Microbial biotechnology and beyond: A roadmap for sustainable development and climate mitigation in the transition from fossil fuels to green chemistry.

Our planet, which operates as a closed system, is facing increasing entropy due to human activities such as the overexploitation of natural resources and fossil fuel use. The COP28 in Dubai emphasized the urgency to abandon fossil fuels, recognizing them as the primary cause of human-induced environmental changes, while highlighting the need to transition to renewable energies. We promote the crucial role of microbes for sustaining biogenic cycles to combat climate change and the economic potential of synthetic biology tools for producing diverse non-fossil fuels and chemicals, thus contributing to emission reduction in transport and industry. The shift to 'green chemistry' encounters challenges, derived from the availability of non-food residues and waste (mainly lignocellulosic) as raw material, the construction of cost-effective bioprocessing plants, product recovery from fermentation broths and the utilization of leftover lignin residues for synthesizing new chemicals, aligning with circular economy and sustainable development goals. To meet the Paris Agreement goals, an urgent global shift to low-carbon, renewable sources is imperative, ultimately leading to the cessation of our reliance on fossil fuels.

A concept for international societally relevant microbiology education and microbiology knowledge promulgation in society.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Microbes are all pervasive in their distribution and influence on the functioning and well-being of humans, life in general and the planet. Microbially-based technologies contribute hugely to the supply of important goods and services we depend upon, such as the provision of food, medicines and clean water. They also offer mechanisms and strategies to mitigate and solve a wide range of problems and crises facing humanity at all levels, including those encapsulated in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations. For example, microbial technologies can contribute in multiple ways to decarbonisation and hence confronting global warming, provide sanitation and clean water to the billions of people lacking them, improve soil fertility and hence food production and develop vaccines and other medicines to reduce and in some cases eliminate deadly infections. They are the foundation of biotechnology, an increasingly important and growing business sector and source of employment, and the centre of the bioeconomy, Green Deal, etc. But, because microbes are largely invisible, they are not familiar to most people, so opportunities they offer to effectively prevent and solve problems are often missed by decision-makers, with the negative consequences this entrains. To correct this lack of vital knowledge, the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative-the IMiLI-is recruiting from the global microbiology community and making freely available, teaching resources for a curriculum in societally relevant microbiology that can be used at all levels of learning. Its goal is the development of a society that is literate in relevant microbiology and, as a consequence, able to take full advantage of the potential of microbes and minimise the consequences of their negative activities. In addition to teaching about microbes, almost every lesson discusses the influence they have on sustainability and the SDGs and their ability to solve pressing problems of societal inequalities. The curriculum thus teaches about sustainability, societal needs and global citizenship. The lessons also reveal the impacts microbes and their activities have on our daily lives at the personal, family, community, national and global levels and their relevance for decisions at all levels. And, because effective, evidence-based decisions require not only relevant information but also critical and systems thinking, the resources also teach about these key generic aspects of deliberation. The IMiLI teaching resources are learner-centric, not academic microbiology-centric and deal with the microbiology of everyday issues. These span topics as diverse as owning and caring for a companion animal, the vast range of everyday foods that are produced via microbial processes, impressive geological formations created by microbes, childhood illnesses and how they are managed and how to reduce waste and pollution. They also leverage the exceptional excitement of exploration and discovery that typifies much progress in microbiology to capture the interest, inspire and motivate educators and learners alike. The IMiLI is establishing Regional Centres to translate the teaching resources into regional languages and adapt them to regional cultures, and to promote their use and assist educators employing them. Two of these are now operational. The Regional Centres constitute the interface between resource creators and educators-learners. As such, they will collect and analyse feedback from the end-users and transmit this to the resource creators so that teaching materials can be improved and refined, and new resources added in response to demand: educators and learners will thereby be directly involved in evolution of the teaching resources. The interactions between educators-learners and resource creators mediated by the Regional Centres will establish dynamic and synergistic relationships-a global societally relevant microbiology education ecosystem-in which creators also become learners, teaching resources are optimised and all players/stakeholders are empowered and their motivation increased. The IMiLI concept thus embraces the principle of teaching societally relevant microbiology embedded in the wider context of societal, biosphere and planetary needs, inequalities, the range of crises that confront us and the need for improved decisioning, which should ultimately lead to better citizenship and a humanity that is more sustainable and resilient. ABSTRACT: The biosphere of planet Earth is a microbial world: a vast reactor of countless microbially driven chemical transformations and energy transfers that push and pull many planetary geochemical processes, including the cycling of the elements of life, mitigate or amplify climate change (e.g., Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2019, 17, 569) and impact the well-being and activities of all organisms, including humans. Microbes are both our ancestors and creators of the planetary chemistry that allowed us to evolve (e.g., Life's engines: How microbes made earth habitable, 2023). To understand how the biosphere functions, how humans can influence its development and live more sustainably with the other organisms sharing it, we need to understand the microbes. In a recent editorial (Environmental Microbiology, 2019, 21, 1513), we advocated for improved microbiology literacy in society. Our concept of microbiology literacy is not based on knowledge of the academic subject of microbiology, with its multitude of component topics, plus the growing number of additional topics from other disciplines that become vitally important elements of current microbiology. Rather it is focused on microbial activities that impact us-individuals/communities/nations/the human world-and the biosphere and that are key to reaching informed decisions on a multitude of issues that regularly confront us, ranging from personal issues to crises of global importance. In other words, it is knowledge and understanding essential for adulthood and the transition to it, knowledge and understanding that must be acquired early in life in school. The 2019 Editorial marked the launch of the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative, the IMiLI. HERE, WE PRESENT: our concept of how microbiology literacy may be achieved and the rationale underpinning it; the type of teaching resources being created to realise the concept and the framing of microbial activities treated in these resources in the context of sustainability, societal needs and responsibilities and decision-making; and the key role of Regional Centres that will translate the teaching resources into local languages, adapt them according to local cultural needs, interface with regional educators and develop and serve as hubs of microbiology literacy education networks. The topics featuring in teaching resources are learner-centric and have been selected for their inherent relevance, interest and ability to excite and engage. Importantly, the resources coherently integrate and emphasise the overarching issues of sustainability, stewardship and critical thinking and the pervasive interdependencies of processes. More broadly, the concept emphasises how the multifarious applications of microbial activities can be leveraged to promote human/animal, plant, environmental and planetary health, improve social equity, alleviate humanitarian deficits and causes of conflicts among peoples and increase understanding between peoples (Microbial Biotechnology, 2023, 16(6), 1091-1111). Importantly, although the primary target of the freely available (CC BY-NC 4.0) IMiLI teaching resources is schoolchildren and their educators, they and the teaching philosophy are intended for all ages, abilities and cultural spectra of learners worldwide: in university education, lifelong learning, curiosity-driven, web-based knowledge acquisition and public outreach. The IMiLI teaching resources aim to promote development of a global microbiology education ecosystem that democratises microbiology knowledge.

