Money,power, and mitochondria

Can we devise ways for the ultra‐rich to put their wealth to good use?

The world’s richest individuals and their wealth have recently come under the spotlight, with all those luxury yachts apparently owned by Russian oligarchs and their political friends veering to safe havens beyond the reach of sanctions; most of them vastly surpassing in value the cost of an advanced warship or the on‐off‐on saga of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter for a sum that exceeds the annual GDP of a mid‐sized country.Even if their riches have been acquired through legal means and provide joy and sustenance to many, how can it be justified that a small number of individuals own such vast assets, when a substantial fraction of the world’s population still lives in abject misery without even the benefit of adequate food and clean water?At this time, molecular biologists have yet to join the ranks of the ultra‐rich. But there is no reason to suppose that being a molecular biologist somehow insulates us from the greed and megalomania that seems to infect those who become billionaires on the back of their inventions and investments. The most likely playgrounds in which a hypothetical molecular biologist might acquire such riches are in biotech and via the pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma already enjoys low public esteem—in my view somewhat unfairly because its critics rarely take into account the real cost of R&D required to develop new drugs. But it is an easy target nonetheless, not least because of its scale, which inflates the bottom line of balance sheets in ways not easily justified in the eyes of “Joe Public”. Not to mention the many drugs that allegedly do not really work. In the public mind, we are already allied with corporate greed. It is not hard to see how this could become a reality.Those who have accumulated extreme wealth in other sectors, and accrued power and influence to go with it, are viewed unfavorably by most people, even if some super‐rich individuals are admired for their creativity (Walker et al, 2021). Obscene wealth is still considered obscene, even if some of it is invested in scientific research, in the alleviation of human suffering, or in sponsorship of the arts. The fact that the ultra‐rich are able to do so seems to many like a usurpation of what is rightfully the responsibility of government, especially in democratic countries, and what do the wealthiest actually spend their money on anyway? Even if some of it is given away to charity, it is at the arbitrary whim of one or a few individuals, and not a transparent process with public accountability. Surely, it would be far better if they were all subject to a global wealth tax, the proceeds of which might support the UN, whose current annual budget (about US$ 3 billion) is mere pocket money for the world’s wealthiest persons.But how could such a scheme actually work? Although the widespread sanctioning of those who supposedly bankroll the Kremlin seems to have had some effect, the ultra‐rich invariably devise ways of circumventing legal obstacles thrown in their path. There is a widespread suspicion that economic sanctions ultimately punish ordinary people rather than wayward decision‐makers or their wealthy friends. High taxes promote tax avoidance and tax havens. Strict regulations to prevent money laundering just fuel the rise of cryptocurrencies. Laws beget loopholes.Global legislation with global implementation may look like an attractive tool, but its track record is not impressive. Consider the Kyoto/Paris process on climate change, for example, or the proposal for a 15% minimum corporate tax rate worldwide. Its effects are likely to be blunted by the floor effectively becoming the ceiling, so that most or all corporations could end up paying less and not more in taxes.What about self‐regulation? Suppose EMBO made a rule that required any individual member to donate wealth accrued from molecular biology inventions above some threshold to charitable causes or be kicked out of the organization? Would such a person care? And if EMBO had any real power to frustrate their activities, would they not just be tempted to set up a rival organization where they would be free to continue their work without such restrictions?To limit the wealth and power of individuals made rich by the capitalist market economy in which we all live, I think there is only one viable tool at our disposal, namely, the capitalist market economy itself. If we collectively boycott the products and services of companies owned by the very rich, unless they donate the bulk of their wealth to good causes of which we approve, we could eventually shift the balance in favour of better practices.It may seem a pathetically inadequate tool and would certainly require a lot of time and effort. But in the long run, it could work. There is, for example, a growing movement to use market mechanisms to support ethical and environmentally sustainable businesses. Successful companies have adopted such advocacy in their own marketing, even if it sometimes seems a cynical ploy. They would not do so unless there is public demand. All we need is to add the accumulation of obscene wealth by company owners or majority shareholders as another abuse of the system that can potentially be reined in by consumer pressure. All it would take is for concerned individuals to devise a code of practice that could be used to judge compliance.Oh well, maybe in the end, I should just take comfort in the fact that all the power of the ultra‐rich stems ultimately from mitochondria.     

