Trans* Plasticity and the Ontology of Race and Species

Social Text ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-71
Author(s):  
Kadji Amin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Science Studies ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Speculative Fiction ◽  
Historical Process ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
French Surgeon

During the 1920s, French surgeon Serge Voronoff became an international sensation for his technique of grafting chimpanzee testicular matter into human testicles. Félicien Champsaur’s 1929 popular speculative fiction novel, Nora, la guenon devenue femme (Nora, the Ape-Woman), imagines the possibilities of human-ape ontological and erotic proximity suggested by Voronoff’s practice of gland xenotransplantation, or transspecies transplantation. This article puts Nora and the early twentiethcentury science of ductless glands (ovaries, testicles, thyroid, thalamus, etc.) into conversation with trans* new materialist science studies around their shared investment in plasticity. In so doing, it contributes to the burgeoning inquiry into transsex, tranimal, and transspecies plasticity— which the author terms, jointly, trans* plasticity—while interrogating the affirmative and even utopian valance of such inquiry. Trans* plasticity describes the capacity of organic matter to transform itself in ways that transgress ontological divides among sex, race, and species. Building on Eva Hayward and Che Gossett’s claim that “the Human/Animal divide is a racial and colonial divide,” this article zeroes in on the historical process by which race and animality were produced in relation to each other. Ultimately, the author argues that gland xenotransplantation was a use of trans* plasticity that generated rather than troubled the ontobiological concepts of sexual, racial, and species difference.

Biology is a feminist issue: Interview with Lynda Birke

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Åsberg ◽  
Lynda Birke
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Science Studies ◽  
Feminist Scholarship ◽  
Feminist Science ◽  
Karen Barad ◽  
Material Turn ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Feminist Technoscience ◽  
The One ◽  
Materialist Feminist

This is an interview with Professor Lynda Birke (University of Chester, UK), one of the key figures of feminist science studies. She is a pioneer of feminist biology and of materialist feminist thought, as well as of the new and emerging field of hum-animal studies (HAS). This interview was conducted over email in two time periods, in the spring of 2008 and 2010. The format allowed for comments on previous writings and an engagement in an open-ended dialogue. Professor Birke talks about her key arguments and outlooks on a changing field of research. The work of this English biologist is typical of a long and continuous feminist engagement with biology and ontological matters that reaches well beyond the more recently articulated ‘material turn’ of feminist theory. It touches upon feminist issues beyond the usual comfort zones of gender constructionism and human-centred research. Perhaps less recognized than for instance the names of Donna Haraway or Karen Barad, Lynda Birke’s oeuvre is part of the same long-standing and twofold critique from feminist scholars qua trained natural scientists. On the one hand, theirs is a powerful critique of biological determinism; on the other, an acutely observed contemporary critique of how merely cultural or socially reductionist approaches to the effervescently lively and biological might leave the corporeal, environmental or non-human animal critically undertheorized within feminist scholarship. In highlighting the work and arguments of Lynda Birke, it is hoped here to provide an accessible introduction to the critical questions and challenges that circumvent contemporary discussions within feminist technoscience as theory and political practice.

scholarly journals High-Loaded Bioflocculation Membrane Reactor of Novel Structure for Organic Matter Recovery from Sewage: Effect of Dissolved Oxygen on Bioflocculation and Membrane Fouling

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7385
Author(s):  
Liguo Wan ◽  
Ling Xiong ◽  
Lijun Zhang ◽  
Wenxi Lu
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Metal Cations ◽  
Transmembrane Pressure ◽  
Extracellular Polymer Substance ◽  
Urban Sewage ◽  
Flocculation Efficiency ◽  
Do Concentration

In this study, a new structure of high-load membrane bioreactor (HLB-MR) was used to treat urban sewage, and the effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) on biological flocculation and membrane pollution were researched. Parallel comparative experiments were used to investigate the concentration and recovery efficiency of organic matter, the bioflocculation effect, the content of extracellular polymer substance (EPS), the concentration of metal cations, membrane fouling status and microbial community structure in the reactors under the conditions of 1–2 and 6–8 mg/L. The flocculation efficiency of HLB-MR was 83% and 89% when DO was 1–2 and 6–8 mg/L, respectively. Under DO of 6–8 mg/L, the contents of bound and free EPS in the HLB-MR were 15.64 mg/gVSS and 8.71 mg/L, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those obtained when DO was 1–2 mg/L (11.83 mg/gVSS and 6.56 mg/L, respectively). Moreover, the concentrations of magnesium and aluminum in the concentrate of the HLB-MR were significantly higher when DO was 6–8 mg/L. Under higher DO concentration, there would be more EPS combined with metal cations, and thus fixed in the sludge substrate, the process of which promoted the bioflocculation. Changes in the transmembrane pressure (TMP) showed that the HLB-MR at a higher DO concentration suffered more serious membrane fouling. The species difference between the supernatant and precipitate was more significant under a higher DO concentration. The plankton species in the supernatant, e.g., norank_p__Saccharibacteria, norank_f__Neisseriaceae, and 12up, were likely to exacerbate membrane fouling. However, the species in the precipitate like Trichococcus, Ornithinibacter, and norank_f__Saprospiraceae may have a positive effect on bioflocculation.

