IDS 330 Fall, 2020 University of the West

1. https://laist.com/latest/post/2020091
8/earthquake-los-angeles-4.6-
preliminary-magnitude

2. https://thehill.com/changing-
america/resilience/natural-disasters/517557-
bobcat-fire-burns-through-100000-acres-in-la

3. “Fire History” – Evidence-based?
http://www.g
eog.ucsb.edu
/~kclarke/uci
me/banff200
0/530-ng-
paper.htm

4. Taming the Wild Elephant?
“In Buddhism, the wild elephant represents our uncontrolled, passionate minds. Just as
the rampaging elephant is controlled by unregulated passions, we often find ourselves
ruled by our desires, fears, and resentments. We think that suffering arises from what
others do to us, or what happens to us; as self-perceived victims, we suffer.
“The Buddha taught another view, that suffering arises internally, in our minds’
untrained responses to events. To free ourselves from suffering, we train and subdue our
minds. The elephant, tamed rather than rampaging, symbolizes a mind disciplined
through meditation, stable, majestic in its power. With that tamed mind, we answer
difficult circumstances, not with sullen forbearance but, with spiritual alchemy,
transforming adversity into growth. As such, the degree to which we experience
unhappiness and pain depends on our internal responses, not on external conditions.”
-- Losang Tendrol
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/elephant-walk-tests-the-buddhist-
principles-of-a-trained-mind-and-inner-
peace/2012/03/12/gIQA9D869R_story.html?utm_term=.2b420a8975af

5. The Buddha and Nalagiri
https://buddhas-brain.com/2011/02/08/nalagiri/

6. The Human Biome
IDS 330 “Environmental Leadership”
University of the West
Tom Moritz
Adjunct Professor
Fall, 2020

7. The Human Biome:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-human-microbiome-project-defines-normal-bacterial-
makeup-body?fbclid=IwAR30gvrCMSIgUYrVa_L02VE-04OVm25Zij0ajXu96GT8OV3XNgdb9uwrZV4

8. “Map of the Human Biome”?
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/06/13/154913334/finally-a-map-of-all-the-microbes-on-your-
“Scientists identified some 10,000
species of microbes, including many
never seen before, according to the
first wave of results, which are being
published in 16 papers in the
journals Nature and PLoS.”

9. “Infectious
Diseases”
???
https://www.mayoclinic.org/dis
eases-conditions/infectious-
diseases/symptoms-causes/syc-
20351173

10. “History of Stress”“Abstract: This essay describes the evolution of stress as a medical scientific idea.
Claude Bernard, Walter B. Cannon and Hans Selye provided key founding concepts
for the current view. Bernard introduced the idea of the internal environment
bathing cells—the milieu intérieur—maintained by continual compensatory changes
of bodily functions. Cannon coined the word, “homeostasis,” referring to a set of
acceptable ranges of values for internal variables. Cannon taught that threats to
homeostasis evoke activation of the sympathoadrenal system as a functional unit.
Selye defined stress as a state characterized by a uniform response pattern,
regardless of the particular stressor, that could lead to long-term pathologic
changes. “Allostasis” was introduced as a concept in recognition that there is no
single ideal set of steady-state conditions in life; instead, setpoints and other
response criteria change continuously. Stress is now viewed neither as a
perturbation nor a stereotyped response pattern but as a condition characterized
by a perceived discrepancy between information about a monitored variable and
criteria for eliciting patterned effector responses. Different stressors elicit different
patterns of activation of the sympathetic nervous, adrenomedullary hormonal,
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical and other effectors, closing negative
feedback loops. This systems concept of stress yields predictions that observation or
experimentation can test and that are applicable to normal physiology and to a
variety of acute and chronic disorders.”
– DS Goldstein & IJ Kopin,
“Evolution of Concepts of Stress” Stress 10(2) 2007
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10253890701288935

11. “Homeostasis”?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article
/what-is-
homeostasis/?fbclid=IwAR3OcszLMxjAsAfQ
EbyXr8G8aOatIy4vKhwjNLSo_0RnDQYaO4v
mSt5qdZs

12. “Homeostasis is defined as the property of a system in which variables
are regulated so that internal conditions remain stable and relatively
constant. Examples of homeostasis include the regulation of body
temperature, and the balance between acidity and alkalinity. It is a
process that maintains the stability of the organism’s internal
environment in response to fluctuations in external environmental
conditions.”
-- JS Torday, “Homeostasis as the Mechanism of Evolution,
Biology (Basel) 2015 Sep; 4(3): 573–590.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588151/

13. “Homeostasis”
“The tendency of biological systems to maintain relatively constant conditions
in the internal environment while continuously interacting with and
adjusting to changes originating within or outside the system. See also
BALANCE and EQUILIBRIUM
“The term is considered by some to be misleading in that the word element
– STASIS - implies a static or fixed and unmoving state, whereas
homeostasis actually involves continuous motion, adaptation, and change
in response to environmental factors.
“It is through homeostatic mechanisms that body temperature is kept within
normal range, the osmotic pressure of the blood and its hydrogen ion
concentration (pH) is kept within strict limits, nutrients are supplied to cells
as needed, and waste products are removed before they accumulate and
reach toxic levels of concentration. These are but a few examples of the
thousands of homeostatic control systems within the body. Some of these
systems operate within the cell and others operate within an aggregate of
cells (organs) to control the complex interrelationships among the various
organs.”
-- Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health,
Seventh Edition. (2003). Retrieved September 10 2016
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/homeostasis

