Stefan Helmreich
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164809
- eISBN:
- 9781400873869
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164809.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
What is life? What is water? What is sound? This book investigates how contemporary scientists—biologists, oceanographers, and audio engineers—are redefining these crucial concepts. Life, water, and ...
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What is life? What is water? What is sound? This book investigates how contemporary scientists—biologists, oceanographers, and audio engineers—are redefining these crucial concepts. Life, water, and sound are phenomena at once empirical and abstract, material and formal, scientific and social. In the age of synthetic biology, rising sea levels, and new technologies of listening, these phenomena stretch toward their conceptual snapping points, breaching the boundaries between the natural, cultural, and virtual. Through examinations of the computational life sciences, marine biology, astrobiology, acoustics, and more, the book follows scientists to the limits of these categories. Along the way, it offers critical accounts of such other-than-human entities as digital life forms, microbes, coral reefs, whales, seawater, extraterrestrials, tsunamis, seashells, and bionic cochlea. It develops a new notion of “sounding”—as investigating, fathoming, listening—to describe the form of inquiry appropriate for tracking meanings and practices of the biological, aquatic, and sonic in a time of global change and climate crisis. The book shows that life, water, and sound no longer mean what they once did, and that what count as their essential natures are under dynamic revision.Less
What is life? What is water? What is sound? This book investigates how contemporary scientists—biologists, oceanographers, and audio engineers—are redefining these crucial concepts. Life, water, and sound are phenomena at once empirical and abstract, material and formal, scientific and social. In the age of synthetic biology, rising sea levels, and new technologies of listening, these phenomena stretch toward their conceptual snapping points, breaching the boundaries between the natural, cultural, and virtual. Through examinations of the computational life sciences, marine biology, astrobiology, acoustics, and more, the book follows scientists to the limits of these categories. Along the way, it offers critical accounts of such other-than-human entities as digital life forms, microbes, coral reefs, whales, seawater, extraterrestrials, tsunamis, seashells, and bionic cochlea. It develops a new notion of “sounding”—as investigating, fathoming, listening—to describe the form of inquiry appropriate for tracking meanings and practices of the biological, aquatic, and sonic in a time of global change and climate crisis. The book shows that life, water, and sound no longer mean what they once did, and that what count as their essential natures are under dynamic revision.
John C. Priscu, Slawek Tulaczyk, Michael Studinger, Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, Brent C. Christner, and Christine M. Foreman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213887
- eISBN:
- 9780191707506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213887.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Aquatic Biology
This chapter provides up-to-date coverage on the geophysical, chemical, and biological properties of the lakes that lie beneath the Antarctic ice cap (subglacial lakes). There are at least 150 lakes ...
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This chapter provides up-to-date coverage on the geophysical, chemical, and biological properties of the lakes that lie beneath the Antarctic ice cap (subglacial lakes). There are at least 150 lakes beneath this ice cap and many may be connected by networks of subglacial streams and rivers. The most well known of these lakes is Lake Vostok. Recent evidence indicates that subglacial lakes may initiate and maintain rapid ice flow, and should be considered in ice sheet mass balance assessments. The discovery of viable organisms in subglacial environments demonstrates that life has radiated into all aquatic habitats on the planet. Sub-glacial liquid environments offer an exciting frontier. Their study will provide an improved understanding of the coupling of geological, glaciological, and biological processes in the polar zones.Less
This chapter provides up-to-date coverage on the geophysical, chemical, and biological properties of the lakes that lie beneath the Antarctic ice cap (subglacial lakes). There are at least 150 lakes beneath this ice cap and many may be connected by networks of subglacial streams and rivers. The most well known of these lakes is Lake Vostok. Recent evidence indicates that subglacial lakes may initiate and maintain rapid ice flow, and should be considered in ice sheet mass balance assessments. The discovery of viable organisms in subglacial environments demonstrates that life has radiated into all aquatic habitats on the planet. Sub-glacial liquid environments offer an exciting frontier. Their study will provide an improved understanding of the coupling of geological, glaciological, and biological processes in the polar zones.
Stefan Helmreich, Sophia Roosth, and Michele Friedner
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164809
- eISBN:
- 9781400873869
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164809.003.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter examines three limit biologies that theorize what life was—that is, they declare the possible end of “life”: Artificial Life, marine microbiology, and astrobiology. Artificial Life is a ...
