New database provides vast trove of genetic information on tiny single-celled organisms in the ocean
Friday, October 10, 2014 - 08:00
in Biology & Nature
The ocean holds a bewildering array of microscopic life. Many of the smaller organisms are difficult to study or even to identify under a microscope. For this reason, scientists often look at the genes of these microbes to figure out how they are related to one another, and what they are doing out there in the ocean. Such genomic analysis often involves searching large databases to compare the genetic material of one microbe to that of others.