15 years of microbial biotechnology: the time has come to think big—and act soon

Abstract

SummaryOur epoch is largely characterized by the growing realization and concern about the reality of climate change and environmental deterioration, the surge of global pandemics, the unacceptable inequalities between developed and underdeveloped countries and their unavoidable translation into messy immigration, overpopulation and food crises. While all of these issues have a fundamentally political core, they are not altogether removed from the fact that Earth is primarily a microbial planet and microorganisms are the key agents that make the biosphere (including ourselves) function as it does. It thus makes sense that we bring the microbial world—that is the environmental microbiome—to the necessary multi‐tiered conversation (hopefully followed by action) on how to avoid future threats and how to make our globe a habitable common house. Beyond discussion on governance, such a dialogue has technical and scientific aspects that only frontline microbial biotechnology can help to tackle. Fortunately, the field has witnessed the onset of new conceptual and material tools that were missing when the journal started.

Improving 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) tolerance of Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120 by automated adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE)

“…Climate change is progressing rapidly and earth's fossil resources are dwindling fast thereby urgently suggesting a switch to more sustainable technologies like microbial biocatalysis with renewable carbon sources ( de Lorenzo, 2022 ; Ragauskas et al, 2006 ). Particular potential as future feedstock is assigned to lignocellulosic biomass, non-edible plant waste material.…”