An Anthropocene Species of Trouble?:Negative Synergies between Earth System Change and Geological Destratification

It is already well understood that unbinding materials and energy from their lithic reservoirs impacts upon Earth systems. But that is just the first stage of a cycle of ‘Anthropocene trouble’. This paper tracks the multiple ways in which subsequent Earth system change reacts back upon the social infrastructures of subsurface exploitation and the landscapes they produce. Shifting fire regimes, intensifying hydro- meteorological events and sea level rise impact upon the infrastructures of hydrocarbon extraction, hydroclimatic change impacts upon infrastructures and landscapes of mineral extraction, and both pyroclimatic and hydroclimatic change impact upon nuclear infrastructures and on landscapes already contaminated by radioactive materials. To make sense of these ‘negative synergies’ we draw upon social science diagnoses of late modern hazards as well Anthropocene science’s deepening collaboration between ‘hard rock’ geology and Earth system science

Characterization of shed medicinal leech mucus reveals a diverse microbiota

Microbial transmission through mucosal-mediated mechanisms is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. One example of this occurs with Hirudo verbana, the medicinal leech, where host attraction to shed conspecific mucus facilitates horizontal transmission of a predominant gut symbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium Aeromonas veronii. However, whether this mucus may harbor other bacteria has not been examined. Here, we characterize the microbiota of shed leech mucus through Illumina deep sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Additionally, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) typing with subsequent Sanger Sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene clone library provided qualitative confirmation of the microbial composition. Phylogenetic analyses of full-length 16S rRNA sequences were performed to examine microbial taxonomic distribution. Analyses using both technologies indicate the dominance of the Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla within the mucus microbiota. We determined the presence of other previously described leech symbionts, in addition to a number of putative novel leech-associated bacteria. A second predominant gut symbiont, the Rikenella-like bacteria, was also identified within mucus and exhibited similar population dynamics to A. veronii, suggesting persistence in syntrophy beyond the gut. Interestingly, the most abundant bacterial genus belonged to Pedobacter, which includes members capable of producing heparinase, an enzyme that degrades the anticoagulant, heparin. Additionally, bacteria associated with denitrification and sulfate cycling were observed, indicating an abundance of these anions within mucus, likely originating from the leech excretory system. A diverse microbiota harbored within shed mucus has significant potential implications for the evolution of microbiomes, including opportunities for gene transfer and utility in host capture of a diverse group of symbionts

The logics and politics of environmental flows - A review

Environmental flows (or Eflows) refer to water that is allocated to the environment through the deliberate release of stored water or planned allocations. Since the late 20th century, Eflows have become increasingly influential in water policy. Over several decades, the research, policy and practice of Eflows has broadened from addressing flow requirements of specific river reaches or the needs of significant species such as salmon, to a broader focus on integrated strategies that aim to sustain rivers’ diverse values. Eflow research has generated an extensive literature that is focused on the scientific and sociopolitical dimensions of managing river flows. We examine this literature critically, tracing the development, application and expansion of Eflows and exploring the shifting norms, framings and assumptions that underpin their theory and practice, including contestations about policy decisions. Our analysis indicates that the politics of environmental flows refracts socially constructed and contested views about nature and river systems and raises fundamental questions about how decisions are made and who decides. While there is a tendency to try to depoliticise Eflows by rendering decisions technical, we argue that, like all water allocation decisions and all water science, Eflows involve sociopolitical contestations about the control of rivers. These contestations are fundamentally about who has the power to make decisions on allocating water and what beliefs, worldviews and frameworks guide these decisions. We conclude that recognising the value-laden character of Eflows research and practice is an essential step towards recognising the value-laden character of river science and management. To achieve more equitable negotiations on deciding how rivers are managed, we argue for an explicit recognition of the political dimensions of Eflows, including a greater awareness of the cultural and ontological politics involved

Characteristics and service use of NSW Quitline callers with and without mental health conditions

IntroductionSmoking rates remain higher for people with a mental health condition compared to the general population and contribute to greater chronic disease burden and premature mortality. Quitline services offer telephone-based smoking cessation support to the public and have been shown to be effective. There is limited research exploring the characteristics of smokers with a mental health condition who use the Quitline or the impacts of using the service on their smoking behaviors.MethodsThis observational study aimed to compare demographic and smoking related characteristics, service use and quit attempts of callers to the New South Wales Quitline (2016–2018) with and without a mental health condition (N = 4,219).ResultsAt baseline, 40% of callers reported a current mental health condition. Desire to quit smoking was similar for both groups, however participants with a mental health condition had higher nicotine dependency and had made more quit attempts prior to engaging with the service. During program enrolment, quit attempts and 24 hours smoke free periods were similar, however participants with a mental health condition engaged in a greater number of calls and over a longer period with Quitline compared to those without.DiscussionThe findings suggest Quitline efficacy for people with a mental health condition in making a quit attempt for at least 24 h. Increasing the use of Quitline services and understanding service use for this critical group of smokers will increase the likelihood that their quit attempts are transformed into sustained periods of smoking abstinence. Future research should explore whether tailoring of Quitline service provision for people with mental health conditions may increase the likelihood of quit success

Organizing in the Anthropocene

The functioning of the biosphere and the Earth as a whole is being radically disrupted due to human activities, evident in climate change, toxic pollution and mass species extinction. Financialization and exponential growth in production, consumption and population now threaten our planet’s life-support systems. These profound changes have led Earth System scientists to argue we have now entered a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. In this introductory article to the Special Issue, we first set out the origins of the Anthropocene and some of the key debates around this concept within the physical and social sciences. We then explore five key organizing narratives that inform current economic, technological, political and cultural understandings of the Anthropocene and link these to the contributions in this Special Issue. We argue that the Anthropocene is the crucial issue for organizational scholars to engage with in order to not only understand on-going anthropogenic problems but also help create alternative forms of organizing based on realistic Earth–human relations

Capable, enlightened and masculine : constructing English agriculturalist ideals in formal agricultural education, 1845-2003

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