scholarly journals The intake, digestion and protein degradation of grazed herbage by early-weaned lambs

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Cruickshank ◽  
D. P. Poppi ◽  
A. R. Sykes
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Pure Species ◽  
Prairie Grass ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter

Sixty-four intact lambs and twenty-four lambs fitted with a duodenal cannula were weaned at 6 weeks of age and grazed pure species swards of either lucerne (Medicago sativa), white clover (Trifolium repens), ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or prairie grass (Bromus catharticus) for 6 weeks. Intake and duodenal digesta flow were estimated when lambs were 8 and 12 weeks of age. Lambs grazing the two legume species grew at a similar rate, as did lambs grazing the two grass species. Legumes promoted a 38% higher growth rate than grasses. The higher growth rate of lambs grazing legumes was associated with a 36% higher digestible organic matter intake (DOMI; 29.5 and 21.7 g/kg body-weight per d for legume and grass respectively) and a 33% higher duodenal non-ammonia-nitrogen (NAN) flow (1.22 and 0.92 g/kg body-weight per d respectively). There was no species difference in the site of organic matter digestion; on average 0.56 of DOMI was apparently digested in the rumen and 0.77 of DOMI was truly digested in the rumen. There was no difference in duodenal NAN flow, relative to DOMI (average, 43 g/kg) or to organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (80 g/kg). Similarly, there was no difference in microbial N flow relative to duodenal NAN (0.50 g/g) and organic matter apparently (41 g/kg) or truly (29 g/kg) digested in the rumen. It was concluded that the higher growth rates achieved by lambs grazing legumes were due to higher intakes which increased the total quantity of nutrients supplied despite more protein being lost in the rumen of lambs consuming legumes.

scholarly journals Characterization of porous microaggregates and soil organic matter sequestered in allophanic paleosols on Holocene tephras using synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doreen Yu-Tuan Huang ◽  
David J. Lowe ◽  
G. Jock Churchman ◽  
Louis A. Schipper ◽  
Alan Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Fine Structure ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Porous Structure ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Science Studies ◽  
Organic Chemical ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Nexafs Spectroscopy ◽  
Allophanic Soil

Abstract Allophanic tephra-derived soils can sequester sizable quantities of soil organic matter (SOM). However, no studies have visualized the fine internal porous structure of allophanic soil microaggregates, nor studied the carbon structure preserved in such soils or paleosols. We used synchrotron radiation-based transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) to perform 3D-tomography of the internal porous structure of allophanic soil microaggregates, and carbon near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (C NEXAFS) spectroscopy to characterize SOM in ≤12,000-yr-old tephra-derived allophanic paleosols. The TXM tomography showed a vast network of internal, tortuous nano-pores within an allophanic microaggregate comprising nanoaggregates. SOM in the allophanic paleosols at four sites was dominated by carboxylic/carbonyl functional groups with subordinate quinonic, aromatic, and aliphatic groups. All samples exhibited similar compositions despite differences between the sites. That the SOM does not comprise specific types of functional groups through time implies that the functional groups are relict. The SOM originated at the land/soil surface: ongoing tephra deposition (intermittently or abruptly) then caused the land-surface to rise so that the once-surface horizons were buried more deeply and hence became increasingly isolated from inputs by the surficial/modern organic cycle. The presence of quinonic carbon, from biological processes but vulnerable to oxygen and light, indicates the exceptional protection of SOM and bio-signals in allophanic paleosols, attributable both to the porous allophane aggregates that occlude the relict SOM from degradation, and to rapid burial by successive tephra-fallout, as well as strong Al-organic chemical bonding. TXM and C NEXAFS spectroscopy unravel the fine structure of soils and SOM and are of great potential for soil science studies.

scholarly journals Characterizing porous microaggregates and soil organic matter sequestered in allophanic paleosols on Holocene tephras using synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doreen Yu-Tuan Huang ◽  
David J. Lowe ◽  
G. Jock Churchman ◽  
Louis A. Schipper ◽  
Alan Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Fine Structure ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Porous Structure ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Science Studies ◽  
Organic Chemical ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Nexafs Spectroscopy ◽  
Allophanic Soil

