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Phil Hugenholtz on metagenomics and ecogenomics in Australian Life Scientist

In research published in Nature in 2007, Hugenholtz, along with collaborators from the California Institute of Technology and Diversa (now Verenium) Corporation, used metagenomics to detail the process by which a dry wood feeding termite, a Nasutitermes species, breaks down cellulose.  They generated 62 million base pairs – a “drop in the ocean by today’s… [Read More]

UCLA team makes isobutanol from cellulose on ScienceDaily

While there were many possible microbial candidates, the research team ultimately chose Clostridium cellulolyticum, which was originally isolated from decayed grass. The researchers noted that their strategy exploits the host’s natural cellulolytic activity and the amino acid biosynthetic pathway and diverts its intermediates to produce higher alcohol than ethanol. The researchers also noted that Clostridium… [Read More]

Around this time, Dey-Rao suggested that the department become involved in educational programs offered through the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI). In looking into these programs, Kostyniak concluded that they would be a good fit for university-level courses, as well as for high school courses aimed at stimulating students’ interest in science careers…. [Read More]

https://archive.jgi.doe.gov/310/

DOE JGI’s microbial work and IMG on ESNet’s Network Matters

Microbes are single-cell organisms that live in colonies and can be found in nearly every corner of our planet, in places ranging from insects’ intestines to some of the most toxic chemical environments. The site for the most detailed information on the genetic makeup of these organisms only lives in one place – at the… [Read More]

Aureococcus genome project in Sify News

Algae play key roles in the global carbon cycle, sometimes helping sequester significant amounts of carbon but can also turn the ocean waters brown or green and disrupt an ecosystem. When billions of Aureococcus cells come together, they outcompete the other marine phytoplankton in the area, damaging the food chains in marine ecosystems as well… [Read More]

Aureococcus genome project on DailyIndia.com

“When one of these blooms occurs and you get a billion cells per litre, it represents milligrams of carbon per litre, which is much higher than you typically see in coastal ecosystems.” The complete genome sequence will let scientists examine its “parts list” for clues to Aureococcus‘ ability to capture CO2, survive in varying marine… [Read More]

Aureococcus genome project on Newswise

The impact of harmful algal blooms have intensified in recent decades and most research has focused on chemical nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus as causative agents of these blooms. A team of researchers led by Christopher J. Gobler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, have… [Read More]

Aureococcus genome project on redOrbit

For the first time, researchers have sequenced the genome of a harmful algal bloom species. Researchers found that Aureococcus‘ unique gene complement allows it to outcompete other marine phytoplankton and thrive in human-modified ecosystems, which could help explain the global increases in harmful algal blooms. Read more on redOrbit [Read More]

Daphnia pulex project in the San Francisco Chronicle

last week a team of gene hunters, led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek and the Daphnia Genomics Consortium, headquartered at the University of Indiana, published the little organism’s gene sequence in the journal Science. More than 450 scientists around the world are members of that consortium, researching… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study in EarthSky

Enter: the cow. If cows are good at anything, it’s digesting plant material until it turns into sugar; Dr. Rubin noted that cows have been eating grass for a few million years. That’s why Rubin’s team decided to do major genetic analysis of microbes inside the stomachs of cows. He explained that he was interested… [Read More]