Archived Press Releases
April 30, 2007
Puzzling Plankton Yield Secrets to Role in Evolution/Global Photosynthesis. The analysis of DNA sequences from tiny green algae have provided new insights into the mystery of how new species of plankton evolve—and further highlights their critical role in managing the global cycling of carbon.
March 22, 2007
No Pain, DOE Joint Genome Institute Gains Coveted Ergonomics Prize with "Shake 'N Plate". Emerging from a record field of 28 finalists representing many major multinational companies, a team of scientists and engineers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) won the 2007 Ergo Cup.
March 15, 2007
DOE JGI Releases Enhanced Genome Data Management System IMG 2.1, Marking Two-Year Anniversary.
As interest in the rising number of newly characterized microbial genomes mounts, powerful computational tools become critical for the management and analysis of these data to enable strategies for such challenges as harvesting the potential of carbon-neutral bioenergy sources and coping with global climate change.
March 5, 2007
Super-Fermenting Fungus Genome Sequenced. On the road to making biofuels more economically competitive with fossil fuels, there are significant potholes to negotiate. For cellulosic ethanol production, one major detour has being addressed with the characterization of the genetic blueprint of the fungus Pichia stipitis, by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and collaborators at the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL).
January 22, 2007
DOE JGI Upgrades IMG/M, the
Metagenomics Data Management & Analysis System.
On the one-year anniversary of the launch of the experimental metagenome data management and analysis system, IMG/M, the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released the latest upgrade.
December 1, 2006
DOE JGI Releases
IMG 2.0 with all Genomes Refreshed from RefSeq. Version 2.0 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.
November 15, 2006
Neanderthal Genome Sequencing Yields Surprising Results and Opens a New Door to Future Studies. The veil of mystery surrounding our extinct hominid cousins, the Neanderthals, has been at least partially lifted to reveal surprising results. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) have sequenced genomic DNA from fossilized Neanderthal bones.
November 2, 2006
Neuron Cell Stickiness May Hold Key to Evolution of the Human Brain. In a study comparing the genomes of humans, chimpanzees, mice and other vertebrates, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Joint Genome Institute (JGI) found a strikingly high degree of genetic differences in DNA sequences that appear to regulate genes involved in nerve cell adhesion molecules.
October 17, 2006
Genomic Comparison of Lactic Acid Bacteria Published. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and the University of California, Davis, and their colleagues have characterized the genome sequences of nine different lactic acid-producing bacteria, or LAB, and have published their findings in the October 17 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
September 25, 2006
Better Sludge through Metagenomics--Researchers Seek to Master Wastewater Treatment Failures. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Advanced Wastewater Management Centre, University of Queensland, Australia, have published the first metagenomic study of an activated sludge wastewater treatment process.
September 18, 2006
No Guts, No Worries: Worm Enlists Full-Service Microbes for Transportation, Energy, & Waste Management. Researchers have now characterized the unique lifestyle of a gutless worm that commutes through marine sediments powered by a community of symbiotic microbial specialists harbored just under its skin, obviating the need for digestive and excretory systems.
September 14, 2006
The First Tree Genome is Published. Wood from a common tree may one day factor prominently in meeting transportation fuel needs, according to scientists whose research on the fast-growing poplar tree is featured on the cover of tomorrow's edition of the journal Science.
August 31, 2006
DOE JGI, VBI Describe Evolutionary Origin, Disease-Causing Mechanisms of Sudden Oak Death, Related Soybean Disease Pathogens. By comparing the complete genome sequences of two plant-killing pathogens and related organisms, researchers from DOE JGI, in collaboration with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) and others, have uncovered crucial aspects of the disease-causing mechanisms of "Sudden Oak Death" (SOD) and soybean root rot disease.
July 24, 2006
DOE JGI Sequences, Releases Genome of Symbiotic Tree Fungus. The DNA sequence of Laccaria bicolor, a fungus that forms a beneficial symbiosis with trees and inhabits one of the most ecologically and commercially important microbial niches in North American and Eurasian forests, has been determined by DOE JGI.
July 11, 2006
Energy-rich Portfolio of New Genome Sequencing Targets for
DOE JGI. Bioenergy crop plants switchgrass and cassava, other important agricultural commodities such as cotton, and microbes geared to break down plant material to render biofuels, round out the roster of more than 40 projects to be tackled by DOE JGI over the next year.
June 27, 2006
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.
May 23, 2006
DOE JGI Finishes 100th Microbial Genome.
On May 23, at the general meeting of the American Society of Microbiology (ASM), the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) will announce that it has finished the sequence of100 microbial genomes and released this information for the benefit of the global research community.
April 21 , 2006
DOE JGI to Host Microbial Genomics Workshop for Educators in Recognition of Earth Day & National DNA Day. On April 24-25, in the spirit of both Earth Day and National DNA Day, DOE JGI will host a Microbial Genomics Workshop geared toward revealing the rest of the story--the bioinformatics end--to educators who may then spread the word in their classrooms and inspire students to pursue careers in this burgeoning field.
