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Spider mite genome project in CBC News

“They can change the repertoire [of genes] that they’re using in order to be able to feed on hosts that they would not be adapted to,” said Miodrag Grbic, a University of Western Ontario biologist, who led an international project to sequence the spider mite’s genome. The results were published this week in the journal… [Read More]

Spider mite genome project in GenomeWeb

The spider mite, named for its ability to spin webs, belongs to an arthropod sub-group comprised of so-called chelicerates and is capable of consuming more than 1,100 plant species. This trait, coupled with its ability to develop resistance to most commonly used pesticides, have made it a potent pest, known for damaging ornamental plants and… [Read More]

DOE JGI research featured in io9

Last month I was lucky enough to visit one of the biggest genomics labs in the world. At the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) in Walnut Creek, CA, huge rooms full of genome sequencing machines work 24/7 to crunch the codes that create life. And the research here, funded by the US Department of Energy, has… [Read More]

Danforth Center highlights plant projects for CSP 2012

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has selected two projects from a highly competitive pool of applications, submitted by Danforth Plant Science Center Principal Investigators, Dr. Thomas Brutnell and Dr. Todd Mockler as part of its 2012 Community Sequencing Program (CSP). Read more at the Danforth Center News site. [Read More]

Permafrost soil metagenome study in Wired UK

As permafrost thaws, trapped frozen organic matter becomes accessible for microbes to degrade, releasing greenhouse gases as a byproduct. Understanding what sorts of microbes are in the ice is key to predicting the impact of the melting of permafrost soils.The US Department of Energy has teamed up with the Joint Genome Institute, the Earth Sciences Division of… [Read More]

Permafrost soil metagenome study on Voice of America

Lead author Janet Jansson, senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California says the trapped microorganisms in permafrost are still active. Jansson and colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey and the Joint Genome Institute at the Department of Energy set out to identify microbes in permafrost and find out what they would do once… [Read More]

Permafrost soil metagenome study on Medill News Reports

Microbes frozen for thousands of years can spring to life and digest the carbon to release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, amplifying warming and melting. Scientists can’t yet predict how much of the carbon stored in Arctic permafrost will reach the atmosphere, but microbes could play a pivotal role. Read more on Medill Reports Chicago [Read More]

DOE JGI sequencing capabilities in InSequence

The US Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute is tweaking its sequencing technology lineup as it gears up to produce more than 47 trillion bases of DNA sequence in the 2012 fiscal year, with more than half that sequencing output slated to go toward its largest user program, the Community Sequencing Program. Read more on GenomeWeb [Read More]

Permafrost soil metagenome study on Examiner.com

The carbon dioxide contained in the polar caps is estimated to be 1,672 billion metric tons. The slow but steady melting of the polar regions from global warming has and will continue to release more carbon as carbon dioxide as the ice sheets melt.More interesting and more potentially dangerous is the effect that melting ice… [Read More]

CSP 2012 project on Science Codex

Dan Lindner, a research plant pathologist with the Northern Research Station’s Center for Forest Mycology Research (CFMR), is one of 13 scientists participating in the ‘1000 Fungal Genomes’ project, which in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Joint Genome Institute will sequence two species from every known fungal family. The project is a first… [Read More]