On May 11, a sealed capsule containing fungi and bacteria fell from the sky and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Microbiologist Kasthuri Venkateswaran could hardly wait to see what […]
Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology
Vast Diversity Among Viruses That Infect Bacteria
Viruses that infect bacteria are among the most abundant life forms on Earth. Indeed, our oceans, soils and potentially even our bodies would be overrun with bacteria were it not […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
First Minimal Synthetic Bacterial Cell
Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) announced today the design and construction of the first minimal synthetic bacterial cell, JCVI-syn3.0. Using the first […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Sequencing DNA in Space
NASA is not often known for making the best use of existing COTS (commercial off the shelf technology) aboard the ISS. Then again, sometimes they are. This is an example […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Sequencing an Antarctic Extremophile – A cold-loving microbe from the Upper Dry Valleys
A high-quality draft genome sequence has been published for the Antarctic microbe Rhodococcus sp. JG-3. This psychrophilic (cold-loving) microorganism was isolated from permafrost in Antarctica’s Upper Dry Valleys and has been […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Evolution of the Ribosome: Looking Back 3.8 billion Years
NASA-funded researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are tapping information found in the cells of all life on Earth, and using it to trace life’s evolution. They have learned […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release, Tardigrades
A Huge Chunk of a Tardigrade's Genome Comes From Foreign DNA
Tardigrades, nearly microscopic animals that can survive the harshest of environments, including outer space, hold the record for the animal that has the most foreign DNA Researchers from the University […]
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
New Model Derives Homochirality From Basic Life Requirements
Life is quirky. Although the molecules that make up all living things obey physical and chemical laws, they do so with a puzzling twist. How did the distinctive molecular features […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Evidence that Viruses are Alive
Their diversity makes viruses difficult to classify. A new study uses protein folds as evidence that viruses are living entities that belong on their own branch of the tree of […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Tree of Life for 2.3 Million Species Released
A first draft of the “tree of life” for the roughly 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes — from platypuses to puffballs — has been released. […]