“During the study, MSU researchers sought to compare the microbial populations of different soils sampled from sites that were once native prairie with 100 years of agricultural cultivation. The experiment yielded nearly 400 billion letters of code, which amounts to more than 130 human genome equivalents.”
Learn more about the complexities of soil and then Great Prairie project at http://jgi.doe.gov/tale-two-data-sets-new-dna-analysis-strategy-helps-researchers-cut-dirt/.
Read the full story at Biomass magazine.