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This chapter examines three limit biologies that theorize what life was—that is, they declare the possible end of “life”: Artificial Life, marine microbiology, and astrobiology. Artificial Life is a genre of theoretical biology that flourished most vigorously in the 1990s and sought to model living things in the medium of computer simulation. Marine microbiology is a field that has as its object of study the world's tiniest, most abundant, and metabolically extreme ocean creatures, including microbes at deep-sea volcanoes. Astrobiology is the study of life as it might exist on other worlds. The chapter argues that the conceptual trouble bedeviling “life” is shadowed by worries about what form “theory” might take in natural and social analysis these days. The emphasis is on how accounts of life forms in biology and ideas about social and cultural forms of life inform and deform one another.Less
This chapter examines three limit biologies that theorize what life was—that is, they declare the possible end of “life”: Artificial Life, marine microbiology, and astrobiology. Artificial Life is a genre of theoretical biology that flourished most vigorously in the 1990s and sought to model living things in the medium of computer simulation. Marine microbiology is a field that has as its object of study the world's tiniest, most abundant, and metabolically extreme ocean creatures, including microbes at deep-sea volcanoes. Astrobiology is the study of life as it might exist on other worlds. The chapter argues that the conceptual trouble bedeviling “life” is shadowed by worries about what form “theory” might take in natural and social analysis these days. The emphasis is on how accounts of life forms in biology and ideas about social and cultural forms of life inform and deform one another.
Stefan Helmreich, Sophia Roosth, and Michele Friedner
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164809
- eISBN:
- 9781400873869
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164809.003.0007
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter examines the project of astrobiology and its object, the “signature of life,” by drawing on the work of Hillel Schwartz, particularly his writing on time in Century's End, on duplication ...
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This chapter examines the project of astrobiology and its object, the “signature of life,” by drawing on the work of Hillel Schwartz, particularly his writing on time in Century's End, on duplication in The Culture of the Copy, and on signification in “De-Signing.” Schwartz's work can provide a fresh angle on the doublings, redoublings, definitions, and redefinitions at the heart of astrobiology's quest for extraterrestrial life. His crabwise approach offers provocative paratactical techniques for traversing the networks of association, acknowledged and unacknowledged, that support the concept of the signature of life. The chapter first considers the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), through the optic of Schwartz's writings on copying and his work on noise before discussing astrobiology's notion of the signature of life. It also offers suggestions for thwarting the overreaching of the theoretical impulse in both life sciences and humanities.Less
This chapter examines the project of astrobiology and its object, the “signature of life,” by drawing on the work of Hillel Schwartz, particularly his writing on time in Century's End, on duplication in The Culture of the Copy, and on signification in “De-Signing.” Schwartz's work can provide a fresh angle on the doublings, redoublings, definitions, and redefinitions at the heart of astrobiology's quest for extraterrestrial life. His crabwise approach offers provocative paratactical techniques for traversing the networks of association, acknowledged and unacknowledged, that support the concept of the signature of life. The chapter first considers the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), through the optic of Schwartz's writings on copying and his work on noise before discussing astrobiology's notion of the signature of life. It also offers suggestions for thwarting the overreaching of the theoretical impulse in both life sciences and humanities.
David M Wilkinson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198568469
- eISBN:
- 9780191717611
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568469.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This book raises and attempts to answer the following thought experiment: ‘For any planet with carbon-based life, which persists over geological time-scales, what is the minimum set of ecological ...
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This book raises and attempts to answer the following thought experiment: ‘For any planet with carbon-based life, which persists over geological time-scales, what is the minimum set of ecological processes that must be present?’. The main intention of this book is to use an astrobiological perspective as a means of thinking about ecology on Earth. Its focus on processes contrasts with the commoner focus in ecology textbooks on entities such as individuals, populations, species, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. The book suggests that seven ecological processes are fundamental (not including natural selection and competition, which characterize all of life rather than only ecology): energy flow (energy consumption and waste product excretion), multiple guilds (autotrophs, decomposers, and parasites), tradeoffs (specialization versus generalization, leading to biodiversity within guilds), ecological hypercycles (cycles within cycles), merging of organismal and ecological physiology (as life spreads over the planet, biotic and abiotic processes interact so strongly as to be inseparable), photosynthesis (which it suggests likely in most biospheres but not inevitable), and carbon sequestration. These fundamental processes lead to the emergence of nutrient cycling. The integration of Earth System Science with ecology is vitally important if ecological science is to successfully contribute to the massive problems and future challenges associated with global change. The book is heavily influenced by Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis.Less
This book raises and attempts to answer the following thought experiment: ‘For any planet with carbon-based life, which persists over geological time-scales, what is the minimum set of ecological processes that must be present?’. The main intention of this book is to use an astrobiological perspective as a means of thinking about ecology on Earth. Its focus on processes contrasts with the commoner focus in ecology textbooks on entities such as individuals, populations, species, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. The book suggests that seven ecological processes are fundamental (not including natural selection and competition, which characterize all of life rather than only ecology): energy flow (energy consumption and waste product excretion), multiple guilds (autotrophs, decomposers, and parasites), tradeoffs (specialization versus generalization, leading to biodiversity within guilds), ecological hypercycles (cycles within cycles), merging of organismal and ecological physiology (as life spreads over the planet, biotic and abiotic processes interact so strongly as to be inseparable), photosynthesis (which it suggests likely in most biospheres but not inevitable), and carbon sequestration. These fundamental processes lead to the emergence of nutrient cycling. The integration of Earth System Science with ecology is vitally important if ecological science is to successfully contribute to the massive problems and future challenges associated with global change. The book is heavily influenced by Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis.
