DOE JGI releases IMG 1.5 with curated archaeal genomes
Version 1.5 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has been released to the public. IMG 1.5 now contains a total of 741 genomes (435 bacterial, 32 archaeal, 15 eukaryotic genomes and 259 bacterial phages) of which 602 are finished and 139 are draft genomes. IMG 1.5 contains 62 finished and 100 dra...Ammonia-loving archaea win landslide majority
A genetic analysis of soil samples indicates that a group of microorganisms called crenarchaeota are the Earth's most abundant land-based creatures that oxidize ammonia, according to an international team of researchers from Norway, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States. Soil microbes, in a process known as nitrification, combine ammonia with oxygen to form nitrates, which are...From hot springs to rice farms, scientists reveal new insights into the secret lives of archaea
In the world of microbes, as in politics, some groups just can't seem to shake the label ''extremist.'' So it is with archaea (ar-KEY-uh), a collection of bacteria-like microorganisms whose unique genetics and chemical structure separate them from all other living things. For years, biologists have pigeonholed archaea as extremophiles-creatures that live in extreme conditions. Indeed, many...