Microorganisms have been discovered in every habitat on earth, from 2 miles within the earth’s crust, to deep-sea vents, to the sea ice of Antarctica to high above the earth in its atmosphere. Many of the microorganisms were not known to have existed 10 years ago! The advent of genomics and molecular biology has opened up a new view of our biosphere. Over forty full genomic sequences of different microorganisms are currently available in the public database and the sequence of over 100 microbial genomes are in the process of being deciphered. We are truly in the age of genomics! In this course you will learn how researchers are extracting information from this huge data mine and how genetic analyses of model microorganisms and emerging microbial systems are contributing to our understanding of what these microorganisms do in their environment and how their activities affect the world around us.
Joined the faculty in July 1999
Student Evaluation: 5.9 out of 7