Kelly C. Smith and Carlos Mariscal (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This book focuses on the emerging scientific discipline of astrobiology, exploring the humanistic issues of this multidisciplinary field. To be sure, there are myriad scientific questions that ...
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This book focuses on the emerging scientific discipline of astrobiology, exploring the humanistic issues of this multidisciplinary field. To be sure, there are myriad scientific questions that astrobiologists have only begun to address. However, this is not a purely scientific enterprise. More research on the broader social and conceptual aspects of astrobiology is needed. Just what are our ethical obligations toward different sorts of alien life? Should we attempt to communicate with life beyond our planet? What is “life” in the most general sense? The current volume addresses these questions by looking at different perspectives from philosophers, historians, theologians, social scientists, and legal scholars. It sets a benchmark for future work in astrobiology, giving readers the groundwork from which to base the continuous scholarship coming from this ever-growing scientific field.Less
This book focuses on the emerging scientific discipline of astrobiology, exploring the humanistic issues of this multidisciplinary field. To be sure, there are myriad scientific questions that astrobiologists have only begun to address. However, this is not a purely scientific enterprise. More research on the broader social and conceptual aspects of astrobiology is needed. Just what are our ethical obligations toward different sorts of alien life? Should we attempt to communicate with life beyond our planet? What is “life” in the most general sense? The current volume addresses these questions by looking at different perspectives from philosophers, historians, theologians, social scientists, and legal scholars. It sets a benchmark for future work in astrobiology, giving readers the groundwork from which to base the continuous scholarship coming from this ever-growing scientific field.
Adam Pryor
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780823288311
- eISBN:
- 9780823290369
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823288311.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Astrobiology forces us to realize how deeply tethered we are to this pale blue dot in the universe while also opening us to the exciting possibilities of existing in a fecund cosmos. Addressing both ...
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Astrobiology forces us to realize how deeply tethered we are to this pale blue dot in the universe while also opening us to the exciting possibilities of existing in a fecund cosmos. Addressing both of these issues, this work offers a model for doing public theology attuned to astrobioloical humanities. It taps into theology’s capacity to develop societal goods by interpreting religious symbols as expressions of ultimacy that foster powerful moods for meaningfully ordering our ways of being-in and belonging-to the cosmos. Providing a series of specific examples drawn from astrobiology, doctrinal reflection on the imago Dei, and reflections on the Anthropocene, this book claims the Earth is not only a living planet but an artful one. Consequently, it suggests that the imago Dei be reframed in terms of planetarity: to be the imago Dei is to be a planetary system that opens up new possibilities for the flourishing of all creation by fostering technobiogeochemical cycles not subject to runaway, positive feedback. The imago Dei, then, is not something any one of us possesses; it is a symbol for what we live-into together as a species in intra-action with the wider habitable environment. Attentive to how this outlook can be fostered, the conclusion advocates for the development of presence, wonder, and play in the lives of individuals who seek to live as part of an artful planet.Less
Astrobiology forces us to realize how deeply tethered we are to this pale blue dot in the universe while also opening us to the exciting possibilities of existing in a fecund cosmos. Addressing both of these issues, this work offers a model for doing public theology attuned to astrobioloical humanities. It taps into theology’s capacity to develop societal goods by interpreting religious symbols as expressions of ultimacy that foster powerful moods for meaningfully ordering our ways of being-in and belonging-to the cosmos. Providing a series of specific examples drawn from astrobiology, doctrinal reflection on the imago Dei, and reflections on the Anthropocene, this book claims the Earth is not only a living planet but an artful one. Consequently, it suggests that the imago Dei be reframed in terms of planetarity: to be the imago Dei is to be a planetary system that opens up new possibilities for the flourishing of all creation by fostering technobiogeochemical cycles not subject to runaway, positive feedback. The imago Dei, then, is not something any one of us possesses; it is a symbol for what we live-into together as a species in intra-action with the wider habitable environment. Attentive to how this outlook can be fostered, the conclusion advocates for the development of presence, wonder, and play in the lives of individuals who seek to live as part of an artful planet.
