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Genome Study of Beneficial Microbe May Help Boost Plant Health
In a study expected to greatly benefit crop plants, scientists have deciphered the genome of a root- and seed-dwelling bacterium that protects plants from diseases. The research provides clues to better explain how the helpful microbe, Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5, naturally safeguards roots and seeds from infection by pathogenic microbes.
TIGR President Wins ASM's Promega Biotechnology Research Award
TIGR President Claire M. Fraser has been awarded the 2005 Promega Biotechnology Research Award at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology for her "outstanding contributions to the application of biotechnology through fundamental microbiological research and development."
The Inner Life of Sea Squirts
Innovative Study Finds Way to "Bio-Synthesize" an Anti-Cancer Compound
Scientists Gather for Microbial Genomics Conference
A decade after the dawn of the genomics era, some of the world's top scientists in the field of microbial genomics are gathering in Halifax, Canada, for the International Conference on Microbial Genomes. Speakers will discuss metagenomics, comparative genomics, population processes, genome evolution and environmental genomics.
Venter Institute Studies Microbes Living in Air
Air Genome Project to Sample Air Using Whole Genome Shotgun Sequencing
Sifting Through Fruitfly Sequences, Scientists Discover New Wolbachias
Finding the genomic equivalent of gold nuggets in the rough ore of a much larger set of data, TIGR scientists and collaborators have discovered the genomes of three new types of the microbe Wolbachia in fruitfly sequence data.
Venter Institute to Sequence More Than 100 Key Marine Microbes in One Year
Data To Help Scientists Study Biodiversity, Ecology, Evolution, and Health
Genome of Deadly Amoeba Shows Surprising Complexity; Study Reveals Evidence for Lateral Gene Transfer from Bacteria
The genome sequence of the parasitic amoeba Entamoeba histolytica, a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease in developing countries, includes an unexpectedly complex repertoire of sensory genes as well as a variety of bacterial-like genes that contribute to the organism's unique biology. TIGR scientists led the project, which presents the first genome-wide study of an amoeba. About 50 million people a year are infected by the parasite, which causes as many as 100,000 deaths annually.
Scientists Decipher Genome of a Fungus That Causes Life-Threatening Infections in Persons With Impaired Immunity
Cryptococcus Study Sheds Light On How Fungi Cause Disease
Scientists Decipher Genome of Bacterium that Helps Clean Up Major Groundwater Pollutants
Cryptococcus Study Sheds Light On How Fungi Cause Disease
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Influences of trace metals on biological evolution
Scientists show how trace metal chemistry and global changes in oxygen have influenced the evolution of metalloproteins and the Eukaryotes A paper is being published in PNAS this week about how the varying abundance of trace metals in the environment has influenced biological evolution. The...
JCVI Scientists Recognized by ASM
Drs. Karen E. Nelson and Kenneth H. Nealson are both being recognized by the American Academy of Microbiology (ASM) tomorrow, May 26, 2010. Karen has been elected to Fellowship in the ASM. She is one of seventy-eight new members that have been selected through a peer-review process based on her...
Scientist Spotlight: Hamilton O. Smith and Clyde A. Hutchison III
Editor’s note: Clyde Hutchison died on September 27, 2025. Less than a month later, Hamilton Smith died on October 25, 2025. This post memorializes their dear friendship and the quest to construct the first bacterium with a synthetic genome in 2010. Their friendship endured and their work...
Happy DNA Day!
This past March, we had a great time participating in the science programs in San Diego. We ended the month with the SD Science Festival with over 30,000 participants. It was such a busy day - I forgot to take pictures. The venue was Petco Park with hundreds of exhibits and hands-on experiences. We...
Recomb - Computational Proteomics
I recently attended the Recomb satellite conference on Computational Proteomics (downloads for talk and poster) in San Diego, CA. It was a kind of homecoming for me. I was a computational proteomics researcher at UCSD as a grad student with Vineet Bafna. Many of my classmates were still there, as...
A Positive Charge
I’m thinking of the day’s schedule school visit, the activity and the positive charge it will produce in me and the students. I get so excited during our school visits. It’s like the feeling I get on Saturday morning while watching my favorite cartoons. (Yes, I still watch...
We Had Fun with Genomics!
Wow! It’s been an exciting week!! Crystal Snowden and I flew to San Diego Friday, March 5th – jumped off the plane and the fun began! We went straight to the lab and set up for BEWiSE and prepped for Expanding Your Horizons (EYH). We are really fortunate to have such a great team in the San...
Scientist Spotlight: Orianna Bretschger
Most of us have never thought about how to make more water or cleaner water or develop unique sources of energy but that’s exactly what Orianna Bretschger does at JCVI. She is working at the intersection of engineering, physics, and biology to design small machines powered by bacteria that can...
Having Fun with Genomics
I am the generation after landing on the moon. As a child, I don’t recall having any science inspiration. I was fortunate to have parents that made it possible for me and my siblings to get a very good education. I went to a small parochial school outside of Washington, DC. It was a great school...
AGBT, Marco Island 2010
I just got back from AGBT in Marco Island, Florida and I am still in awe. As noted in the name, this conference highlights advances in both genome biology and technology. The biology seemed to be very human genome centric. Many of the talks presented full genome sequences of cancer genomes or...
Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of the First Publication of the Human Genome
A new wave of research is needed to make ample use of humanity’s “most wondrous map”
Scientists rush to determine if mutant strain of coronavirus will deepen pandemic
U.S. researchers have been slow to perform the genetic sequencing that will help clarify the situation
After saving countless lives, Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith retires as his own health falters
He has been a fixture in San Diego science for decades
The 'Wondrous Map': Charting of the Human Genome, 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton announced completion of what was arguably one of the greatest advances of the modern era: the first draft sequence of the human genome.
Craig Venter: 20 years of decoding the human genome
The human genome is 99% decoded, the American geneticist Craig Venter announced two decades ago. What has the deciphering brought us since then?
Scientists in La Jolla Make Progress Understanding New Coronavirus Strain
Gene Drives: New and Improved
As the science advances, policy-makers and regulators need to develop responses that reflect the latest developments and the diversity of approaches and applications.
Pink shoes and a lab jacket: Finding your way as a female scientist
Women in science tell high school girls they, too, can change the world
PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Jazz piano in La Jolla scientist Clyde Hutchison’s DNA
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