Los servicios médicos de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias en la guerra de Argelia-Marruecos (1963-1964) / The Medical Services of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in the Algeria-Morocco war (1963-1964)

Se exponen los juicios y comentarios sobre los hechos que motivaron la participación de integrantes del personal militar, de la salud, en el aseguramiento logístico de las tropas cubanas durante el conflicto territorial argelino-marroquí, durante unos 6 meses. Para ello se basaron fundamentalmente en testimonios, documentos conservados y algunas publicaciones precedentes. Reviste una particular importancia conocer los eventos acontecidos durante la travesía marítima y en especial, en la organización y solución de los problemas confrontados para la asistencia médica directa a la tropa y en apoyar los Servicios Médicos correspondientes a la población militar y civil argelina. Además, se refieren otros acontecimientos históricos en los que tuvo participación el personal cubano. Se considera que a este relato le corresponde ocupar un lugar señalado en la memoria de las misiones cumplidas por la especialidad médico-militar y de la cual no existe una divulgación escrita previa con esta especificidad

Los servicios médicos de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias en la guerra de Argelia-Marruecos (1963-1964) / The Medical Services of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in the Algeria-Morocco war (1963-1964)

Se exponen los juicios y comentarios sobre los hechos que motivaron la participación de integrantes del personal militar, de la salud, en el aseguramiento logístico de las tropas cubanas durante el conflicto territorial argelino-marroquí, durante unos 6 meses. Para ello se basaron fundamentalmente en testimonios, documentos conservados y algunas publicaciones precedentes. Reviste una particular importancia conocer los eventos acontecidos durante la travesía marítima y en especial, en la organización y solución de los problemas confrontados para la asistencia médica directa a la tropa y en apoyar los Servicios Médicos correspondientes a la población militar y civil argelina. Además, se refieren otros acontecimientos históricos en los que tuvo participación el personal cubano. Se considera que a este relato le corresponde ocupar un lugar señalado en la memoria de las misiones cumplidas por la especialidad médico-militar y de la cual no existe una divulgación escrita previa con esta especificidad(AU)

Fundamentos terapéuticos actuales para los heridos de extremidades durante la guerra / Present therapeutic foundations for the wartime limb wounded

Uno de los aspectos más importantes, que se afrontan durante los grandes desastres y las guerras y que pueden ocasionar verdaderas crisis en cuanto a su manejo y tratamiento adecuado lo constituyen los lesionados de los miembros. Se espera poder contribuir con este trabajo y recalcar la importancia del problema en una forma realista y acreditada según experiencias personales y las de otros autores internacionales que también se han pronunciado en este sentido. Uno de los más importantes criterios se refiere a las negociaciones para concluir un tratado mundial que prohíba el uso, almacenamiento, producción y transferencia de minas terrestres antipersonales y sobre su destrucción, teniendo en cuenta la falta de un liderazgo efectivo por parte de las grandes potencias imperialistas. Se le da gran importancia a los avances médicos en la terapéutica de complejas situaciones lesionales.

One of the most important aspects faced during great disasters and wars and that may cause real crises as regards the adequate management and treatment of the patients are the injuries of the extremities. This paper is aimed at contributing to alleviate this situation and to stress the significance of this problem in a realistic way and according to personal experiences and to the experience of other international authors that have dealt with this topic. One of the most remarkable criteria refers to the negotiations directed to reach a world agreement prohibiting the use, storage, production and transfer of antipersonal earth mines, and to their destruction, taking into consideration the lack of an effective leardership on the part of the big imperialist powers. Emphasis is made on the medical advances in the therapeutics of complicated injuries.

Fundamentos terapéuticos actuales para los heridos de extremidades durante la guerra / Present therapeutic foundation for the wartime limb wounded

Uno de los aspectos más importantes, que se afrontan durante los grandes desastres y las guerras y que pueden ocasionar verdaderas crisis en cuanto a su manejo y tratamiento adecuado lo constituyen los lesionados de los miembros. Se espera poder contribuir con este trabajo y recalcar la importancia del problema en una forma realista y acreditada según experiencias personales y las de otros autores internacionales que también se han pronunciado en este sentido. Uno de los más importantes criterios se refiere a las negociaciones para concluir un tratado mundial que prohíba el uso, almacenamiento, producción y transferencia de minas terrestres antipersonales y sobre su destrucción, teniendo en cuenta la falta de un liderazgo efectivo por parte de las grandes potencias imperialistas. Se le da gran importancia a los avances médicos en la terapéutica de complejas situaciones lesionales(AU)