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Study Reveals New Technique for Fingerprinting Environmental Samples

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Groundbreaking research led by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) demonstrates for the first time that the signatures of the genes alone in terrestrial and aquatic samples can accurately diagnose the health of the sampled environments.  This study, published in the April 22nd edition of the journal Science, positions… [Read More]

DOE JGI Launches IMG Public Online Microbial Genome Data Clearinghouse

WALNUT CREEK, CA–As the microbial world comes to light through DNA sequencing, the new Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) will deliver valuable information for the benefit of the global research community. “The IMG system is an essential enhancement to the computational toolkit… [Read More]

Chromosome 16 Publication Fulfills DOE’s Human Genome Commitment

WALNUT CREEK, CA–The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI), culminating a 16-year effort, has completed its share of the Human Genome Project with the publication of the DNA sequence and analysis of chromosome 16 in the Dec. 23 issue of Nature. “The Department of Energy is very proud of its historic role in… [Read More]

Mice Thrive Despite Massive Genetic Makeover

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Can you lose scores of pages from a novel and still follow the story line? In the case of the mouse’s genome, or “book of life” — and perhaps even our own — the answer appears to be, astonishingly, “yes.” Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Lawrence… [Read More]

Diatom Genome Reveals Key Role in Biosphere’s Carbon Cycle

WALNUT CREEK, CA–The first genetic instruction manual of a diatom, from a family of microscopic ocean algae that are among the Earth’s most prolific carbon dioxide assimilators, has yielded important insights on how the creature uses nitrogen, fats, and silica to thrive. The diatom DNA sequencing project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)… [Read More]

The Book Opens on the First Tree Genome

An international consortium has released the first complete DNA sequence of a tree – Populus trichocarpa – one member of the most ecologically and commercially valuable group of trees in North America. [Read More]

Human Chromosome 5 Final Sequence Analysis Released to Public

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Four years after publicly revealing the official draft human genetic sequence, researchers have reached the halfway point in dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s of the genetic sentences describing how to build a human. The newly finalized chromosome 5 is the 12th chromosome polished off, with 12 more to go. As the… [Read More]

JGI Announces Community Sequencing Program Portfolio

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Despite the perception that the genetic diversity among animals–ranging from humans to worms–is enormous, the reality is that it pales in comparison to the diversity between the microbes that make up the bulk of the biomass on the planet. Accordingly, to close conspicuous gaps in our understanding of the tree of life, the… [Read More]

JGI, VBI Help Unravel Sudden Oak Death & Soybean Disease

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Researchers are closer now to thwarting two related plant pathogens, one causing “Sudden Oak Death” (SOD) and another responsible for a devastating soybean disease, thanks to the DNA sequence produced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), in collaboration with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI). The projects received nearly… [Read More]

JGI Decodes Wood and Toxic Waste-Degrading Fungus Genome

Walnut Creek, CA–The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) announces today the publication of a high-quality draft genome sequence of the white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium. These are the only known microbes capable of efficiently degrading the recalcitrant aromatic plant polymer lignin, one of the most abundant natural materials on earth…. [Read More]