Just that kind of misjudgment left many companies stranded in the fall of 2008, when the commercial paper markets dried up.

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Ginkgo, inspired by the do-it-yourself ethos of Squid Labs' Saul Griffith, will sell these standardized genetic parts dried onto sheets of paper or in vials to big companies that want to make new drugs, plastics and petroleum replacements.

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Earlier this year, the vast market for commercial paper suddenly dried up, but this was not an insurmountable problem for highly rated companies, which could draw down lines of credit, previously arranged with banks, or tap the market for long-term corporate bonds.

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Scanning instead of typing might work since most space-food packages have bar codes, but some are stamped on shiny curved surfaces while others are printed on thin crinkled paper wrapped around freeze-dried items.

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Spread paper towels across the counter with the dried greens and roll the entire bundle together, like a jelly roll, to hold lettuces in the fridge for up to a week.

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In the past, banks would agree at little cost to provide back-up lines for commercial-paper issuers in case their access to the market dried up.

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