David L. Kirchman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199586936
- eISBN:
- 9780191774645
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586936.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
This chapter introduces the field of microbial ecology and some terms used in the rest of the book. Microbial ecology, which is the study of microbes in natural environments, is important for several ...
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This chapter introduces the field of microbial ecology and some terms used in the rest of the book. Microbial ecology, which is the study of microbes in natural environments, is important for several reasons. Although most are beneficial, some microbes cause diseases of higher plants and animals in aquatic environments and on land. Microbes are also important because they are directly or indirectly responsible for the food we eat. They degrade pesticides and other pollutants contaminating natural environments. Finally, microbes are important in another ‘pollution’ problem: the increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. Because microbes are crucial for many biogeochemical processes, the field of microbial ecology is crucial for understanding the effect of greenhouse gases on the biosphere and for predicting the impact of climate change on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Even if the problem of climate change was solved, microbes would be fascinating to study because of the weird and wonderful things they do. The chapter ends by pointing out the difficulties in isolating and cultivating microbes in the lab. In many environments, 〈 1 per cent of all bacteria and probably other microbes can be grown in the lab. The cultivation problem has many ramifications for identifying especially viruses, bacteria, and archaea in natural environments and for connecting up taxonomic information with biogeochemical processes.Less
This chapter introduces the field of microbial ecology and some terms used in the rest of the book. Microbial ecology, which is the study of microbes in natural environments, is important for several reasons. Although most are beneficial, some microbes cause diseases of higher plants and animals in aquatic environments and on land. Microbes are also important because they are directly or indirectly responsible for the food we eat. They degrade pesticides and other pollutants contaminating natural environments. Finally, microbes are important in another ‘pollution’ problem: the increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. Because microbes are crucial for many biogeochemical processes, the field of microbial ecology is crucial for understanding the effect of greenhouse gases on the biosphere and for predicting the impact of climate change on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Even if the problem of climate change was solved, microbes would be fascinating to study because of the weird and wonderful things they do. The chapter ends by pointing out the difficulties in isolating and cultivating microbes in the lab. In many environments, 〈 1 per cent of all bacteria and probably other microbes can be grown in the lab. The cultivation problem has many ramifications for identifying especially viruses, bacteria, and archaea in natural environments and for connecting up taxonomic information with biogeochemical processes.
James S.J. Schwartz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- March 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190069063
- eISBN:
- 9780190069094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190069063.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter considers and rejects traditional spaceflight rationales, accenting the insubstantial evidence that is usually offered in their support. It uses regression analyses and public opinion ...
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This chapter considers and rejects traditional spaceflight rationales, accenting the insubstantial evidence that is usually offered in their support. It uses regression analyses and public opinion data to show that spaceflight activities do not have a clear impact on either STEM degree conferral rates or overall scientific literacy within the United States. Next, it uses public opinion data to show that the general public is not especially interested in astrobiology or in the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. It also uses genetics and anthropological research to show that there is no innate human biological compulsion to explore space. Finally, it describes and criticizes the “space frontier” metaphor as well as basic arguments for space resource exploitation and space settlement.Less
This chapter considers and rejects traditional spaceflight rationales, accenting the insubstantial evidence that is usually offered in their support. It uses regression analyses and public opinion data to show that spaceflight activities do not have a clear impact on either STEM degree conferral rates or overall scientific literacy within the United States. Next, it uses public opinion data to show that the general public is not especially interested in astrobiology or in the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. It also uses genetics and anthropological research to show that there is no innate human biological compulsion to explore space. Finally, it describes and criticizes the “space frontier” metaphor as well as basic arguments for space resource exploitation and space settlement.
James S.J. Schwartz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- March 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190069063
- eISBN:
- 9780190069094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190069063.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter argues that the scope of planetary protection policies should be expanded to include all potential sites of interest to space science. It begins by providing an overview of planetary ...
