside coral tissue and provide nutrients through photosynthesis. When oceans overheat or acidify, these algae die or flee — and the coral "bleaches" and dies.

Despite billions spent on reef conservation, **we haven’t solved the root issue**: the symbiotic breakdown under stress.

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## 🧬 The Idea

What if we could engineer a *synthetic symbiosis*?

- I explored **marine fungi and mycelium** as potential scaffolds.
- Then I imagined embedding engineered **photosynthetic bacteria** that mimic zooxanthellae.
- These microbes could be protected inside mycelial structures, allowing **enhanced heat resistance**, **nutrient sharing**, and potentially **reef recolonization** even in hostile waters.

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## 🧪 What I Built

This is not just an idea. I:
- Wrote [an open-source article on Medium](https://medium.com/@riskulovakorpus/the-heart-of-the-planet-bc8a504bca85)
- Designed a [GitHub repo with visual diagrams, hypotheses, and implementation scenarios](https://github.com/riskulovakorpus/TheHeartOfThePlanet)
- Posted in /r/SyntheticBiology and got feedback about ecological risks, saltwater challenges, gene containment — and I’m working on those in version 2.

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## ⚠️ I Know It's Not Simple

Releasing GMOs into the ocean is risky. Mycelium may not behave in water like in soil. There are biocontainment issues and unknowns.

But what I want to do is **spark conversations** and **connect with experts** who could shape, redirect or improve this idea.

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## 🚀 My Goal

I want this to become:
- A real citizen-science research initiative
- A collaborative open-source biotech concept
- Maybe something bigger — because if not us, who?

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## 📣 Want to Join or Give Feedback?

All the links are here:
- 🔗 Medium article: https://medium.com/@riskulovakorpus/the-heart-of-the-planet-bc8a504bca85
- 🧠 GitHub project: https://github.com/riskulovakorpus/TheHeartOfThePlanet
- 🖼 Cover Image: [download](https://chat.openai.com/share/file/000000...

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