A billion-dollar drug was discovered in soil samples from Easter Island decades ago, but the question remains — what do scientists and pharmaceutical companies owe the Indigenous Rapa Nui people whose land and knowledge were drawn upon?
This case highlights the urgent need for fair benefit sharing, ethical research practices, and genuine respect for Indigenous sovereignty when global industries profit from local resources.

#indigenousrights #scienceethics #bioprospecting #rapanui #rapamycin #multinationals #bigpharma

https://theconversation.com/a-billion-dollar-drug-was-found-in-easter-island-soil-what-scientists-and-companies-owe-the-indigenous-people-they-studied-250586

From stomach flu to #manufacturing? 🤯

The #bacteria turning waste #plastic into #painkillers https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gvm1kjxxvo

#ecoli #bioengineering #biotechnology #recycling #bioprospecting

The original author of Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, was a vocal critic of gene patents around the time of the Myriad disputes. In a call back to the original author, the characters in the new film Jurassic World Rebirth debate whether a life-saving drug should be the subject of patents or open sourced.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/30/jurassic-world-rebirth-review-scarlett-johansson-runs-show-as-near-extinct-franchise-roars-back-to-life

There is also a strong focus on biodiscovery, bioprospecting, and biopiracy - (although disappointingly there is no discussion of the Convention on Biological Diversity or the Nagoya Protocol or benefit-sharing agreements in between the appearance of various mega-dinosaurs).

#biotech #biodiscovery #bioprospecting #biopiracy #patent #drugs #film

Bioprospecting (Biodiversity 🦗)

Bioprospecting is the exploration of natural sources for small molecules, macromolecules and biochemical and genetic information that could be developed into commercially valuable products for the agricultural, aquaculture, bioremediation, cosmetics, nanotechnology, or pharmaceutical industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, almost ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprospecting

#Bioprospecting #Seeds #Botany #Bioethics #Biopiracy #Biodiversity

#Ice_cores as a source for #antimicrobials: From #bioprospecting to biodesign.

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-ice-cores-source-antimicrobials-bioprospecting.html

Some new wild yeast capture attempts from some foraging I did while in Alaska last week.

#wildyeast #yeast #bioprospecting

'#Bioprospecting' technique uncovers #viruses that can kill deadly superbugs.

#phages #antimicrobial #epitopes #porin

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-bioprospecting-technique-uncovers-viruses-deadly.html

Scientists reveal machine learning could accelerate discovery of #antimalarial properties in #plants.

#AI #bioprospecting

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-scientists-reveal-machine-discovery-antimalarial.html

Fantastic news for our planet including our species! The first global high seas treaty.

For 🐳🐋🐬🦭🐟🐠🐡🦈🐙 but also for 🐺🦍🐄🦓🦁🐁🦫🐥🦜🦎🌻🦠⚘🪰🦂👨🏾‍🦼🧑🏿‍🦯🏃🏽‍♂️👯🏼‍♀️🧗🏿🏄🏼🤹🏽‍♀️whose every 2nd breath is oxygen from the ocean.

Multilateralism is working - but that's not a thing in itself, it's lots of people from all nations working together. Thank goodness for each one of them. 😍

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/05/high-seas-treaty-agreement-to-protect-international-waters-finally-reached-at-un?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

#UnitedNations #HighSeas #Mining #Bioprospecting #Fishing #Climate #Multilateralism

Very impressive.

#Bioinformatics based #Bioprospecting to identify #hydrolase enzymes with #plastic #PET (polyethylene terephthalate) #biodegradation capabilities.

This new research in #NatureCommunications allows identification of novel hydrolases from four bacterial phyla with expressed enzymes showing activity across pH4.5 to 9 and from 30 to 70 degrees C.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35237-x

#PlasticPollution #CircularEconomy