As anyone who follows the real news about the current state of nature, it is in a precarious state. Since humans are part of nature, the future of humanity is also precarious. For many years now, scientist have documented so many instances of environmental devastation that would be painful to assemble a comprehensive list. In this presentation I will use the story lines that thread through the first three presentations to illustrate the fundamental processes inherent in all natural systems that occur across all scales from the biochemistry of a single cell up to entire ecosystems. I will also discuss how humanity has unwittingly used fossil fuels to avoid abiding by the fundamental rules of nature to the point that we are now watching it collapse around us. In particular, I will focus on the role of recycling, which is central to resilience of all biological systems. I will discuss how by focusing on recycling, we may be able to turn the tide before the tapestry of life unravels and our thread in that tapestry becomes so frayed that nature omits us from future iterations. 

Part of the series, “An Exploration of Biological Resilience”