Integrating microscopy,art, and humanities to power STEAM learning in biology

Close observation is central to both art and science as practitioners in both disciplines describe, compare, and seek to understand or interpret the natural world. Indeed, as the artist and writer Guy Davenport noted, “The vision by which we discover the hidden in nature is sometimes called science, sometimes called art.” In the last decade, the movement to integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with arts and humanities (i.e., STEAM learning) has gained traction in K–12 education. A recent National Academies report (2018) examines the case for integrating humanities and the arts in undergraduate STEM education. Microscopy provides an excellent vehicle for engaging all kinds of students in integrative (STEAM) learning about biology and for encouraging them to observe the world closely. In this essay adapted from my keynote address to the American Microscopical Society in 2020, I highlight activities and approaches that use microscopy to engage learners of all kinds, examine how using microscopes changes students’ attitudes about science and biology, and explore the intersection of microscopy and visual art.     

Temperature,metabolic power and the evolution of endothermy

Endothermy has evolved at least twice, in the precursors to modern mammals and birds. The most widely accepted explanation for the evolution of endothermy has been selection for enhanced aerobic capacity. We review this hypothesis in the light of advances in our understanding of ATP generation by mitochondria and muscle performance. Together with the development of isotope‐based techniques for the measurement of metabolic rate in free‐ranging vertebrates these have confirmed the importance of aerobic scope in the evolution of endothermy: absolute aerobic scope, ATP generation by mitochondria and muscle power output are all strongly temperature‐dependent, indicating that there would have been significant improvement in whole‐organism locomotor ability with a warmer body. New data on mitochondrial ATP generation and proton leak suggest that the thermal physiology of mitochondria may differ between organisms of contrasting ecology and thermal flexibility. Together with recent biophysical modelling, this strengthens the long‐held view that endothermy originated in smaller, active eurythermal ectotherms living in a cool but variable thermal environment. We propose that rather than being a secondary consequence of the evolution of an enhanced aerobic scope, a warmer body was the means by which that enhanced aerobic scope was achieved. This modified hypothesis requires that the rise in metabolic rate and the insulation necessary to retain metabolic heat arose early in the lineages leading to birds and mammals. Large dinosaurs were warm, but were not endotherms, and the metabolic status of pterosaurs remains unresolved.     

The effects of cycling cadence on the phases of joint power,crank power,force and force effectiveness

We examined the influence of cadence in cycling technique by quantifying phase relationships for a number of important variables at the crank and lower extremity joints. Any difference in the effect of cadence on force, effectiveness, and power phases would indicate an essential change in coordination pattern. Cycle kinetics was recorded for 10 male competitive cyclists at five cadences (60–100 rpm) at submaximal load (260 W). Joint powers were calculated using inverse dynamics methods. All data were expressed as a function of crank position. The phase of the crank mechanical profiles (total force, crank and joint power, and effectiveness) was calculated using four methods: crank angle of maximum (MA) and minimum (MI), fitting a sine wave (SI) and by cross-correlation (XC). These methods, apart from the MA method, showed the same relative phase. The variables, however, showed different phases being expressed as time lag: force effectiveness: 0.131 (±0.034) s; total force: 0.149 (±0.021) s; power: 0.098 (±0.027) s. The phases in joint powers hip 0.071 (±0.008), knee 0.082 (±0.009), and hip 0.077 (±0.012) were only well described by XC, and were somewhat lower than the crank power phase. These differences indicate the potential effect of inertia of the lower limb in phase shifts from joints to crank. Furthermore, the differences between the various crank variables indicate a change of technique with cadence.     

Closing the loop: the power of microbial biotransformations from traditional bioprocesses to biorefineries,and beyond

The power of microorganisms in manipulating diverse matrices and in favouring the flux of elements and molecules through biogeochemical cycles developed in the natural environment, but they also managed to take advantage of some niches created by humans. Therefore, inspired by learning these lessons from nature, we can implement biobased processes at industrial level, for diminishing our dependency on fossil resources and to return molecules to their turnover in a compatible timeframe and with reduced environmental impact.

