Gracilaria

Gracilaria is the primary source of agar - the gel used in microbiology, molecular biology, and food production. Without agar plates, modern microbiology wouldn't exist; bacterial colonies couldn't be isolated and studied. This red seaweed is farmed extensively in Asia, with global production exceeding 300,000 tons annually.

Gracilaria demonstrates hidden infrastructure dependencies. Few people know that biomedical research depends on seaweed farming. The business parallel is supply chain dependencies invisible to end users - components or materials so embedded in production that their importance is only recognized when supply is disrupted.