The biotech industry takes on infant nutrition.  Illustration by Bianca Bagnarelli “Breast milk is often described as a kind of elixir,” Molly Fischer writes, in this week’s issue, of the widely acknowledged “gold standard” for infant nutrition that can provide an array of benefits, including protection against asthma and diabetes. “To replicate it in a laboratory,” Fischer writes, “would be alchemy.” And yet, numerous companies have formed with such a goal. Fischer, who was pregnant while reporting the piece, visits two of these biotech startups to find out just how close they are to creating a viable lab-grown breast milk. Along the way, she describes the polarized politics of breast-feeding, and its tangled history in America—where a quarter of mothers return to work only two weeks after childbirth. “There are two factions in the world: ‘Breast is best’ and ‘Fed is best,’ ” a co-founder of the startup Biomilq says. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what’s best, and many mothers feel a pressure to get the “whole baby thing right.” Could artificial breast milk be part of the answer? Listen to podcasts? We’d like to know your favorites. Take a brief survey » | 
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