The European red mite,
Panonychus ulmi
(Koch), is one of the most important apple orchard pests worldwide. Fenpyroximate, a mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor of complex I (METI-I), is a ...commonly used acaricide to control this pest. In this study, we determined fenpyroximate resistance levels for 11
P. ulmi
populations from Iran and a spirodiclofen-resistant strain from Germany (PSR-TK). The LC
50
values ranged between 121.8 and 5713.9 mg a.i. L
−1
and the highest resistance ratio (RR) was 47-fold for the Padena population. PBO, TPP and DEM synergist ratios (SRs) were the highest for the PSR-TK (SR = 6.7), Shahin Dej (SR = 6.1) and Semirom3 (SR = 3.6) populations, respectively. In vitro enzyme activity measurements also showed that there was a higher glutathione
S
-transferases (GSTs) activity in the PSR-TK and Shahin Dej population compared to the most susceptible populations, whereas the esterase and P450 monooxygenase activity were not significantly higher in the resistant populations. Last, we screened all populations for the presence of two mutations previously associated with METI-I resistance in spider mites but none of these mutations could be detected. To conclude, moderate to high levels of fenpyroximate resistance were observed in
P. ulmi
populations from Iran, with increased detoxification most likely underlying fenpyroximate resistance.
Even if our messages are unlikely to be heard, the threat to our species that contact with extrasolar entities poses means that determining what content to include in Messaging Extraterrestrial ...Intelligence (METI) messages presents serious ethical questions. I tackle one of those questions: Should our opening move in interstellar diplomacy be a peaceful overture or a belligerent warning?
Those in favor of broadcasting peaceful overtures sometimes argue that the ability to interpret a METI message requires advanced technology and communicative skills, which in turn depends on a suite of social capacities and prosocial attitudes. We can thus assume that any species which receives our message will at least be open to peaceful coexistence.
I show that this argument does not hold up under scrutiny because it seriously underestimates just how different an advanced alien intelligence could be from Earth life. An extraterrestrial entity might be similar to us: a society composed of cooperating autonomous individuals. But it could also be an instance of eusocial hive cooperation, or an evolving superindividual, which develops not through natural selection but through learning. These possibilities blow some of the premises of the argument for peaceful overture out of the water.
I conclude by making a case that, if we send any message at all, defensive belligerence is the more prudent diplomatic tactic, even in case of serious technological asymmetry.
This study discussed the electric energy potential of renewable energy in Awaji Island, Japan. In addition, the electric energy self-sufficiency ratio of renewable energy in 2050 was estimated in ...order to investigate the possibility of achieving 100% electric energy potential through renewable energy. We targeted renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind power, and PV. Firstly, the available energy from biomass was calculated. Next, the electric energy potentials from wind power and PV were also estimated, taking into account the current situation of island operations and future plans for instalment. The 2010 electric energy demand in Awaji Island was then calculated using statistical data. We also designed eight scenarios combining future forecasts of population and GDP and energy shifts.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the Japanese Bayh-Dole system in the R&D projects for which the METI provides funds. The state of utilization of patents obtained under ...the system have been compared with that of government-owned patents, which are exempted from the application of the system. The results show the rate of utilized patents obtained under the system is higher than that of utilized government-owned patents. In conclusion, the system in the METI's R&D projects works as efficiently as initially expected.
This article considers the Voyager records as a means to raise some implications related to the covert biases present in the content included. I argue that messages like the Golden Records have the ...potential to be understood as misleading and could pose an existential threat to humanity, depending on how they are interpreted by whomever might encounter them. The argument I develop here is based on a key problem in a fair number of attempts to message extraterrestrial intelligence (METI): The construction and transmission of such messages are all-too-often led by astronomers and engineers rather than diplomats or social scientists, who have expertise in inter-cultural communication. As a result, messages like the Voyager records can be naïve, biased, and misleading. And this puts humanity at risk, even if it is only a slight risk, because of the potential of such messages being interpreted incorrectly or as being intentionally deceptive. I conclude by arguing that space agencies need to develop review boards similar to the institutional review boards found at universities and hospitals as a means of controlling content including in any government-sponsored METI activity.
•METI (messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence) raises important questions of risk.•The METI risk problem is undecidable because it reduces to the halting problem.•A METI moratorium cannot be ...based the requirement for new information.•Policies: precautionary malevolence, assumed benevolence, and preliminary neutrality.•Policy choice will determine the long-term detectability of Earth's radio spectrum.
The METI risk problem refers to the uncertain outcome of sending transmissions into space with the intention of messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence (METI). Here, I demonstrate that this uncertainty is undecidable by proving that that the METI risk problem reduces to the halting problem. This implies that any proposed moratorium on METI activities cannot be based solely on the requirement for new information. I discuss three policy resolutions to deal with this risk ambiguity. Precautionary malevolence assumes that contact with ETI is likely to cause net harm to humanity, which remains consistent with the call for a METI moratorium, while assumed benevolence states that METI is likely to yield net benefits to humanity. I also propose a policy of preliminary neutrality, which suggests that humanity should engage in both SETI (searching for extraterrestrial intelligence) and METI until either one achieves its first success.
Many global catastrophic risks are threatening human civilization, and a number of ideas have been suggested for preventing or surviving them. However, if these interventions fail, society could ...preserve information about the human race and human DNA samples in the hopes that the next civilization on Earth will be able to reconstruct Homo sapiens and our culture. This requires information preservation of an order of magnitude of 100 million years, a little-explored topic thus far. It is important that a potential future civilization discovers this information as early as possible, thus a beacon should accompany the message in order to increase visibility. The message should ideally contain information about how humanity was destroyed, perhaps including a continuous recording until the end. This could help the potential future civilization to survive. The best place for long-term data storage is under the surface of the Moon, with the beacon constructed as a complex geometric figure drawn by small craters or trenches around a central point. There are several cost-effective options for sending the message as opportunistic payloads on different planned landers.
•Catastrophic risks could be survived if the next civilization on Earth could reconstruct humanity.•The next non-human civilization may appear on Earth around 100 million years from now.•Time capsules with DNA and data could help reconstruction of humanity.•The most logical place for such data preservation is the Moon.•Drawings on the surface of the Moon made of small craters can serve as a beacon.
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