The decoupling between the economic (and demographical) growth rate and the availability of resources to sustain our production system is a fact (Sanyé‐Mengual et al., 2019). Similarly, there are scientific evidences underlying an interconnection (and consequences) between a polluted or corrupted environment and health (https://www.euro.who.int/en/health‐topics/environment‐and‐health), as well as reports asserting the anthropic responsibility of ‘opening the cycles of chemical elements’ (Finzi et al., 2011). Nevertheless, the myth of progress and linear growth is somehow very difficult to substitute in our mind and daily life, even because all‐pervasive alternatives are not available yet. On the other hand, every gap brings the potential of an opportunity. The linear model of growth is depleting fossil resources, as their turnover takes longer than their consumption. At the same time, it is generating large amounts of wastes, an abundant fraction of which are represented by organic wastes. This short‐sighted strategy also implies waste management and associated direct and indirect costs. In this challenging scenario, we as microbial biotechnologists are called (and willing!) to play a role. Unlocking the potential of microorganisms into industrial processes, we might offer the possibility to turn a problem (waste, pollution and lack of resources) into a solution (products, materials). This can happen because of the effectiveness of microorganisms in transforming molecules and in recycling chemical elements through biogeochemical cycles, known since the end of the XIX century, coupled with the more recent expertise on how to transform this tremendous potential into viable and competitive microbial‐based industrial processes. Microbial quantitative physiology, metabolic engineering, synthetic remodelling and process engineering are the main technologies that are innovating traditional fermentation processes, expanding the potential of biorefineries and allowing to reconsider the end of life of products and goods, with examples of industrial symbiosis. These processes aim at accomplishing some of the key tasks of the UN 2030 agenda in more than one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG, https://sdgs.un.org/goals). We can mention SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG13 (climate action) among the more directly related ones, with an indirect but clear impact on others as well (https://biconsortium.eu/sites/biconsortium.eu/files/documents/Bioeconomy_and_the_SDGs_July%202018.pdf).To exemplify these concepts here are some examples of prominent groups of microorganisms that are either confirming their supremacy in industrial processes, or are emerging as future bugs, in both cases revealing how their potential can help us to turn our linear model of production into biobased and circular processes.     

Filtering,FDR and power

Background  

In high-dimensional data analysis such as differential gene expression analysis, people often use filtering methods like fold-change or variance filters in an attempt to reduce the multiple testing penalty and improve power. However, filtering may introduce a bias on the multiple testing correction. The precise amount of bias depends on many quantities, such as fraction of probes filtered out, filter statistic and test statistic used.     

Borders,paradox and power

Border studies have grappled with, on the one hand, the need for the use of common themes or concepts while, on the other, the need for contextual specificity. Borders are sites that embody different potentialities: division and contact, conflict and cooperation, security and anxiety, creativity and oppression, among others. In short, they are sites of the paradoxical. Paradox, it is argued, is the common overarching conceptual characteristic of borders but which specific potentialities are embodied in a border and what prevails as a result of the ensuing power struggles requires contextual specificity. Cyprus, a divided island lying on various border lines, partly inside and partly outside the EU, presents a useful socio-political space in order to illustrate this argument by outlining the specific paradoxical aspects of its own border and the results of the ensuing power struggles.     

Potential synergies and challenges in refining cellulosic biomass to fuels,chemicals, and power

Lignocellulosic biomass such as agricultural and forestry residues and dedicated crops provides a low-cost and uniquely sustainable resource for production of many organic fuels and chemicals that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance energy security, improve the economy, dispose of problematic solid wastes, and improve air quality. A technoeconomic analysis of biologically processing lignocellulosics to ethanol is adapted to project the cost of making sugar intermediates for producing a range of such products, and sugar costs are predicted to drop with plant size as a result of economies of scale that outweigh increased biomass transport costs for facilities processing less than about 10,000 dry tons per day. Criteria are then reviewed for identifying promising chemicals in addition to fuel ethanol to make from these low cost cellulosic sugars. It is found that the large market for ethanol makes it possible to achieve economies of scale that reduce sugar costs, and coproducing chemicals promises greater profit margins or lower production costs for a given return on investment. Additionally, power can be sold at low prices without a significant impact on the selling price of sugars. However, manufacture of multiple products introduces additional technical, marketing, risk, scale-up, and other challenges that must be considered in refining of lignocellulosics.     

