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The point of change as interpretation : a large and iIronic caveat to thesis eleven
Metz, Thaddeus (Philosophy Documentation Center, 2024)
Karl Marx did write, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is to change it,” which in this essay I interpret in the context of his normative thought about overcoming alienation. Reading “thesis eleven” in the light of that critical perspective, I maintain that two under-appreciated claims emerge: a central reason to pursue revolutionary change is so that more people have the freedom to engage in interpretation such as philosophy, and it is reasonable for many of us to do some mere interpretation now even if doing so will not foster the kind of change that is admittedly vital.
Bryophytes hold a larger gene family space than vascular plants
Dong, Shanshan; Wang, Sibo; Li, Linzhou; Yu, Jin; Zhang, Yongxia; Xue, Jia-Yu; Chen, Hengchi; Ma, Jianchao; Zeng, Yuying; Cai, Yuqing; Huang, Wei; Zhou, Xuping; Wu, Jiayi; Li, Jianyou; Yao, Yifeng; Hu, Ruoyang; Zhao, Tao; Villarreal A, Juan Carlos; Dirick, Leon; Liu, Li; Ignatov, Michael; Jin, Minghui; Ruan, Jue; He, Yikun; Wang, Haifeng; Xu, Bo; Rozzi, Ricardo; Wegrzyn, Jill; Stevenson, Dennis William; Renzaglia, Karen S.; Chen, Hongfeng; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Shouzhou; Mackenzie, Roy; Moreno, Javier E.; Melkonian, Michael; Wei, Tong; Gu, Ying; Xu, Xun; Rensing , Stefan A.; Huang, Jinling; Long, Manyuan; Goffinet, Bernard; Bowman, John L.; Van de Peer, Yves; Liu , Huan; Liu, Yang (Nature Research, 2025-10)
After 500 million years of evolution, extant land plants compose the following two sister groups: the bryophytes and the vascular plants. Despite their small size and simple structure, bryophytes thrive in a wide variety of habitats, including extreme conditions. However, the genetic basis for their ecological adaptability and long-term survival is not well understood. A comprehensive super-pangenome analysis, incorporating 123 newly sequenced bryophyte genomes, reveals that bryophytes possess a substantially greater diversity of gene families than vascular plants. This includes a higher number of unique and lineage-specific gene families, originating from extensive new gene formation and continuous horizontal transfer of microbial genes over their long evolutionary history. The evolution of bryophytes’ rich and diverse genetic toolkit, which includes new physiological innovations like unique immune receptors, likely facilitated their spread across different biomes. These newly sequenced bryophyte genomes offer a valuable resource for exploring alternative evolutionary strategies for terrestrial success.
Governance and resilience as entry points for transforming food systems in the countdown to 2030
Schneider, Kate R.; Remans, Roseline; Bekele, Tesfaye Hailu; Aytekin, Destan; Conforti, Piero; Dasgupta, Shouro; DeClerck, Fabrice; Dewi, Deviana; Fabi, Carola; Gephart, Jessica A.; Masuda, Yuta J.; McLaren , Rebecca; Saisana, Michaela; Aburto, Nancy; Ambikapathi, Ramya; Rodriguez, Mariana Arellano; Barquera, Simon; Battersby, Jane; Beal , Ty; Béné, Christophe; Cafiero, Carlo; Campeau, Christine; Caron , Patrick; Cattaneo, Andrea; Candel, Jeroen; Covic, Namukolo; Del Pino Alvarez, Inmaculada; Barreto, Ana Paula Dominguez; Elouafi, Ismahane; Frazier , Tyler J.; Fremier, Alexander; Foley, Pat; Golden, Christopher D.; Fischer, Carlos Gonzalez; Guarin, Alejandro; Hendriks, Sheryl L.; Herforth , Anna; Honorati, Maddalena; Huang, Jikun; Getaneh, Yonas; Kennedy, Gina; Laar, Amos; Lal, Rattan; Lidder, Preetmoninder; Feye, Getachew Legese; Loken , Brent; Malapit, Hazel; Marshall, Quinn; Mulatu, Kalkidan A.; Munguia, Ana; Nordhagen, Stella; Resnick , Danielle; Suhardiman, Diana; Sumaila, Rashid; Sun, Bangyao; Mengesha, Belay Terefe; Cullen, Maximo Torero; Tubiello, Francesco N.; Van Dooren, Corné; Morales, Isabel Valero; Vivero-Pol, Jose-Luis; Webb, Patrick; Wiebe , Keith; Haddad, Lawrence; Herrero, Mario; Moncayo, Jose Rosero; Fanzo, Jessica (Nature Research, 2025-01-14)
Due to complex interactions, changes in any one area of food systems are likely to impact—and possibly depend on—changes in other areas. Here we present the first annual monitoring update of the indicator framework proposed by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, with new qualitative analysis elucidating interactions across indicators. Since 2000, we find that 20 of 42 indicators with time series have been trending in a desirable direction, indicating modest positive change. Qualitative expert elicitation assessed governance and resilience indicators to be most connected to other indicators across themes, highlighting entry points for action—particularly governance action. Literature review and country case studies add context to the assessed interactions across diets, environment, livelihoods, governance and resilience indicators, helping different actors understand and navigate food systems towards desirable change.
