LBNL’s News Center, October 30, 2016: Science published the call for a national effort to understand and harness Earth’s microbes: a Unified Microbiome Initiative. Co-authors include Berkeley Lab researchers, Paul Alivisatos (LBNL Director), Eoin Brodie (Deputy Director of the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division), Mary Maxon (Biosciences Area Principal Deputy), Eddy Rubin (Director of the Joint Genome Institute) and Peidong Yang (Faculty Scientist in Materials Sciences Division).
Ten years after the launch of the Unified Microbiome Initiative, the authors envision an era in which a predictive understanding of microbial processes enables scientists to manage and design microbiomes in a responsible way—a key step toward harnessing their capabilities for beneficial applications. “This is an incredibly exciting time to be involved in microbial research,” says Eoin Brodie. “It has the potential to contribute to so many advances, such as in medicine, energy, agriculture, biomanufacturing, and the environment.”
News Center Release—with video!
Science article—A unified initiative to harness Earth’s microbiomes. A. P. Alivisatos, M. J. Blaser, E. L. Brodie, M. Chun, J. L. Dangl, T. J. Donohue, P. C. Dorrestein, J. A Gilbert, J. L. Green, J. K. Jansson, R. Knight, M. E. Maxon, M. J. McFall-Ngai, J. F. Miller, K. S. Pollard, E. G. Ruby, S. A. Taha, and Unified Microbiome Initiative Consortium. Science aac8480. Published online 28 October 2015. DOI:10.1126/science.aac8480
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