Monuments, power and personhood in the British Neolithic

Recent research on British Neolithic monuments describes how the ordering of space within these sites contributed to the production and maintenance of dominant discourses. This article argues that aspects of this work are implicitly built on conceptions of personhood specific to post-Enlightenment thought, resulting in a somewhat static and one-dimensional conception of power relations during the period. One way out of this problem is provided by anthropological and feminist literature in which an alternative characterization of the self as inherently fluid and relational has been outlined. This facilitates a shifting and contextual conception of power relations which can be reconciled more easily with the evidence from Neolithic monuments for the continuous creation and reinterpretation of spatial meanings.     

Relative importance of strength, power, and anthropometric measures to jump performance of elite volleyball players

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the potential strength, power, and anthropometric contributors to vertical jump performances that are considered specific to volleyball success: the spike jump (SPJ) and counter-movement vertical jump (CMVJ). To assess the relationship among strength, power, and anthropometric variables with CMVJ and SPJ, a correlation and regression analysis was performed. In addition, a comparison of strength, power, and anthropometric differences between the seven best subjects and the seven worst athletes on the CMVJ test and SPJ test was performed. When expressed as body mass relative measures, moderate correlations (0.53-0.65; p < or = 0.01) were observed between the 1RM measures and both relative CMVJ and relative SPJ. Very strong correlations were observed between relative (absolute height-standing reach height) depth jump performance and relative SPJ (0.85; p < or = 0.01) and relative CMVJ (0.93; p 相似文献   

Plants to power: bioenergy to fuel the future

Bioenergy should play an essential part in reaching targets to replace petroleum-based transportation fuels with a viable alternative, and in reducing long-term carbon dioxide emissions, if environmental and economic sustainability are considered carefully. Here, we review different platforms, crops, and biotechnology-based improvements for sustainable bioenergy. Among the different platforms, there are two obvious advantages to using lignocellulosic biomass for ethanol production: higher net energy gain and lower production costs. However, the use of lignocellulosic ethanol as a viable alternative to petroleum-based transportation fuels largely depends on plant biotechnology breakthroughs. We examine how biotechnology, such as lignin modification, abiotic stress resistance, nutrition usage, in planta expression of cell wall digestion enzymes, biomass production, feedstock establishment, biocontainment of transgenes, metabolic engineering, and basic research, can be used to address the challenges faced by bioenergy crop production.     

Electric power, pineal function, and the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in the industrialized world, and the rates of breast cancer incidence are rising. Although risk is high in industrialized societies, it is low in nonindustrialized areas. The search for the causes of breast cancer has not yet yielded a convincing explanation for the geographic and temporal patterns in the occurrence of breast cancer. Generation of electric power is a hallmark of industrialization, and two products of electric power, light-at-night (LAN) and electromagnetic fields (EMF), may affect breast cancer risk. Exposure to either LAN or EMF can decrease production of melatonin by the pineal gland. Melatonin, in turn, has been shown to suppress mammary tumorigenesis in experimental animals. Moreover, recent epidemiological findings indicate an increased risk of breast cancer in workers occupationally exposed to EMF. On the basis of these considerations, it is proposed that the use of electrical power accounts, in part, for the higher risks of breast cancer in industrialized societies.     

Knowledge,place, and power: geographies of value in the bioeconomy

The idea that there is an emerging “bioeconomy” characterized by the capture of the latent value found in biological material (e.g. cells, tissues, plants, etc.) has become a popular policy agenda since the mid-2000s. A number of scholars have also written about this intersection between the life sciences and capitalism, often drawing on anthropological and sociological perspectives to conceptualize the new socialities, subjectivities, and identities brought about by new biotechnologies. While these studies are undoubtedly a fruitful academic enterprise, they have also left a gap in our understanding of the bioeconomy because they have not discussed knowledge or knowledge production. This article focuses on this immaterial side of the bioeconomy, exploring the geographies of value in the bioeconomy that are constituted by intangible and immaterial resources and labor. The core argument is that value in the bioeconomy is created from geographical processes that both embed immateriality in particular places and, at the same time, abstract it in global standards and regulations.