March 30, 2006
DOE JGI Releases Experimental Metagenomic Data Management & Analysis System. The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released to the worldwide research community IMG/M, an experimental metagenome data management and analysis system.
January 18, 2006
Ecology Model gets Its Genome Sequenced. At the Daphnia Genomics Consortium's annual meeting in Bloomington this week, Indiana University and Joint Genome Institute scientists announced they've completed a "shotgun" sequence for Daphnia pulex, or the water flea.
January 17, 2006
USDA and DOE to Coordinate Research of Plant and Microbial Genomics. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy announced Monday they will share resources and coordinate the study of plant and microbial genomics, and the Department of Energy will tackle the sequencing of the soybean genome as the first project resulting from the agreement.
January 10, 2006
Report Highlights DOE Joint Genome Institute Achievements. The U.S. Department of Energy investment in large-scale genome sequencing is paying dividends with powerful implications for the nation's energy and environmental clean-up needs, according to a report just released by the DOE Joint Genome Institute.
December 22, 2005
DOE JGI Issues New Call for Large-Scale Sequencing Proposals. Responding to the escalating demand for genome sequencing to unlock the potential of plants and microbes as fuel for the nation's energy needs, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has announced the call for 2007 Community Sequencing Program (CSP) proposals.
December 1, 2005
DOE JGI Releases Fourth Version of IMG in 2005.
The fourth version of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has been made available to the public.
September 1, 2005
DOE JGI Releases Latest Version of IMG. An enhanced version of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has been made available to the public.
June 2 , 2005
DOE JGI Sequences DNA from Extinct Cave Bear. The genomic DNA sequencing of an extinct Pleistocene cave bear species--the kind of stuff once reserved for science fiction--has been logged into scientific literature thanks to investigators from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI).
June 1 , 2005
DOE JGI Releases Latest Version of IMG . An enhanced version of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system has been released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI). IMG 1.1 contains 32 new public genomes and 14 new genomes sequenced by DOE JGI, bringing the total of genomes in IMG to 337.
May 12, 2005
DOE JGI Announces 2006 Community Sequencing Program Portfolio. . . . More than 40 new genome projects, representing a cornucopia of life forms, from the important grain sorghum to catfish, crustaceans, and a host of extreme lifestyle microbes, slated for DNA sequencing by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI).
April 21, 2005
Study Reveals New Technique for Fingerprinting Environmental Samples. Groundbreaking research led by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) demonstrates for the first time that the signatures of the genes alone in terrestrial and aquatic samples can accurately diagnose the health of the sampled environments.
December 22, 2004
Chromosome 16 Publication Fulfills DOE's Human Genome Commitment. The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI), culminating a 16-year effort, has completed its share of the Human Genome Project with the publication of the DNA sequence and analysis of chromosome 16 in the Dec. 23 issue of Nature.
October 20, 2004
Mice Thrive Despite Massive Genetic Makeover. Can you lose scores of pages from a novel and still follow the story line? In the case of the mouse's genome, or "book of life"--and perhaps even our own--the answer appears to be, astonishingly, "yes."
September 30, 2004
Diatom Genome Reveals Key Role in Biosphere's Carbon Cycle. The first genetic instruction manual of a diatom, from a family of microscopic ocean algae that are among the Earth's most prolific carbon dioxide assimilators, has yielded important insights on how the creature uses nitrogen, fats, and silica to thrive.
September 21, 2004
The Book Opens on the First Tree Genome. An international consortium including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Genome Canada, and the Umeå Plant Science Centre in Sweden has released the first complete DNA sequence of a tree, Populus trichocarpa.
September 15, 2004
Human Chromosome 5 Final Sequence Analysis Released to Public. Four years after publicly revealing the official draft human genetic sequence, researchers have reached the halfway point in dotting the i's and crossing the t's of the genetic sentences describing how to build a human.
August 24 , 2004
JGI Announces Community Sequencing Program Portfolio. JGI announces a heavy emphasis on microbes making up the list of organisms that will stoke the DNA sequencing engine of its Community Sequencing Program (CSP) over the coming year.
June 10 , 2004
JGI, VBI Help Unravel Sudden Oak Death & Soybean Disease. Researchers are closer now to thwarting two related plant pathogens, one causing "Sudden Oak Death" (SOD) and another responsible for a devastating soybean disease.
May 2, 2004
JGI Decodes Wood & Toxic Waste-Degrading Fungus Genome. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) announces today the publication of a high-quality draft genome sequence of the white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium.
March 31, 2004
Gene-Rich Human Chromosome 19 Sequence Completed. The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.
February 2, 2004
First Genomes Revealed from Environmental Microbial Communities. Researchers from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the University of California, Berkeley, report the first genomic characterization of a microbial community.
