Self-governance and International Regulation of the Global Microbial Commons: Introduction to the Special Issue on the Microbial Commons

Abstract

"For millennia people around the world have exchanged biological materials, mainly for food and agricultural purposes. Crop domestication began about 12,000 years ago, and moved rapidly across continents and even inter-continentally. Colonialism and imperial trade in the 1500s and 1600s accelerated things rapidly, to the point where people were eating much the same staples all over the world. In the last century, however, the emergence of in vitro cell culture technology and molecular biology has led to tremendous increases, both in the quantities of biological resources exchanged and in global interdependencies. In particular, the global distribution and exchange of microorganisms became an important component of contemporary life sciences. This movement is related to several scientific developments, among which the introduction of improved techniques for the handling and long-term maintenance of living microbiological samples (e.g. freezing, freeze-drying), and thus easier and safer shipping of samples, had a major impact. Similarly, the development of innovative methods for the isolation and cultivation of novel microbial strains, the genomics revolution, and the broader impact of globalization of research in the life sciences in general enhanced interest and cooperation in microbial research."