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This chapter argues that the scope of planetary protection policies should be expanded to include all potential sites of interest to space science. It begins by providing an overview of planetary protection policies and their history. This is followed by discussions of Charles Cockell’s views on the ethics of microbial life, Holmes Rolston’s views on the preservation of natural value in the solar system, and Tony Milligan’s views on respecting natural integrity in space. It argues that each view unnecessarily understates the scope of science’s interest in the protection of space environments. Since every space environment is virtually unexplored, as a precautionary default it should be assumed that a space environment is of interest to science (and thus worth protecting) until otherwise proven.Less
This chapter argues that the scope of planetary protection policies should be expanded to include all potential sites of interest to space science. It begins by providing an overview of planetary protection policies and their history. This is followed by discussions of Charles Cockell’s views on the ethics of microbial life, Holmes Rolston’s views on the preservation of natural value in the solar system, and Tony Milligan’s views on respecting natural integrity in space. It argues that each view unnecessarily understates the scope of science’s interest in the protection of space environments. Since every space environment is virtually unexplored, as a precautionary default it should be assumed that a space environment is of interest to science (and thus worth protecting) until otherwise proven.
Karel Schrijver
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198799894
- eISBN:
- 9780191864865
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198799894.003.0002
- Subject:
- Physics, Geophysics, Atmospheric and Environmental Physics, History of Physics
This chapter briefly reviews some the challenges encountered in the search for extraterrestrial life. So far, no signs of extraterrestrial life have been found. The search started with radio ...
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This chapter briefly reviews some the challenges encountered in the search for extraterrestrial life. So far, no signs of extraterrestrial life have been found. The search started with radio telescopes, looking for technology-based civilizations, but new strategies have emerged that take on the primary challenges in this search: the enormous distances to exoplanets and the question of the true nature of life. The author outlines the development of new tools for the search, and why the present focus is on Earth-sized exoplanets with a potential for liquid water on their surfaces. Not having been visited by an alien civilization presents us with a paradox: if life develops as quickly elsewhere as on Earth, then why have we not been contacted? Is the speed of light too slow to cross interstellar distances, is life intrinsically rare, or should we conclude that civilizations are intrinsically short-lived?Less
This chapter briefly reviews some the challenges encountered in the search for extraterrestrial life. So far, no signs of extraterrestrial life have been found. The search started with radio telescopes, looking for technology-based civilizations, but new strategies have emerged that take on the primary challenges in this search: the enormous distances to exoplanets and the question of the true nature of life. The author outlines the development of new tools for the search, and why the present focus is on Earth-sized exoplanets with a potential for liquid water on their surfaces. Not having been visited by an alien civilization presents us with a paradox: if life develops as quickly elsewhere as on Earth, then why have we not been contacted? Is the speed of light too slow to cross interstellar distances, is life intrinsically rare, or should we conclude that civilizations are intrinsically short-lived?
David L. Kirchman
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- August 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198789406
- eISBN:
- 9780191831256
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Aquatic Biology
The goal of this chapter is to introduce the field of microbial ecology and some terms used in the rest of the book. Microbial ecology, which is the study of microbes in natural environments, is ...
More
The goal of this chapter is to introduce the field of microbial ecology and some terms used in the rest of the book. Microbial ecology, which is the study of microbes in natural environments, is important for several reasons. Although most are beneficial, some microbes cause diseases of higher plants and animals in aquatic environments and on land. Microbes are also important because they are directly or indirectly responsible for the food we eat. They degrade pesticides and other pollutants contaminating natural environments. Finally, they are important in another “pollution” problem: the increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. Because microbes are crucial for many biogeochemical processes, the field of microbial ecology is crucial for understanding the effect of greenhouse gases on the biosphere and for predicting the impact of climate change on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Even if the problem of climate change were solved, microbes would be fascinating to study because of the weird and wonderful things they do. The chapter ends by pointing out the difficulties in isolating and cultivating microbes in the laboratory. In many environments, less than one percent of all bacteria and other microbes can be grown in the laboratory. The cultivation problem has many ramifications for identifying especially viruses, bacteria, and archaea in natural environments, and for connecting up taxonomic information with biogeochemical processes.Less
The goal of this chapter is to introduce the field of microbial ecology and some terms used in the rest of the book. Microbial ecology, which is the study of microbes in natural environments, is important for several reasons. Although most are beneficial, some microbes cause diseases of higher plants and animals in aquatic environments and on land. Microbes are also important because they are directly or indirectly responsible for the food we eat. They degrade pesticides and other pollutants contaminating natural environments. Finally, they are important in another “pollution” problem: the increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. Because microbes are crucial for many biogeochemical processes, the field of microbial ecology is crucial for understanding the effect of greenhouse gases on the biosphere and for predicting the impact of climate change on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Even if the problem of climate change were solved, microbes would be fascinating to study because of the weird and wonderful things they do. The chapter ends by pointing out the difficulties in isolating and cultivating microbes in the laboratory. In many environments, less than one percent of all bacteria and other microbes can be grown in the laboratory. The cultivation problem has many ramifications for identifying especially viruses, bacteria, and archaea in natural environments, and for connecting up taxonomic information with biogeochemical processes.
