In 1997, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) brought together the people and resources from three national labs to work on the Human Genome Project. The JGI’s efforts contributed ~12% of the total human genome.

Since the 2009 proof of principle study from JGI and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences researchers, single cell genomics offers a way for researchers to study the planet’s microbial diversity, much of which remains unknown and uncultured.

The genome sequence of Laccaria bicolor, a forest fungus with a symbiotic relationship with poplar, was published in 2008. Today there are nearly 200 mycorrhizal fungal genomes publicly available on the fungal portal MycoCosm.

Working with Berkeley Lab  researchers, the JGI’s single cell genomics and metagenomics capabilities were harnessed for a systems biology approach to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Since publishing the original sorghum reference genome, the JGI continues collaborating to better understand sorghum’s toughness and energy storage.