DOE Science Showcase - Microbes
Microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, and viruses are mysterious engines of life. Microbiomes, or microbe communities, account for 60% of living matter and are the most diverse life form on earth yet little has been known about how they function. Recent advances in gene-sequencing technology have expanded our knowledge of microbiomes, and microbiomes research is gaining momentum. It is believed that microbes could hold the answer to producing more food and energy while reducing negative impacts on climate, environmental quality, and health. Strategic investments by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science have produced transformative technologies, from genomics to multi-scale environmental and biological imaging and high performance computation, which have already increased our understanding of microbial potential.
Related Research Information in DOE Databases
- In the OSTI Collections: Microbes for Production and Cleanup, Dr. William Watson
- DOE PAGESBeta – journal articles and accepted manuscripts resulting from DOE funding.
- SciTech Connect – reports from DOE science, technology and engineering programs.
- DOepatents – a central collection of DOE patent information.
- For additional information, see the OSTI Catalogue of Collections.
Additional Resources
- What’s next for the Microbiome?,White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Scientists Call for National Effort to Understand and Harness Earth’s Microbes for Health, Energy, Agriculture, and Environment, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- The Termite Gut: Nature's Microbial Bioreactor for Digesting Wood and Making Biofuels, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Tiny grains of rice hold big promise for greenhouse gas reductions, bioenergy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Confirming Microbial Lineages Through Cultivation-Independent Means, Joint Genome Institute
- The MiSIng Piece Revealed: Classifying microbial species in the genomics era, Joint Genome Institute
- Microbial Communities Initiative, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Microbes-to-Biomes (M2B), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Gut microbiota mediate caffeine detoxification in the primary insect pest of coffee, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Study to Increase Biofuel Yield, Limit fertilizer Use, Michigan State University
- A Tale of Two Data Sets: New DNA Analysis Strategy Helps Researchers Cut through the Dirt National Laboratory, Joint Genome Institute
- Microbial Program, Joint Genome Institute
- Unearthing Cornerstones in Root Microbiomes, Joint Genome Institute
- Building Off Known Genomes to Advance Systems and Ecosystems Biology, Joint Genome Institute
- Field widens for environments, microbes that produce toxic form of mercury, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Hydrogen Production: Microbial Biomass Conversion, Energy.gov
- MicroBEnet, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
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