Carlos Mariscal and T.D.P. Brunet
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter studies the concept of an extremophile. In the 1970s, R. D. MacElroy coined the term “extremophile” to describe microorganisms that thrive under extreme conditions. This hybrid word ...
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This chapter studies the concept of an extremophile. In the 1970s, R. D. MacElroy coined the term “extremophile” to describe microorganisms that thrive under extreme conditions. This hybrid word transliterates to “love of extremes” and has been studied as a straightforward concept ever since. The chapter then delineates five different ways to think about extremophiles, concluding that the concept is especially prone to the vagueness and arbitrariness that plague other biological categories, since it unavoidably involves debatable assumptions about life's nature and limits. These five concepts are, briefly, human-centric, at the edge of life's habitation of morphospace, by appeal to statistical rarity, described by objective limits, and at the limits of impossibility for metabolic processes. Importantly, these concepts have coexisted, unacknowledged and conflated, for decades. Confusion threatens to follow from the wildly varied inclusion or exclusion of organisms as extremophiles depending on the concept used. Under some conceptions, entire kinds of extremophiles become meaningless. Ultimately, since people's understanding of how life works is shaped by what people take to be its extremes, clarifying extremophily is key for many large-scale projects in biology, biotechnology, and astrobiology.Less
This chapter studies the concept of an extremophile. In the 1970s, R. D. MacElroy coined the term “extremophile” to describe microorganisms that thrive under extreme conditions. This hybrid word transliterates to “love of extremes” and has been studied as a straightforward concept ever since. The chapter then delineates five different ways to think about extremophiles, concluding that the concept is especially prone to the vagueness and arbitrariness that plague other biological categories, since it unavoidably involves debatable assumptions about life's nature and limits. These five concepts are, briefly, human-centric, at the edge of life's habitation of morphospace, by appeal to statistical rarity, described by objective limits, and at the limits of impossibility for metabolic processes. Importantly, these concepts have coexisted, unacknowledged and conflated, for decades. Confusion threatens to follow from the wildly varied inclusion or exclusion of organisms as extremophiles depending on the concept used. Under some conceptions, entire kinds of extremophiles become meaningless. Ultimately, since people's understanding of how life works is shaped by what people take to be its extremes, clarifying extremophily is key for many large-scale projects in biology, biotechnology, and astrobiology.
Linda Billings
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter discusses how the scientific search for evidence of extraterrestrial life has affected people's conception of the terrestrial biosphere. Austrian geologist Eduard Suess originated the ...
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This chapter discusses how the scientific search for evidence of extraterrestrial life has affected people's conception of the terrestrial biosphere. Austrian geologist Eduard Suess originated the term “biosphere” in 1875, describing Earth's biosphere as the area of the planet that supports life. With a deeper understanding of the history and nature of the terrestrial biosphere, the community of scientists engaged in space science and exploration recognizes the possibility of other biospheres beyond Earth. As a result, the quest to find evidence of extraterrestrial life has affected people's conception of the biosphere, the way they think about their home planet and their place on it, and their perspective on the possibility of extraterrestrial biospheres nearby and far away. Indeed, astrobiology, planetary exploration, and exoplanet science have made significant contributions to this changing understanding.Less
This chapter discusses how the scientific search for evidence of extraterrestrial life has affected people's conception of the terrestrial biosphere. Austrian geologist Eduard Suess originated the term “biosphere” in 1875, describing Earth's biosphere as the area of the planet that supports life. With a deeper understanding of the history and nature of the terrestrial biosphere, the community of scientists engaged in space science and exploration recognizes the possibility of other biospheres beyond Earth. As a result, the quest to find evidence of extraterrestrial life has affected people's conception of the biosphere, the way they think about their home planet and their place on it, and their perspective on the possibility of extraterrestrial biospheres nearby and far away. Indeed, astrobiology, planetary exploration, and exoplanet science have made significant contributions to this changing understanding.
