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  • From: Cory Brennan <cory8570@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fwd: Hair to help
  • Date: Wed, 5 May 2010 13:16:27 -0700 (PDT)

This goes into more detail about some things Toby was discussing. Bacteria
can make heavy metals inert. Microbetech has applied bacteria to Clear Lake,
CA and measured lowered active mercury content.

Of course, avoiding mercury/oil, etc contamination in the first place by not
using environmentally toxic substances to operate our lives is by far the
safest and most comprehensive response, and I believe probably all of us on
this list are doing something about that.

http://www.angelfire.com/linux/vjtorley/flexible.html

Flexible behaviour in bacteria: evidence of mental states?

Gene swapping between individual bacteria is perhaps the most interesting
kind of adaptive behaviour, because it informs other bacteria about what is
going on, allowing them to adapt to unexpected environmental challenges like
toxic mercury. In some ways, this phenomenon appears to be an even better
candidate for true learning in bacteria than previous examples. Some bacteria
have genes which make them resistant to mercury, as it is a naturally
occurring toxin. The most widely studied and sophisticated mechanism for
resistance to mercury works by bacteria exchanging transposons, or autonomous
mobile sections of their DNA. Some transposons contain genes which confer
resistance to mercury, by coding for specialised proteins and enzymes.
Bacteria that have (or acquire) these genes can take highly toxic mercury
ions into their cytoplasm (cell body) using their specialised carrier
proteins, and transfer them to a specialised enzyme. The enzyme reduces ionic
mercury to metallic mercury, which is relatively inert and non-toxic, and
readily diffuses out of the cell (German Research Centre for Biotechnology,
2002; Petkewich, 2002).

Does the ability of bacteria to acquire genes that allow them to respond to
challenges that they were previously unable to cope with constitute true
learning? At first glance, the criteria listed by Kilian and Muller above may
suggest an affirmative answer to this question. Bacteria which pick up
resistance to mercury are acquiring new information from other bacteria about
an environmental hazard, and what is more, there is a "reproducible learning
effect" here, as Kilian and Muller stipulate (2001, p. 1). Moreover, bacteria
which acquire genes for resistance to mercury "can make new substances for
new irreversible and reproducible information transfer paths as an answer to
a new, formerly not identifiable stimulus" (Kilian and Muller, p. 3).

Additionally, there can be no doubt that the bacteria's changing response to
mercury is an instance of truly flexible behaviour. The acquisition of new
genes corresponds to a change in the program statement describing the
organism's response to mercury, as well as the acquisition of new functions -
i.e. new recipes for making specialised proteins and enzymes to handle the
toxin. What is more, such gene swapping is a common occurrence among
bacteria: for instance, genes which confer resistance to antibiotics can be
passed from one species of bacteria to another (Society for General
Microbiology, 2003). In fact, gene swapping appears to be a universal trait
of organisms, as illustrated by the frequency of lateral gene transfer
between different branches of the tree of life.

--- On Tue, 5/4/10, Javan Kerby Bernakevitch <jk.bernakevitch@gmail.com>
wrote:

