Alan Watts discussed at length how modern science mainly focused on the study of things through the analysis of their inner properties, mechanisms, components,

Alan Watts discussed at length how modern science mainly focused on the study of things through the analysis of their inner properties, mechanisms, components, etc. Thing is, nothing actually exists in a void: what something is only tells us half of the story because in what context it exists matters as much. Everything constantly interacts with its environment in a complex web of interactions. As apples grow from the tree, the Earth grows people. No environment, no organism. One always goes with the other. So, back to engineering particular bacteria, it's no surprise they would only survive in the long term if their environment somehow "allows" it: the engineered bacteria eventually needs to find a viable place in its ecosystem where it fits. So while trying to grow a single new bacteria consistently failed, introducing multiple ones adds the fact they're now coming with their own mini-ecosystem to support them, apparently improving their odds to find their own place in the environment.