Rockefeller University

Program for the Human Environment

News

PHE’s work on Dematerialization

Iddo Wernick’s new paper “Is America dematerializing? Trends and tradeoffs in historic demand for one hundred commodities in the United States,” published in the Elsevier journal Resources Policy, available at https://bit.ly/4ahubvh, evokes the more than three decades of work on materials flows by members of our group, including:

JH Ausubel. The Environmental Trinity – Decarbonization, Dematerialization, Land-Sparing, also posted at The Honest Broker, 20 June 2024.

JH Ausubel. Nature Rebounds. The Breakthrough Journal 5, 2015 This article was originally delivered as a Long Now Foundation Seminar, San Francisco, 13 January 2015 and appeared under the title “The Return of Nature: How Technology Liberates the Environment” in the Journal of the Breakthrough Institute Spring 2015.

JH Ausubel, IK Wernick. The Shrinking Footprint of American Meat. The Breakthrough Journal 2017.

JH Ausubel, PE Waggoner. Dematerialization: variety, caution, and persistence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105 (35): 12774–12779, 2008 10.1073/pnas.0806099105 D.

JH Ausubel, S  Rao. Is Richer Greener?, 2 December 2008 presentation.

IK Wernick, R Herman, S Govind, JH Ausubel. Materialization and Dematerialization: Measures and Trends. Pp. 135-156 in Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment, JH Ausubel and HD Langford, (eds.). National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1997

IK Wernick. Consuming materials: the American way. Pp. 111–122 in Technological Forecasting and Social Change vol. 53, 1996.

IK Wernick, JH Ausubel. National Materials Flows and the Environment. Pp. 463–492 in Annual Review of Energy and the Environment vol. 20, 1995 Republished in Measures of Environmental Performance and Ecosystem Condition, P. Schulze (ed.), National Academy, Washington, D.C., 1999, pp. 157-174.

IK Wernick. Dematerialization and secondary materials recovery in the U.S.. Journal of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society 46 (4): 39–42, 1994.

R Herman, SA Ardekani, JH Ausubel. Dematerialization. Pp 50-69 in J.H. Ausubel and H.E. Sladovich, eds., Technology and Environment, National Academy, Washington DC 1989.  Also in Technological Forecasting and Social Change 37(4):333-348, 1990.

New paper on eDNA as way to define marine regions

PLOS One publishes our new paper demonstrating the use of eDNA to define marine biogeography.  This graphic summarizes key findings of the paper.  The paper builds on our earlier work proving that loose DNA in seawater reveals both diversity AND abundance of marine life, in particular, fishes.  Full title and abstract are below.

A potential tool for marine biogeography: eDNA-dominant fish species differ among coastal habitats and by season concordant with gear-based assessments Mark Y. Stoeckle , Jesse H. Ausubel, Greg Hinks, Stacy M. VanMorter Published: November 11, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313170

Abstract Effective ocean management asks for up-to-date knowledge of marine biogeography. Here we compare eDNA and gear-based assessments of marine fish populations using an approach that focuses on the commonest species. The protocol takes advantage of the “hollow curve” of species abundance distributions, with a minority of species comprising the great majority of individuals or biomass. We analyzed new and published teleost eDNA metabarcoding surveys from three neighboring northwest Atlantic coastal locations representing sandy, rocky, or estuary habitat. Fish eDNA followed a hollow curve species abundance distribution at each location—the 10 commonest taxa accounted for more than 90% of eDNA copies. Top ten taxa were designated eDNA-dominant species (eDDS) and categorized as habitat-associated (top 10 in one study) or as shared. eDDS by category were similarly abundant in concurrent bottom trawl and seine surveys. eDDS habitat category profiles correctly classified most (94%-100%) individual eDNA and capture measurements within surveys and recognized estuarine sites in other regional eDNA and seine studies. Using a category metric like that for habitats, eDDS demonstrated strong seasonal turnover concordant with trawl catch weights. eDNA seasonal profiles applied to historical trawl and seine records highlighted known long-term trends in mid-Atlantic fish populations. This study provides evidence that eDNA-abundant fish species differ among coastal habitats and by season consistent with gear-based assessments. Grouping abundant species by category facilitated comparisons among habitats and integration with established surveys. eDNA metabarcoding of dominant fish species potentially offers a useful tool for marine biogeography and ocean monitoring.

2024 St Andrews Prize for Environment to river restoration project in India

The Kham River Restoration Mission, winner of the 26th St Andrews Prize for the Environment, was awarded the $100,000 prize for work to restore a seasonal river in India.  Also recognized were the excellent runners up, Northwoods for efforts to re-wild mid-sized land-holdings (up to 1000 acres) in Scotland and Washbox for its technology to reduce water pollution on construction sites.   Jesse Ausubel serves on the Prize jury.

Short video by Jesse about Lounsbery Prize & France

On 15 October, on the occasion of the presentation of the French Academy of Sciences awards including the 2024 Richard Lounsbery Prize to Dr. Jean-Léon Maître (Institut Curie Paris), Jesse Ausubel, Chair of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, looked back on the history of scientific relations between the United States and France and the need to encourage and support young researchers. The 3-minute video is here.

Le 15 octobre dernier, à l’occasion de la remise des prix de l’Académie des sciences et du Prix Richard Lounsbery 2024, Jesse Ausubel, Chairman de la Fondation Richard Lounsbery, est revenu sur l’histoire des relations scientifiques entre les Etats-Unis et la France et la nécessité d’encourager et soutenir les jeunes chercheurs.

David Thaler publishes Forensics, Genius, and Enthusiasm in the Genetics of Leonardo da Vinci

PHE Guest Investigator has published open access an insightful essay Forensics, Genius, and Enthusiasm in the Genetics of Leonardo da Vinci as part of the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project.

Why do we want the DNA sequence of Leonardo da Vinci? Three categories, or contexts, suggest themselves: The first is in support of art history, provenance studies, and forensics. The presence of DNA attributable to the master would be evidence of his physical proximity. Depending on details, molecular evidence might lend support to assertions that Leonardo had a hand in creating a particular work. The second category of reasons is to explore the hypothesis that Leonardo’s DNA sequence may contain clues to his physical qualities, materials of his work, diet, possible illnesses, and maternal lineage. The possibility that Leonardo’s DNA sequence might yield clues to his extraordinary visual sensibilities or even his singular genius deserves to be said explicitly.  The third category is not a “reason” in the usual sense but an “apology” in the sense of explanation. It is that this quest is extraordinarily difficult and it engages our enthusiasm.

Jesse’s Afterword for book on genealogy of family of Leonardo

Later this year Pontecorboli Editions will publish in Italian a definitive history of the family of Leonardo Da Vinci from his forebears to the present day, a masterwork of scholarship by Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato.  An English edition should appear in 2025.  We post Jesse Ausubel’s Afterword in both languages as well as the draft table of contents.  The books should form a major legacy of the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project.