14. “Homeostasis” and “Sustainability”?
“Abstract: The survival of social groups depends on internal factors (the size of a group, its socio-
diversity, inner organization, coherence and synergy of actions for the common good), external
factors, mostly on a safe natural and social environment, and on sustainable interactions with this
environment. In addition, the survival and development of groups is determined by their stability,
which in turn depends on the homeostatic mechanisms that maintain a state of balance within
groups and in their environments. People have an influence on the stability of social systems;
their actions may lead to strengthening or weakening of this homeostasis. The implementation of
the concept of sustainable development serves, among others, to strengthen the homeostasis of
social systems and consequently, to prolong the existence of mankind. However, paradoxically
enough, the more the system tends to equilibrium, the less stable it becomes reducing its chance
of survival. But still, striving to achieve a state of equilibrium has become an imperative nowadays
in view of the concept of sustainable development. Moreover, since the beginning of the
Anthropocene era, people's interference in the homeostasis of natural and social systems has
been growing, helped by the progress of science and technology. However, only a handful of the
world's population, the financial elite, benefit from this. Driven by economic interests and
ignoring ecological criteria, they weaken this homeostasis carelessly and irresponsibly. Focused
on their own benefits here and now, they do not care much about the fate of future generations.”
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2830470
Sztumski Wieslaw, “The Impact of Sustainable Development on the Homeostasis of the Social Environment and the
Matter of Survival,“ PROBLEMY EKOROZWOJU – PROBLEMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2016, vol. 11, no 1, 41-47

16. Microbiology
“Universal Tree of Life”
https://www.pnas.org/content/97/15/8392
C.R. Woese, “Interpreting the universal phylogenetic tree”
PNAS July 18, 2000 97 (15) 8392-8396; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.97.15.8392

17. https://www.pnas.org/content/74/11/5088

18. “Abstract: The universal phylogenetic tree not only spans all extant life,
but its root and earliest branchings represent stages in the evolutionary
process before modern cell types had come into being. The evolution of
the cell is an interplay between vertically derived and horizontally
acquired variation.
“Primitive cellular entities were necessarily simpler and more modular
in design than are modern cells. Consequently, horizontal gene transfer
early on was pervasive, dominating the evolutionary dynamic.
“The root of the universal phylogenetic tree represents the first stage in
cellular evolution when the evolving cell became sufficiently integrated
and stable to the erosive effects of horizontal gene transfer that true
organismal lineages could exist.”
C.R. Woese, “Interpreting the universal phylogenetic tree”
PNAS July 18, 2000 97 (15) 8392-8396; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.97.15.8392 https://www.pnas.org/content/97/15/8392

19. “Archaea”?
“Archaea are a domain of single-celled microorganisms. They have no cell nucleus
or any other organelles inside their cells. In the past Archaea were classified as an
unusual group of bacteria and named archaebacteria, but since the Archaea have
an independent evolutionary history and manifest numerous differences in their
biochemistry from other forms of life, they are now classified as a separate domain
in the three-domain system. In this system the three primary branches of
evolutionary descent are the Archaea, Eukarya and Bacteria. Archaea are further
divided into four recognized phyla, although other phyla may exist. Of these groups
the Crenarchaeota and the Euryarchaeota are most intensively studied.
Classifying the archaea is somewhat challenging, since the vast majority have
never been studied, and have chiefly been detected by analysis of their nucleic
acids in samples from the environment.
“Archaea replicate asexually in a process known as binary fission. Archaea achieve a
swimming motility via one or more tail-like flagellae. Many archaeans are
extremophiles, achieving wide environmental tolerance of temperature, salinity,
and even radioactive environments. Archaea are thought to be significant in global
geochemical cycling, since they comprise an estimated 20 percent of the world's
biomass; however, very little is known about the domain, especially marine and
deep-sea benthic varieties.”
https://eol.org/docs/discover/archaea

20. “Bacteria”?
“Bacteria are any of a very large group of single-celled microorganisms
that display a wide range of metabolic types, geometric shapes and
environmental habitats—and niches—of occurrence. Normally only
several micrometers in length, bacteria assume the form of spheres, rods,
spirals and other shapes. Bacteria are found in a very broad gamut of
habitats; for example, bacterial extremophiles that thrive in such places
as hot springs, arctic environments, radioactive waste, deep sea oil seeps,
deep Earth crustal environments, hypersaline ponds and within other
living organisms. There are approximately 50 million bacterial organisms
in a single gram of typical surface soil. The worldwide bacterial biomass
exceeds that of all plants and animals on Earth. However, the majority of
bacteria have not yet been characterised.”
https://eol.org/docs/discover/bacteria

