An Ocean of Genes.
Nell Boyce.
- U.S. News & World Report, 2003.
- SIRS Enduring Issues 2004. Article 39, Science, 1522-3264; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2004. Originally Published: An Ocean of Genes, May 12, 2003; pp. 62.
"Nearly a decade ago, maverick geneticist J. Craig Venter proposed a speedy way to decipher creatures' DNA codes. Though critics scoffed, saying his 'shotgun' approach would never work, it yielded the first genome sequence of a free-living organism, a simple bacterium. Since then, the technique has unraveled the code of more-complex animals, including humans, and made deciphering the DNA from microbes practically routine." (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT) This article reveals that if Venter's teams can use his "technique to read the DNA of an entire ecosystem, or at least its microbial denizens, all at once," they could quickly uncover the "genetic code of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of known and unknown microbes in a pinch of soil, a tube of seawater, or even the human body."