AbstractAllophanic tephra-derived soils can sequester sizable quantities of soil organic matter (SOM). However, no studies have visualized the fine internal porous structure of allophanic soil microaggregates, nor studied the carbon structure preserved in such soils or paleosols. We used synchrotron radiation-based transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) to perform 3D-tomography of the internal porous structure of dominantly allophanic soil microaggregates, and carbon near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (C NEXAFS) spectroscopy to characterize SOM in ≤ 12,000-year-old tephra-derived allophane-rich (with minor ferrihydrite) paleosols. The TXM tomography showed a vast network of internal, tortuous nano-pores within an allophanic microaggregate comprising nanoaggregates. SOM in the allophanic paleosols at four sites was dominated by carboxylic/carbonyl functional groups with subordinate quinonic, aromatic, and aliphatic groups. All samples exhibited similar compositions despite differences between the sites. That the SOM does not comprise specific types of functional groups through time implies that the functional groups are relict. The SOM originated at the land/soil surface: ongoing tephra deposition (intermittently or abruptly) then caused the land-surface to rise so that the once-surface horizons were buried more deeply and hence became increasingly isolated from inputs by the surficial/modern organic cycle. The presence of quinonic carbon, from biological processes but vulnerable to oxygen and light, indicates the exceptional protection of SOM and bio-signals in allophanic paleosols, attributable both to the porous allophane (with ferrihydrite) aggregates that occlude the relict SOM from degradation, and to rapid burial by successive tephra-fallout, as well as strong Al-organic chemical bonding. TXM and C NEXAFS spectroscopy help to unravel the fine structure of soils and SOM and are of great potential for soil science studies.

Animating the Bible’s Animals

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Stone
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Jacques Derrida ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Donna Haraway ◽  
Biblical Literature ◽  
Companion Species ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Biblical Texts

This chapter discusses the potential relevance of interdisciplinary animal studies for biblical interpretation. The story of Jacob and his family in Genesis 25–32 is examined from the perspective of a “critical animal hermeneutics.” Three features of such a hermeneutics, characteristic of contemporary animal studies, are emphasized: (1) the constitutive importance of “companion species,” emphasized by Donna Haraway, including in Israel’s case goats and sheep; (2) the instability of the human/animal binary, emphasized by Jacques Derrida and other thinkers; and (3) ubiquitous associations between species difference and differences among humans, particularly, in the case of biblical literature, gender and ethnic differences. Each of these features is used to read the story of Jacob and several related biblical texts.

Sexual Difference, Gender, and (Microscopic) Animals: A Commentary on Ebeling’s “Sexing the Rotifer”

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-322
Author(s):  
Cecilia Åsberg
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Sexual Difference ◽  
Science Studies ◽  
Nonhuman Animal ◽  
Feminist Science Studies ◽  
Feminist Science ◽  
Human Animal

AbstractIn this commentary, the microscopic animals of the genus Rotifera, or “rotifers,” emerge as a theory-provoking nonhuman animal. Rotifers embody otherness in ways that may intrigue scholars within both Human-Animal Studies and feminist science studies. In their encounter with rotifers, such fields of research (and others) might also engage each other in new, unexpected, and fruitful ways, as is here argued.

scholarly journals Unfolding the Space Between Stars: Anthropology of the Interstellar

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Oman-Reagan
Keyword(s):  
Science Studies ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Speculative Fiction ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Interstellar Space ◽  
Space Projects ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
Object Oriented Ontology ◽  
The Universe

In this anthropological account of the “interstellar” – the vast expanses of outer space between the stars – I take interstellar travel as an object of ethnographic study. First, I examine three interstellar space projects: NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft; 100 Year Starship’s manifesto on their quest to travel to another star; and SETI’s search for life in the universe. Finally, I turn to corresponding examples of interstellar travel in speculative fiction.In 2013, NASA announced a transmission from the Voyager 1 spacecraft as the “sound of interstellar space” and marked it as crossing a boundary into the “space between stars.” Organizations like 100 Year Starship and the Interstellar Message Composition program at SETI describe interstellar travel in terms of spacecraft, listening for signals, and active transmission. Fiction and science also co-render humans into interstellar scale via speculative technologies like artificial intelligence, instantaneous travel across the universe by “folding space,” and the “generation ship,” in which generations of crewmembers live and die during a multi-year voyage to another star.This ethnography of interstellar ontologies across multiple sites and scales builds on feminist science studies (Haraway), recent work on abstractions as scientific things (Helmreich), and the concept of hyperobjects – non-human entities that are massively distributed in time and space (Morton). As interstellar space moves between abstraction, text, place, and object, I find that it unfolds to reveal a constellation of potentially inhabited worlds inscribed by both scientists and speculative fiction; what was remote, insensate, and desolate becomes intimate, poetic, inhabited.Keywords: Science; Speculative Fiction; Object-Oriented Ontology; Deconstruction; SpacePlease cite as:Oman-Reagan, Michael P. 2015. “Unfolding the Space Between Stars: Anthropology of the Interstellar.” SocArXiv, Open Science Framework. Manuscript, submitted February 4, 2017. osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/r4ghb/A version of this paper was presented as:Oman-Reagan, Michael P. 2015. Unfolding the Space Between Stars: Anthropology of the Interstellar. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Denver, November 21.

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