Sequencing the genomes of a microbial ecosystem
Thursday, August 23, 2018 - 09:20
in Biology & Nature
Corn stalks rustle and tractors trundle along, their wheels grinding into the Kansas soil. While it seems like farmers and machinery conduct most of the work on a modern farm, much of the heavy lifting goes on below the surface. The American Midwest's Great Prairie is home to one of the planet's most complex systems of organisms that can't be seen with the naked eye. Researchers supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Science are charting the genes of this community of microorganisms, an effort that could unlock new approaches to genetics, ecology, and agriculture.