> From: Javan Kerby Bernakevitch <jk.bernakevitch@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fwd: Hair to help
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 8:19 PM
> Permaculture phratry,
>
> When asked, Fungi Perfecti, the company that provided
> evidence that Oyster
> Mushrooms can metabolize diesel fuel, responded that while
> the mushrooms
> uptake diesel out of the soil the heavy metals found in
> diesel are then
> transferred and accumulated into the fruiting body.
>
> "The mushrooms would have to be removed and taken to a
> waste disposal land
> fill. So this is an issue. Heavy metals do not change forms
> and are the same
> in the soil as in the mushroom. There may be issues on what
> to do with the
> contaminated mushrooms but the ability of fungi to uptake
> heavy metals shows
> what potential mushrooms might have for use to utilize. We
> do not work with
> heavy metal contamination specifically and have chosen to
> work on compounds
> that fungi can break down and change to a more benign form.
> In many cases
> soil removal and replacement might be the best choice."
>
> I too want to point to fungi and it's benefits in this
> arena, however there
> are realities when talking about fungal soil remediation
> techniques that for
> fair assessment need to be presented.
>
> Fungi can help us, but only to a point. Referring to this
> kingdom's
> qualities to fix human caused issues in a silver bullet
> fashion only
> reinforces our reactionary mode of living.
>
> What I know is Action Dispels Despair and I must act in
> some way that helps
> to re-mediate this issue while continue to distance myself
> from social and
> economic activities that supports continued dependence on
> oil.
>
> A friend recently told me in passing that, "the most
> revolutionary act we
> can take part in is growing our own food." Based on an oil
> dependent
> agriculture system the more I grow and support local oil
> averse agricultural
> farms the more I model and support a system that moves away
> from oil as
> primary energy.
>
> I profess not to know the answers, only to be willing to
> constantly look at
> my answers and be willing to change with the world as it
> rapidly changes.
>
> In Permaculture and Camaraderie,
>
> Javan
>
>
>
> On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 5:04 PM, jamesdavid Sneed
> <harvestcircle@hotmail.com>wrote:
>
> >
> > So how many of us have actually made the suggested
> phone calls to seed
> > companies demanding their corn, beet, and chard seed
> be tested, or no more
> > seed orders from us?
> >
> > > Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 13:03:31 -0400
> > > From: cschampagne@gmail.com
> > > To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > > Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fwd: Hair to help
> > >
> > > Why are we sending these emails around to
> ourselves?
> > > Send suggestions to BP, or whoever can actually
> do something about the
> > great
> > > ideas being presented here!
> > > Keeping the information within a small Yahoo
> group is very inspiring, but
> > > not helpful, it would seem to me.
> > > No criticism intended, just the next step for
> getting something to
> > actually
> > > get done.
> > >
> > > Thanks for all the great ideas!
> > > Carolyn
> > >
> > > On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 12:12 PM, Steven &
> Margaret Eisenhauer <
> > > eisenhauerdesign@earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hello,
> > > > Is it feasible to get empty supertankers in
> the gulf to skim oil off
> > the
> > > > surface to be refined?  I imagine
> floating mats with intakes just below
> > the
> > > > surface pumping oil/water mixture into their
> holds for removal as a
> > first
> > > > response to decrease the volume of loose oil
> before it hits beaches.  I
> > am
> > > > sure the refineries can handle a water oil
> mixture given the technology
> > > > that
> > > > is being used on oil sands in Canada where
> currently a good share of
> > our
> > > > gasoline is now coming from.  BP is
> saying weeks to months before they
> > can
> > > > get a handle on the well head, which could
> mean catastrophic quantities
> > of
> > > > oil spilled with possible contamination of
> the Gulf Stream.
> > > >
> > > > Steven Eisenhauer
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > [mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]
> On Behalf Of Lawrence
> > F.
> > > > London, Jr.
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 10:50 AM
> > > > To: permaculture
> > > > Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fwd: Hair to
> help
> > > >
> > > > Angela Manno wrote:
> > > > > Hi Friends,
> > > > >
> > > > > This horrific disaster in the Gulf of
> Mexico may be eased by the use
> > > > > of hair mats and oil metabolizing
> mushrooms, something that I know
> > > > > many in permaculture have spoken about
> as a remedy to oil spills.
> > > > > Well, if there were ever a time to
> mobilize such an effort, this is
> > > > > it. Please read below and respond.
> > > >
> > > > This is good info but the rest of the
> hysterical biased political crap
> > > > you posted is not appropriate for this list,
> especially that wonderful
> > > > Facebook link, not to a FB page but to a
> place where the newbies can
> > get
> > > > stuck with getting their profile info shared
> with many people they do
> > > > not know. A heads up to FB users about
> this.
> > > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > > permaculture mailing list
> > > > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > Subscribe or unsubscribe here:
> > > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > > > More information:
> > > > http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com
> > > > permaculture forums  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> > > > And: http://www.richsoil.com
> > > >
> > > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > > permaculture mailing list
> > > > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > Subscribe or unsubscribe here:
> > > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > > > More information:
> > > > http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com
> > > > permaculture forums  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> > > > And: http://www.richsoil.com
> > > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > permaculture mailing list
> > > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > > Subscribe or unsubscribe here:
> > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > > More information:
> > > http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com
> > > permaculture forums  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> > > And: http://www.richsoil.com
> >
> >
> _________________________________________________________________
> > The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine
> multiple calendars with
> > Hotmail.
> >
> > http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multicalendar&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_5
> > _______________________________________________
> > permaculture mailing list
> > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > Subscribe or unsubscribe here:
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > More information:
> > http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com
> > permaculture forums  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> > And: http://www.richsoil.com
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Javan Kerby Bernakevitch
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subscribe or unsubscribe here:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> More information:
> http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com
> permaculture forums  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> And: http://www.richsoil.com
>







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