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DNA From the Ocean’s ‘Twilight Zone’ Could Lead to New Lifesaving Drugs, Scientists Say. Researchers catalogued the genes of more than 300 million groups of marine bacteria, viruses and fungi in hopes that the database could lead to breakthroughs in medicine, energy and agriculture.
Researchers catalogued the genes of more than 300 million groups of marine bacteria, viruses and fungi in hopes that the database could lead to breakthroughs in medicine, energy and agriculture
Rowan Coe via Getty ImagesAs of Tuesday, scientists around the world have an exciting new tool at their disposal: the largest-ever collection of marine microbe genomes, organized in an online database. Laiolo et al., Frontiers in Science, 2024, under CC BY 4.0 DEED In particular, the study took a close look at life accustomed to the extreme conditions of the oceanic “twilight zone.” Stretching below the surface—just out of range for sunlight—this region is home to some of Earth’s most unique creatures, with adaptations driven by such a harsh habitat. They also point out that their catalog can serve as a baseline for the diversity of marine microbes, which could allow future researchers to gauge the impact of human activities—such as deep-sea mining or burning fossil fuels—on these organisms, per Nature News.
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