Microbes are the keys to everything. If you read this blog, you will agree. And genomes are the keys to those microbes. However, the current practice of deciding which genome to sequence is very much left to the major interest of each scientist. Now,
Kyrpides et al., PLoS Biology 2014 call for a structured approach to the sequencing of micro-organisms. Of course this means money. However, great expectations are placed on such approach.
Here we call for the funding of a systematic effort to produce a comprehensive genomic catalog of all cultured Bacteria and Archaea by sequencing, where available, the type strain of each species with a validly published name (currently~11,000). This effort will provide an unprecedented level of coverage of our planet's genetic diversity, allow for the large-scale discovery of novel genes and functions, and lead to an improved understanding of microbial evolution and function in the environment.
Very nice article, timely. Let's hope the politics get the message.