21. Bacteria: Taxonomy
“Bacteria are members of the prokaryote group. In contrast to eukaryote cells, bacteria lack a cell nucleus and customarily have no
organelles. The bacteria domain can be grouped into two major categories: (a) Eubacteria and (b) Cyanobacteria. The latter group has
historically been termed blue-green algae, but modern cladistics classifies these as bacteria. Presently the bacteria are considered
composed of five discrete clades, or unique phylogenetic trees, each having a unique common ancestor. While there are a number of
recognized phyla, the dominant ones are Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria....
• Proteobacteria
This major phylum incorporates a gamut of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and numerous other
genera. Some other proteobacteria are free-living, and include many of the species responsible for fixing nitrogen. Many move
about using flagellae, but some are non-motile or rely on bacterial gliding. The latter include myxobacteria, a unique group of
bacteria that can aggregate to form multicellular fruiting bodies.
• Firmacutes
A wide variety of metabolic types reside within proteobacteria. Most species of Firmacutes are facultatively or obligately
anaerobic, chemoautotrophs, and heterotrophic, but there are many exceptions. Numerous genera, which are not closely related
to each other, convert energy from light through photosynthesis. These are termed purple, in reference to their generally reddish
pigmentation.
• Actinobacteria
This gram positive phylum has widespread occurrence in soils, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Many of the species in the
phylum are key decomposers of organic detritus, and thus have an important role in the carbon cycle. Some of the species of
Actinobacteria are pathogens and inhabit plant or animal hosts. Most of the phylum are aerobic species, but some are capable of
metabolizing in oxygen-deprived environments. This phylum often exhibits a filamentous branched structure as in the case of
Actinomyces israelii. The organism believed to be the oldest living creature is a species within the Actinobacteria found in Siberia,
that is thought to date to about 500,000 years before present.
• Bacteroidetes
This widely occurring phylum is found in soils, sediment, animal guts and animal oral cavities. Bacteroidetes are known to inhabit
the deserts of Antarctica. Some species are known for their robustness as decomposers notably of chitin and polymeric carbon,
such as insoluble forms present in fungal cell walls; such strong decomposition capabilities make the Bacteroidetes instrumental in
the carbon cycle and contribute to the ability to restore nutrient poor soils. The Bacteroidetes represent a phenotypically diverse
set of organisms, whose geometric forms are frequently rod or curved shaped. In some cases the genera may be variously
photosynthetic, non-motile or gliding, but they are generally gram-negative. Certain species are known to be invertebrate
symbionts.”
https://eol.org/docs/discover/bacteria

22. http://tolweb.org/Eukaryotes/3

23. http://tolweb.org/Eukaryotes/3

24. VIRUSES ?

25. What about viruses???
“A virus is a microscopic organism that can replicate only inside the cells of a host
organism. Most viruses are so tiny they are only observable with at least a conventional
optical microscope. Viruses infect all types of organisms, including animals and plants, as
well as bacteria and archaea. Approximately 5000 different viruses have been described in
detail at the current time, although it is known that there are millions of distinct types.[1]
Viruses are found in virtually every ecosystem on Earth, and these minute life forms are
thought to be the most abundant type of biological entity.[2] The study of viruses is known
as virology, a specialty within the field of microbiology.
“The common concept of viruses focuses on their role as pathogen. Actually, there are vast
numbers of viral entities that are beneficial to individual species as well as providing
ecosystem services. For example, a class of viruses known as bacteriophages can kill a
spectrum of harmful bacteria, providing protection to humans as well as other biota.
“Viruses are key in the carbon cycle; their role in ocean biochemistry includes
microbiological metabolic—including decomposition—processes. It is this decomposition
that stimulates massive carbon dioxide respiration of marine flora. That respiration
annihilates effectively about three gigatons of carbon each year from the atmosphere.
Significantly, viruses are being developed as tools for constructive modern medicine as well
as the critical field of nanotechnology.”
https://eol.org/docs/discover/viruses

26. Viruses: Lifeform or Not?
“Viruses have no ability to metabolize on their own, but depend upon a
host organism for replication and manufacture of chemicals needed for
such replication. Rybicki has characterized viruses as a form "at the edge of
life."[3] Viruses are found in modern taxonomy, which considers viruses as a
totally separate form of life from cellular organisms—some would say that
they are merely complex molecules with a protein coating and not a lifeform
at all. Since viruses are capable of self-replication, they are clearly some
type of lifeform, and likely involved with the early evolutionary
development of such other simple lifeforms as bacteria and protists.
“Viruses differ, however, from the simpler autonomous replication of
chemical crystals. This is due to the fact that a virus can inherit a genetic
mutation and is also subject to similar natural selection processes of
cellular organisms. A virus cannot be labelled simply, therefore, as inanimate
or lifeless. Here, we consider it a lifeform, but we adhere to current
taxonomy and do not credit it with a parallel domain to other recognized
cellular lifeforms.”
https://eol.org/docs/discover/viruses

27. https://eol.org/docs/discover/viruses

28. Antibiotics and
the Evolution of
Bacteria
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/09/a-
cinematic-approach-to-drug-resistance/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plVk4NVIUh8