January 20, 2004
JGI Launches Community Sequencing Program: DOE to support DNA sequencing for edgy science. The Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) is poised for a resounding response to the age-old question, "If we build it, will they come?"
August 13 , 2003
Genomes of Tiny Microbes Yield Clues to Global Climate Change. By analyzing the genomes of several microscopic ocean-dwelling organisms sequenced at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI), scientists are gaining new insights into how the planet's oceans affect its climate.
May 5, 2003
DOE Joint Genome Institute and Diversa Corp. Announce Large-Scale Microbial Sequencing Collaboration. Uncultured microbial gene sequences from diverse ecosystems to provide basis for scientific discovery and product development.
February 28, 2003
Scientists Find That Apes and Monkeys Provide Needed Help in Understanding the Human Genome. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a powerful new technique for deciphering biological information encoded in the human genome. (LBNL)
January 28 , 2003
Eddy Rubin Named JGI Director. Dr. Edward M. (Eddy) Rubin, an internationally known geneticist and medical researcher, has been named Director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute.
December 12 , 2002
Sea squirt joins ranks of organisms whose genome has been sequenced. Sea squirts may be ugly, spineless pests, but a newly completed draft of the creature's genome is providing scientists with important insights into the evolution of their distant relatives, the backboned animals that include humans. (UC Berkeley)
Sea Squirt DNA Sheds Light on Vertebrate Evolution: Genome of Ciona intestinalis Yields New Insights Into the Origins Of Complex Biological Systems. The streamlined genome of Ciona intestinalis, a common sea squirt closely related to vertebrates on the evolutionary tree, is providing new clues about the origins of key vertebrate systems and structures including the human hormone, nervous and immune systems.
October 16, 2002
JGI to Decode DNA of Destructive Plant Pathogen: Researchers Will Sequence Genomes of Microbes That Cause Sudden Oak Death Syndrome and Soybean Rot. Backed by nearly $4 million in funding from three Federal agencies, researchers in California and Virginia are joining forces to learn the genetic secrets of a notorious plant pathogen that causes billions of dollars a year in damage to forests and soybean crops.
October 3 , 2002
Researchers to Toast 'Good' Bacteria: Joint Genome Institute 'Jamboree' Will Examine the Genetic Properties of Lactic Acid-Producing Microbes. The next time you chow down on a sausage pizza, enjoy a refreshing frozen yogurt, or savor a fine wine, remember to thank the bugs.
August 20, 2002
Joint Genome Institute to Sequence Key African Frog Genome: DNA of Xenopus tropicalis Will Provide New Clues to Vertebrate Development. In their continuing search for new clues to how human genes function and how vertebrates develop and evolve, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) are gearing up to map the DNA of a diminutive, fast-growing African frog named Xenopus tropicalis.
July 25, 2002
Pufferfish DNA Yields Clues to Human Biology: Analysis of Fugu rubripes Genome Predicts Nearly 1,000 New Human Genes. An international research consortium led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) reported today on the draft sequencing, assembly, and analysis of the genome of the Japanese pufferfish Fugu rubripes.
May 7, 2002
A First Line of Defense Against Disease Organisms. The JGI, whose Production Genome Facility in Walnut Creek is one of the fastest and most powerful in the U.S., has been enlisted to help safeguard public safety by determining the whole genome sequences of a variety of infectious bacteria--a first step toward developing tests that can be used to rapidly identify their presence in the environment.
December 27, 2001
Department of Energy Solicits Recommendations for Microbial Sequencing Targets. The DOE is seeking nominations of microbes and microbial communities as candidates for draft genomic sequencing in support of its Microbial Genome and Genomes to Life Programs.
October 25 , 2001
Gene-Rich Pufferfish DNA Decoded. An international research consortium has taken a substantial short cut to the biologically important information embedded in the human genome with the completion of a draft sequence of the genome of the Japanese pufferfish Fugu rubripes.
May 1, 2001
The Joint Genome Institute's Walnut Creek facility has been given a new name. The name change--to the Production Genomics Facility from the Production Sequencing Facility--reflects a shift in focus and its changing scientific environment, according to JGI Director Trevor Hawkins.
November 3, 2000
Appointment of Trevor Hawkins as Director of Joint Genome Institute.
October 26, 2000
Consortium to Sequence Fugu Fish: Potential Boon for Gene Hunters. Scientists searching the human genome for genes, and the DNA sequences that control their activity, will soon have a valuable new resource courtesy of the Japanese delicacy, fugu. An international consortium led by researchers at the Joint Genome Institute of the U.S. Department of Energy has announced a collaborative agreement to sequence the Fugu genome.
June 26, 2000
International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium Announces "Working Draft" of Human Genome.
May 9, 2000
JGI Sequences "Supergerm" Genome in One Day.
April 13, 2000
Researchers Decode Three Human Chromosomes. Information May Lead to Treatments for Kidney Disease, Diabetes and Prostate and Colorectal Cancer.
