A Colorado State University-led team of scientists including researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have detailed for the first time both broad and specific information about the presence and function of microorganisms in rivers covering 90% of the watersheds in the continental U.S.
Berkeley Lab expertise and capabilities enabled this research by bringing genomic sequencing tools and expertise along with making the data widely accessible through public databases.
The National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC) was founded in 2019 by a diverse group of experts with funding from the Department of Energy to address ongoing data challenges in biology through the creation of new tools and standardized practices. A new article dives into its Ambassador Program and explores how it promotes best practices through community engagement.
JGI users studied microbial communities at hydrothermal vents and underwater volcanoes. They found a wealth of diversity in the microorganisms there, which could lead to the development of new biotechnologies around clean energy, biofuels and bioproducts.
In Cell Genomics, an international consortium led by researchers at the Joint Genome Institute team generated 824 new Actinobacteria genomes, which were were combined with nearly 5,000 publicly available ones and 1,100 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) reconstructed from sequenced environmental samples in a previous study.
In Nature Ecology and Evolution, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, the University of East Anglia, and the JGI have explored the genome of the polar algae Microglena sp. YARC. The green alga harbors extra genes for proteins requiring zinc, and those genes turn out to be key for the phytoplankton’s ability to live in cold polar waters. Learn more here on the JGI website.
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