Twenty years of tuberculosis-driven selection shaped the evolution of the meerkat major histocompatibility complex
Müller-Klein , Nadine; Risely, Alice; Wilhelm, Kerstin; Riegel, Vanessa; Manser, Marta B.; Clutton-Brock, Tim H.; Silver, Luke; Santos, Pablo S.C.; Melville, Dominik W.; Sommer, Simone (Nature Research, 2025-08)
Pathogen-mediated balancing selection (PMBS) drives host evolution across the tree of life. Distinguishing between the three main mechanisms underlying PMBS, that is, rare-allele advantage, fluctuating selection and heterozygote advantage, remains difficult, limiting our understanding of frequency-dependent adaptations by hosts and counter-adaptation by pathogens. Here we leverage immune genetic and disease surveillance data from over 1,500 wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta) to track how selection by the tuberculosis (TB)-causing Mycobacterium suricattae shaped the evolution of the meerkats’ major histocompatibility complex (MHC) over two decades. Compared with neutral genetic markers, we detect more rapid differentiation and recycling of alleles at the MHC-DRB loci, suggesting that TB imposes strong PMBS on wild meerkats. In addition, we show that meerkats carrying the MHC allele Susu-DRB*13 were initially more likely to develop clinical signs of TB, with the effect reversing over the course of the study, followed by an increase in the frequency of Susu-DRB*13. Meerkats carrying Susu-DRB*13 also showed slower progression to TB signs and longer survival once signs of TB manifested. Lifetime reproductive success reflected the resilience effect conferred by Susu-DRB*13. Based on several lines of evidence, we propose that rare-allele advantage or fluctuating selection, rather than heterozygote advantage, drive our observation in this longitudinally sampled wild mammal population.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of heat exposure impacts on maternal, fetal and neonatal health
Lakhoo, Darshnika P.; Brink, Nicholas; Radebe, Lebohang; Craig, Marlies H.; Pham, Minh Duc; Haghighi, Marjan M.; Wise, Amy; Solarin, Ijeoma; Luchters, Stanley; Maimela, Gloria; Chersich, Matthew F.; Chikandiwa, Admire; Nakstad, Britt; Wright, Caradee Yael; Brimicombe, Chloe; Technau, Karl-Günter; Harden, Lois; Boeckmann, Melanie; Strehlau, Renate; Hetem, Robyn S. (Nature Research, 2025-02)
Climate change has severe and wide-ranging health impacts, especially for vulnerable groups. Despite growing evidence of heat-associated adverse maternal and neonatal health outcomes, there remains a lack of synthesis quantifying associations and identifying specific risk periods. We systematically reviewed the literature on heat impacts on maternal, fetal and neonatal health and quantified impacts through meta-analyses. We found 198 studies across 66 countries, predominantly high income (63.3%) and temperate climate zones (40.1%), and 23 outcomes. Results showed increased odds of preterm birth of 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03, 1.06; n = 12) per 1 °C increase in heat exposure and 1.26 (95% CI = 1.08, 1.47; n = 10) during heat waves. Similarly, high heat exposure increased the risk for stillbirths (odds ratio (OR) = 1.13 (95% CI = 0.95, 1.34; n = 9)), congenital anomalies (OR = 1.48 (95% CI = 1.16, 1.88; n = 6)) and gestational diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.28 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.74; n = 4)). The odds of any obstetric complication increased by 1.25 (95% CI = 1.09, 1.42; n = 11) during heat waves. Patterns in susceptibility windows varied by condition. The findings were limited by heterogeneity in exposure metrics and study designs. The systematic review demonstrated that escalating heat exposure poses a major threat to maternal and neonatal health, highlighting research priorities, guiding the selection and monitoring of heat-health indicators and emphasizing the need to prioritize maternal and neonatal health in national climate health programs.