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Advances in next generation sequencing technologies, omics, and bioinformatics are revealing a tremendous and unsuspected diversity of microbes, both at a compositional and functional level. Moreover, the expansion of ecological concepts into microbial ecology has greatly advanced our comprehension of the role microbes play in the functioning of ecosystems across a wide range of biomes. Super-imposed on this new information about microbes, their functions and how they are organized, environmental gradients are changing rapidly, largely driven by direct and indirect human activities. In the context of global change, understanding the mechanisms that shape microbial communities is pivotal to predict microbial responses to novel selective forces and their implications at the local as well as global scale. One of the main features of microbial communities is their ability to react to changes in the environment. Thus, many studies have reported changes in the performance and composition of communities along environmental gradients. However, the mechanisms underlying these responses remain unclear. It is assumed that the response of microbes to changes in the environment is mediated by a complex combination of shifts in the physiological properties, single-cell activities, or composition of communities: it may occur by means of physiological adjustments of the taxa present in a community or selecting towards more tolerant/better adapted phylotypes. Knowing whether certain factors trigger one, many, or all mechanisms would greatly increase confidence in predictions of future microbial composition and processes. This Research Topic brings together studies that applied the latest molecular techniques for studying microbial composition and functioning and integrated ecological, biogeochemical and/or modeling approaches to provide a comprehensive and mechanistic perspective of the responses of micro-organisms to environmental changes. This Research Topic presents new findings on environmental parameters influencing microbial communities, the type and magnitude of response and differences in the response among microbial groups, and which collectively deepen our current understanding and knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of microbial structural and functional responses to environmental changes and gradients in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The body of work has, furthermore, identified many challenges and questions that yet remain to be addressed and new perspectives to follow up on.

microbial community composition --- ecosystem functioning --- next-generation sequencing --- micro-organism --- environmental change --- microbial diversity --- microbial ecology

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Organism Forms --- Microbiological Techniques --- Clinical Laboratory Techniques --- Investigative Techniques --- Bacteriological Techniques --- Bacteria

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Do technologies advance our self-identities, as they do our bodies, cognitive skills, and the next developmental stage called postpersonal? Did we already manage to be fully human, before becoming posthuman? Are we doomed to disintegration and episodic selfhood? This book examines the impact of radical technopoiesis on our selves from a multidisciplinary perspective, including the health humanities, phenomenology, the life sciences and humanoid AI (artificial intelligence) ethics. Surprisingly, our body representations show more plasticity than scholarly concepts and sociocultural narratives. Our embodied selves can withstand transplants, bionic prostheses and radical somatechnics, but to remain autonomous and authentic, our agential potentials must be strengthened – and this is not through ‘psychosurgery’ and the brain–computer interface.

Self (Philosophy) --- Philosophy --- “Posthuman”? --- Advancing --- body image --- embodied self --- Human --- Nowak --- organism --- pothumanism --- self-identity --- Technologies --- technopoiesis

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"Creating Future People offers readers a fast-paced primer on how new genetic technologies will enable parents to influence the traits of their children, including their intelligence, moral capacities, physical appearances, and immune systems. It deftly explains the science of gene editing and embryo selection, and raises the central moral questions with colorful language and a brisk style. Jonathan Anomaly takes seriously the diversity of preferences parents have, and the limits policymakers face in regulating what could soon be a global market for reproductive technology. He argues that once embryo selection for complex traits happens it will change the moral landscape by altering the incentives available to parents. All of us will take an interest in the traits everyone else selects, and this will present coordination problems that previous writers on genetic enhancement have failed to consider. Anomaly navigates difficult ethical issues with vivid language and scientifically-informed speculation about how genetic engineering will transform humanity. Key Features: Offers clear explanations of scientific concepts Explores important moral questions without academic jargon Brings discoveries from different fields together to give us a sense of where humanity is headed"--

Genetic engineering --- Genetic Engineering. --- Genetic Engineering --- Organisms, Genetically Modified. --- Genome, Human. --- Moral and ethical aspects. --- ethics. --- Human Genome --- Genomes, Human --- Human Genomes --- GMO Organism --- GMO Organisms --- Genetically Engineered Organisms --- Genetically Modified Organism --- Modified Organism, Genetically --- Organism, Genetically Modified --- Organism, Transgenic --- Organisms, Genetically Engineered --- Genetically Modified Organisms --- Organisms, Transgenic --- Transgenic Organisms --- Transgenes --- Food, Genetically Modified --- Engineering, Genetic --- Intervention, Genetic --- Genetic Intervention --- Genetic Interventions --- Interventions, Genetic --- Biotechnology --- Cloning, Molecular --- DNA, Recombinant --- Industrial Microbiology --- Artificial Gene Fusion --- Organisms, Genetically Modified --- Animals, Genetically Modified --- Plants, Genetically Modified --- Philosophy;Ethics and moral philosophy;Genetics (non-medical)

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Explores how new organs might be engineered via cloning and reproductive technology to achieve human immortality.

Stem Cells. --- Evolution. --- Cloning, Organism. --- Stem cells --- Human cloning. --- Human beings --- Cloning --- Human reproductive technology --- Cloning, Embryo --- Cloning, Human --- Embryo Cloning --- Human Cloning --- Clonings, Embryo --- Clonings, Human --- Clonings, Organism --- Embryo Clonings --- Human Clonings --- Organism Cloning --- Organism Clonings --- Cloning, Molecular --- Reproduction, Asexual --- Nuclear Transfer Techniques --- Colony-Forming Unit --- Colony-Forming Units --- Mother Cells --- Progenitor Cells --- Cell, Mother --- Cell, Progenitor --- Cell, Stem --- Cells, Mother --- Cells, Progenitor --- Cells, Stem --- Colony Forming Unit --- Colony Forming Units --- Mother Cell --- Progenitor Cell --- Stem Cell --- Cell Self Renewal --- Stem Cell Research --- Research. --- Clonal Evolution. --- Somatic Evolution --- Evolution, Clonal --- Evolution, Somatic --- Clonal Selection, Antigen-Mediated