James S.J. Schwartz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0015
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter addresses a sociological question that has largely been ignored: How much does the public care about life in space? It argues that there is no clear evidence of widespread support in the ...
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This chapter addresses a sociological question that has largely been ignored: How much does the public care about life in space? It argues that there is no clear evidence of widespread support in the United States for the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. First, a comparison with U.S. views on evolution suggests that many religious individuals would be opposed to the search. Second, a comparison with U.S. views on space exploration suggests that a large majority of the public would be unwilling to support increased funding for the search. Finally, a review of existing surveys on the public's views about astrobiology suggests that little is known about how the public frames the search for extraterrestrial life. This makes it difficult to draw any decisive conclusions about the purported universal appeal of astrobiology.Less
This chapter addresses a sociological question that has largely been ignored: How much does the public care about life in space? It argues that there is no clear evidence of widespread support in the United States for the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. First, a comparison with U.S. views on evolution suggests that many religious individuals would be opposed to the search. Second, a comparison with U.S. views on space exploration suggests that a large majority of the public would be unwilling to support increased funding for the search. Finally, a review of existing surveys on the public's views about astrobiology suggests that little is known about how the public frames the search for extraterrestrial life. This makes it difficult to draw any decisive conclusions about the purported universal appeal of astrobiology.
Kelly Smith and Carlos Mariscal
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the exploration of astrobiology. While new, astrobiology's recent success has been nothing short of amazing. In just the past 25 years, scientists ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of the exploration of astrobiology. While new, astrobiology's recent success has been nothing short of amazing. In just the past 25 years, scientists have learned that the building blocks of life are found basically everywhere in the universe; that getting these building blocks to engage in the kinds of complex chemistry people associate with life is far easier than people used to think; and that planets where life could potentially evolve are extremely common. Nevertheless, scientists from a variety of fields are just beginning to address the many questions raised by the real possibility of life on other planets. Relatively little research on the broader social and conceptual aspects of astrobiology has been undertaken by scholars outside the small community of space scientists. However, a fertile field awaits early adopters from other disciplines, with many profound and largely unexplored questions waiting to be addressed by relevant experts. Some of these research questions fall squarely within traditional humanities, while others span the boundary between empirical science and other fields.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the exploration of astrobiology. While new, astrobiology's recent success has been nothing short of amazing. In just the past 25 years, scientists have learned that the building blocks of life are found basically everywhere in the universe; that getting these building blocks to engage in the kinds of complex chemistry people associate with life is far easier than people used to think; and that planets where life could potentially evolve are extremely common. Nevertheless, scientists from a variety of fields are just beginning to address the many questions raised by the real possibility of life on other planets. Relatively little research on the broader social and conceptual aspects of astrobiology has been undertaken by scholars outside the small community of space scientists. However, a fertile field awaits early adopters from other disciplines, with many profound and largely unexplored questions waiting to be addressed by relevant experts. Some of these research questions fall squarely within traditional humanities, while others span the boundary between empirical science and other fields.
Steven J. Dick
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter traces the history of the search for life in the universe, from the ancient Greek atomists to the emergence of modern astrobiology. The idea of inhabited worlds dates back at least to ...
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This chapter traces the history of the search for life in the universe, from the ancient Greek atomists to the emergence of modern astrobiology. The idea of inhabited worlds dates back at least to the ancient Greeks and was rationally discussed as a part of natural philosophy, mainly in the context of cosmological worldviews. If cosmological worldviews gave birth to the idea of extraterrestrial life, then philosophy and literature, in their traditional role of examining the human condition, explored the ramifications of the idea borne of that cosmological context. Interest in astrobiology and society in its broadest sense dates back at least a quarter century to the days when NASA was planning its Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program. Today, astrobiology is a thriving enterprise around the world and the societal aspects are becoming an integral part of it.Less
This chapter traces the history of the search for life in the universe, from the ancient Greek atomists to the emergence of modern astrobiology. The idea of inhabited worlds dates back at least to the ancient Greeks and was rationally discussed as a part of natural philosophy, mainly in the context of cosmological worldviews. If cosmological worldviews gave birth to the idea of extraterrestrial life, then philosophy and literature, in their traditional role of examining the human condition, explored the ramifications of the idea borne of that cosmological context. Interest in astrobiology and society in its broadest sense dates back at least a quarter century to the days when NASA was planning its Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program. Today, astrobiology is a thriving enterprise around the world and the societal aspects are becoming an integral part of it.
Lucas Mix
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter explores the concept of life across traditions, from science to philosophy to theology. The term “life” covers at least three constellations of meaning or life-concepts: biological life, ...
