Death, Entropy, Creativity and Perpetual Perishing: Some Thoughts from Whitehead and Stengers

In this paper, I argue that we need to rethink how we conceive of death as ?inevitable?. There are two main strands to my analysis. First, I use the work of Stengers to trace the complex and, occasionally, contradictory ways in which the concept of entropy was developed within physics in the 19th and 20th century. I argue that this has led to a general but ill-conceived notion of the universe as wasting away, as dying. This is a form of inevitability which has infected our understanding of what constitutes the death of individual humans. I then turn to the contrast that Whitehead draws between creativity and ?perpetual perishing?. I suggest that this contrast might help us to develop a wider, more coherent, approach to thinking about the status of death, and its supposed inevitability. In the final section, I reflect upon my father?s death in 2013 in light of some of the concepts and problems raised throughout the paper

Different carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules proxy compounds select distinct bacterioplankton for oxidation of dissolved organic matter in the mesopelagic Sargasso Sea

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Liu, S., Parsons, R., Opalk, K., Baetge, N., Giovannoni, S., Bolanos, L. M., Kujawinski, E. B., Longnecker, K., Lu, Y., Halewood, E., & Carlson, C. A. Different carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules proxy compounds select distinct bacterioplankton for oxidation of dissolved organic matter in the mesopelagic Sargasso Sea. Limnology and Oceanography, (2020), doi:10.1002/lno.11405.Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) varies in its recalcitrance to rapid microbial degradation. DOM of varying recalcitrance can be exported from the ocean surface to depth by subduction or convective mixing and oxidized over months to decades in deeper seawater. Carboxyl‐rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM) are characterized as a major component of recalcitrant DOM throughout the oceanic water column. The oxidation of CRAM‐like compounds may depend on specific bacterioplankton lineages with oxidative enzymes capable of catabolizing complex molecular structures like long‐chain aliphatics, cyclic alkanes, and carboxylic acids. To investigate the interaction between bacteria and CRAM‐like compounds, we conducted microbial remineralization experiments using several compounds rich in carboxyl groups and/or alicyclic rings, including deoxycholate, humic acid, lignin, and benzoic acid, as proxies for CRAM. Mesopelagic seawater (200 m) from the northwest Sargasso Sea was used as media and inoculum and incubated over 28 d. All amendments demonstrated significant DOC removal (2–11 μmol C L−1) compared to controls. Bacterioplankton abundance increased significantly in the deoxycholate and benzoic acid treatments relative to controls, with fast‐growing Spongiibacteracea, Euryarcheaota, and slow‐growing SAR11 enriched in the deoxycholate treatment and fast‐growing Alteromonas, Euryarcheaota, and Thaumarcheaota enriched in the benzoic acid treatment. In contrast, bacterioplankton grew slower in the lignin and humic acid treatments, with oligotrophic SAR202 becoming significantly enriched in the lignin treatment. Our results indicate that the character of the CRAM proxy compounds resulted in distinct bacterioplankton removal rates of DOM and affected specific lineages of bacterioplankton capable of responding.We thank Z. Landry for the inspiring idea of SAR202 catabolism of CRAM. We thank the University of California, Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute Analytical Laboratory for analyzing inorganic nutrient samples. We thank C. Johnson for her help in FISH sample processing and BATS group in supporting our project. We thank N. K. Rubin‐Saika and R. Padula for their help with amino acid sample preparation. We thank Z. Liu, J. Xue, K. Lu, and Y. Shen for their help with amino acid protocol development and validation. We thank B. Stephens for his help on microscopic image analysis. We thank M. Dasenko and the staff of the CGRB at Oregon State University for amplicon library preparation and DNA sequencing. We are grateful for the help provided by the officers and crews of the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) provides us tremendous support in terms of facilities and lab space. We thank Bermuda government for its allowance of our water sampling and sample export (export permit number SP160904, issued 07 October 2016 under the Fisheries Act, 1972). This project was supported by Simons Foundation International's BIOS‐SCOPE program

Potential implications of the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources for the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. A submission from CGIAR to the Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

This report has been submitted by CGIAR in response to an invitation issued by the Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) calling on “relevant organizations and stakeholders to submit views and relevant information on any potential implications of the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources for the three objectives of the Convention” as input to the "Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources", 13 - 16 February 2018, Montreal, Canada. CGIAR experience to date confirms that digital genomic sequence data can play important roles in the management and sustainable use of biological diversity and in the sharing of benefits associated with the use of that diversity. Technological capacities to generate genomic sequence data have accelerated faster than capacities to enable practical use of this information. Relatively small investments in the initial generation of genomic sequences, must then be coupled with significantly larger investments to comparatively analyse genomic sequences, to link genetic variability to useful phenotypic traits or performance, to ‘optimize’ those traits, and ultimately, to develop new crop varieties for release and use in farmers’ fields. CGIAR underscores the importance of capacity building for developing country research and development organizations to generate and use genomic sequence information as part of their own conservation and crop improvement programs, and to be able to participate on equal footing in internationally coordinated and funded research and development programs. The most important benefit to be shared from the use of genomic sequence information in agricultural research and development and plant breeding is improved food and livelihood security. Other non-monetary benefits are farmers’ improved access to technologies, enhanced institutional capacities of developing country research organizations, shared research results, and local and regional economic development

Posibles repercusiones del uso de la información digital sobre secuencias de recursos genéticos para los tres objetivos del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica. Informe del CGIAR presentado ante la Secretaría del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica