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This chapter explores the concept of life across traditions, from science to philosophy to theology. The term “life” covers at least three constellations of meaning or life-concepts: biological life, internal life, and rational life. Biological life shares traits with all cellular life on Earth (archaea, eubacteria, and eukarya). Internal or conscious life shares subjective interiority with humans. Rational life shares intellect with all minds that can distinguish truth from non-truth. These three lives possess different origins, extents, and futures. The chapter then identifies three distinct “hard problems of life” relating to the origin and extent of biological organization, consciousness, and reason: moving from non-life to life, from life to sentience, and from sentience to rationality. The Drake equation, the Fermi paradox, and the anthropic principle provide concrete examples in astrobiology.Less
This chapter explores the concept of life across traditions, from science to philosophy to theology. The term “life” covers at least three constellations of meaning or life-concepts: biological life, internal life, and rational life. Biological life shares traits with all cellular life on Earth (archaea, eubacteria, and eukarya). Internal or conscious life shares subjective interiority with humans. Rational life shares intellect with all minds that can distinguish truth from non-truth. These three lives possess different origins, extents, and futures. The chapter then identifies three distinct “hard problems of life” relating to the origin and extent of biological organization, consciousness, and reason: moving from non-life to life, from life to sentience, and from sentience to rationality. The Drake equation, the Fermi paradox, and the anthropic principle provide concrete examples in astrobiology.
Emily C. Parke
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter argues that the concept of “life” is used in several rather distinct ways: sometimes as an all-or-nothing phenomenon and other times as a matter of degree; sometimes referring to ...
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This chapter argues that the concept of “life” is used in several rather distinct ways: sometimes as an all-or-nothing phenomenon and other times as a matter of degree; sometimes referring to individual organisms and other times to communities; sometimes based on specific chemistries and other times on functions. In contrast to biologists in general, astrobiologists cannot take the status of their subject matter as living or nonliving for granted. There are at least two reasons to think astrobiologists need an understanding of what counts as life. The first is to set search criteria for finding “life as we don’t know it” in the universe. The second is to set success conditions conducive to agreement about when life has been found and when it has not. In addition to particular cases like the recent Mars finding by NASA, the meaning of “life” figures into a broader agenda in astrobiology: looking for biosignatures.Less
This chapter argues that the concept of “life” is used in several rather distinct ways: sometimes as an all-or-nothing phenomenon and other times as a matter of degree; sometimes referring to individual organisms and other times to communities; sometimes based on specific chemistries and other times on functions. In contrast to biologists in general, astrobiologists cannot take the status of their subject matter as living or nonliving for granted. There are at least two reasons to think astrobiologists need an understanding of what counts as life. The first is to set search criteria for finding “life as we don’t know it” in the universe. The second is to set success conditions conducive to agreement about when life has been found and when it has not. In addition to particular cases like the recent Mars finding by NASA, the meaning of “life” figures into a broader agenda in astrobiology: looking for biosignatures.
Cole Mathis
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter draws inspiration from statistical physics to describe a statistical category that can be termed the “living state.” References to a living state can be found throughout origin of life ...
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This chapter draws inspiration from statistical physics to describe a statistical category that can be termed the “living state.” References to a living state can be found throughout origin of life and astrobiology science. Some researchers have used the concept of the living state to explicitly place biological phenomena within the epistemological scope of statistical physics. Within this framework, biological phenomena at a given scale of organization are explained and understood by appealing to the statistical properties of the dynamics of the smaller and larger scales. This is analogous to how distinct states of matter are understood by appealing to the statistical properties of atoms, with the important distinction that statistical physicists have historically not included constraints from larger levels of organization, which are essential in determining the properties of living systems. This conception of the living state may enable astrobiologists to integrate progress from different disciplinary perspectives into a quantitative theory of life.Less
This chapter draws inspiration from statistical physics to describe a statistical category that can be termed the “living state.” References to a living state can be found throughout origin of life and astrobiology science. Some researchers have used the concept of the living state to explicitly place biological phenomena within the epistemological scope of statistical physics. Within this framework, biological phenomena at a given scale of organization are explained and understood by appealing to the statistical properties of the dynamics of the smaller and larger scales. This is analogous to how distinct states of matter are understood by appealing to the statistical properties of atoms, with the important distinction that statistical physicists have historically not included constraints from larger levels of organization, which are essential in determining the properties of living systems. This conception of the living state may enable astrobiologists to integrate progress from different disciplinary perspectives into a quantitative theory of life.