This report has been submitted by CGIAR in response to an invitation issued by the Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) calling on “relevant organizations and stakeholders to submit views and relevant information on any potential implications of the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources for the three objectives of the Convention” as input to the "Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources", 13 - 16 February 2018, Montreal, Canada. CGIAR experience to date confirms that digital genomic sequence data can play important roles in the management and sustainable use of biological diversity and in the sharing of benefits associated with the use of that diversity. Technological capacities to generate genomic sequence data have accelerated faster than capacities to enable practical use of this information. Relatively small investments in the initial generation of genomic sequences, must then be coupled with significantly larger investments to comparatively analyse genomic sequences, to link genetic variability to useful phenotypic traits or performance, to ‘optimize’ those traits, and ultimately, to develop new crop varieties for release and use in farmers’ fields. CGIAR underscores the importance of capacity building for developing country research and development organizations to generate and use genomic sequence information as part of their own conservation and crop improvement programs, and to be able to participate on equal footing in internationally coordinated and funded research and development programs. The most important benefit to be shared from the use of genomic sequence information in agricultural research and development and plant breeding is improved food and livelihood security. Other non-monetary benefits are farmers’ improved access to technologies, enhanced institutional capacities of developing country research organizations, shared research results, and local and regional economic development

Implications potentielles de l’utilisation de l’information génétique numérique sur les ressources génétiques sur les trois objectifs de la Convention sur la diversité biologique. Document soumis par le CGIAR au Secrétariat de la Convention sur la diversité biologique

This report has been submitted by CGIAR in response to an invitation issued by the Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) calling on “relevant organizations and stakeholders to submit views and relevant information on any potential implications of the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources for the three objectives of the Convention” as input to the "Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources", 13 - 16 February 2018, Montreal, Canada. CGIAR experience to date confirms that digital genomic sequence data can play important roles in the management and sustainable use of biological diversity and in the sharing of benefits associated with the use of that diversity. Technological capacities to generate genomic sequence data have accelerated faster than capacities to enable practical use of this information. Relatively small investments in the initial generation of genomic sequences, must then be coupled with significantly larger investments to comparatively analyse genomic sequences, to link genetic variability to useful phenotypic traits or performance, to ‘optimize’ those traits, and ultimately, to develop new crop varieties for release and use in farmers’ fields. CGIAR underscores the importance of capacity building for developing country research and development organizations to generate and use genomic sequence information as part of their own conservation and crop improvement programs, and to be able to participate on equal footing in internationally coordinated and funded research and development programs. The most important benefit to be shared from the use of genomic sequence information in agricultural research and development and plant breeding is improved food and livelihood security. Other non-monetary benefits are farmers’ improved access to technologies, enhanced institutional capacities of developing country research organizations, shared research results, and local and regional economic development

Linkages among dissolved organic matter export, dissolved metabolites, and associated microbial community structure response in the northwestern Sargasso Sea on a seasonal scale

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Liu, S., Longnecker, K., Kujawinski, E., Vergin, K., Bolaños, L., Giovannoni, S., Parsons, R., Opalk, K., Halewood, E., Hansell, D., Johnson, R., Curry, R., & Carlson, C. Linkages among dissolved organic matter export, dissolved metabolites, and associated microbial community structure response in the northwestern Sargasso Sea on a seasonal scale. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, (2022): 833252, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.833252.Deep convective mixing of dissolved and suspended organic matter from the surface to depth can represent an important export pathway of the biological carbon pump. The seasonally oligotrophic Sargasso Sea experiences annual winter convective mixing to as deep as 300 m, providing a unique model system to examine dissolved organic matter (DOM) export and its subsequent compositional transformation by microbial oxidation. We analyzed biogeochemical and microbial parameters collected from the northwestern Sargasso Sea, including bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved amino acids (TDAA), dissolved metabolites, bacterial abundance and production, and bacterial community structure, to assess the fate and compositional transformation of DOM by microbes on a seasonal time-scale in 2016–2017. DOM dynamics at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study site followed a general annual trend of DOC accumulation in the surface during stratified periods followed by downward flux during winter convective mixing. Changes in the amino acid concentrations and compositions provide useful indices of diagenetic alteration of DOM. TDAA concentrations and degradation indices increased in the mesopelagic zone during mixing, indicating the export of a relatively less diagenetically altered (i.e., more labile) DOM. During periods of deep mixing, a unique subset of dissolved metabolites, such as amino acids, vitamins, and benzoic acids, was produced or lost. DOM export and compositional change were accompanied by mesopelagic bacterial growth and response of specific bacterial lineages in the SAR11, SAR202, and SAR86 clades, Acidimicrobiales, and Flavobacteria, during and shortly following deep mixing. Complementary DOM biogeochemistry and microbial measurements revealed seasonal changes in DOM composition and diagenetic state, highlighting microbial alteration of the quantity and quality of DOM in the ocean.This project was funded by the Simons Foundation International’s BIOS-SCOPE program and US National Science Foundation (NSF OCE-1756105 for BATS cruises)

The making of European society: contesting methodological nationalism

The paper is concerned with the problem of ‘society’ and in particular with the notion of ‘European society.’ Rather than reject the possibility of society, it draws on theories of the social as networks. The thesis proposed is that the concept of society should rather be understood as a relational field of interconnections. It is argued that this is highly relevant to the analysis of Europe conceived of in terms of a society. This approach can be seen as an alternative to methodological nationalism. The paper applies a network conception of society to Europe with the emphasis on the on the nineteenth century. In this account, European society is not something that was produced by European integration. Rather than see European society as a recent development, it is argued that the field of tensions between capitalism and democracy constituted the major elements that shaped a European model of society