Scott Edmunds

*![Hong Kong Biodiversity Genome
Project](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HKBGP-Logo-White-Background-300x169.png){.wp-image-5741
.aligncenter fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="720"
height="405"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HKBGP-Logo-White-Background-300x169.png 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HKBGP-Logo-White-Background-1024x576.png 1024w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HKBGP-Logo-White-Background-768x432.png 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HKBGP-Logo-White-Background.png 1200w"
sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px"}The first emblematic species
sequenced by the Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium are
published to coincide with International DNA Day. Joining a global
"moonshot for biology" that aims to sequence, catalogue, and
characterize the genomes of all of Earth's eukaryotic biodiversity.*

A significant portion of modern knowledge in biology has emerged through
sequencing the genetic code of the world's biodiversity, which to date
has been largely uncharacterized and increasingly threatened by climate
change, habitat destruction, species exploitation, and other
human-related activities. Hong Kong is a rich but threatened hotspot of
biodiversity and home to over 3,000 species of plants, 570 species of
birds, 25 species of amphibians, 90 species of reptiles, and 55 species
of terrestrial mammals as well as more than 25% of the marine life
recorded in China. And the territory has been shaped by its
biodiversity, known as the "Fragrant Harbour" because of the native
agarwood trees (see the [related paper in
*GigaScience*](https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giaa013)), and the
emblem of the city being the Hong Kong Bauhinia (a mysterious hybrid
flower species that *GigaScience* has been [involved in
decoding](http://bauhiniagenome.hk/)). A collective effort to sequence
the genomes of these incredible natural resources of Hong Kong has just
been launched, and the first five genomes are released today in
*GigaByte* to coincide with International DNA Day. GigaBlog has
regularly [highlighted DNA Day each
year](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/tag/dna-day/), so this year it
is good to highlight a project close to home.

::: {#attachment_5742 .wp-caption .aligncenter style="width: 711px"}
![Hong Kong Biodiversity Genome
Project](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scott-and-Jerome-300x216.jpg){.wp-image-5742
decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5742" width="701"
height="505"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scott-and-Jerome-300x216.jpg 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scott-and-Jerome-768x552.jpg 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scott-and-Jerome.jpg 1000w"
sizes="(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px"}

Our EiC getting shown the project's UGC-funded PacBio sequencer by Dr
Jerome Hui.
:::

Assembling researchers from all eight University Grants Committee-funded
universities in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics
Consortium formed to tackle this grand challenge. Also known as the
EarthBioGenome Project Hong Kong, this effort aligns with and helps fill
many of the geographic and species gaps in the [Earth BioGenome Project
(EBP)](https://www.earthbiogenome.org/), a global "moonshot for biology"
that aims to sequence, catalog, and characterize the genomes of all of
Earth's eukaryotic (non-microbial) biodiversity over a period of 10
years. Bringing together a group of academics with expertise in
biodiversity and genomics from the eight public universities were funded
by a Collaborative Research Grant in the Hong Kong Grant Council, which
obtained a genome sequencer helping to kickstart a network for future
biodiversity genomics research in this region. The eight UGC-funded
universities involved being University of Hong Kong, Chinese University
of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist
University, Lingnan University, and the Education University of Hong
Kong.

Until now genomic data from Hong Kong's species has been lacking, which
has hindered the basic understanding of its rich biodiversity, as well
as aid the utilisation of these genomic resources for a variety of
purposes ranging from basic to applied science. Such benefits range from
increasing the understanding of how biodiversity is evolving under
climate change, conservation of endangered species, provision of
ecosystem services, to discovering hidden biological knowledge for new
technological inventions and development, as well as a sustainable
future.

::: {#attachment_5743 .wp-caption .aligncenter style="width: 710px"}
![Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consoritum
species](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Hong-Kong-Mangrove-Habitat-CC0-smaller-300x225.jpg){.wp-image-5743
decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5743" width="700"
height="525"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Hong-Kong-Mangrove-Habitat-CC0-smaller-300x225.jpg 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Hong-Kong-Mangrove-Habitat-CC0-smaller-768x576.jpg 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Hong-Kong-Mangrove-Habitat-CC0-smaller.jpg 1000w"
sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"}

Hong Kong's milky mangrove, showing some of the pristine and biodiverse
habitats in Hong Kong
:::

The project has initially been focusing on the organisms that are of
high concern and great interest to Hong Kong, the local public was asked
to nominate what species of animal, plant, and fungi they were most
interested. After engaging the community to gather these wider views,
work is now underway sequencing the first-10 iconic and diverse species.
Asking the consortium about this wider outreach they say:

"Thus we have launched the species nomination call to the public. After
obtaining the species list, we have discussed and narrowed down to start
with those species with significant biological, ecological, cultural,
and/or conservation values, and to obtain their genomes." For the next
steps the consortium says: "We have put in a new grant application
aiming to sequence genomes of a group of animals together with secondary
school students, NGOs, and postgraduate students."

** 
D-day for Hong Kong's DNA Day 
**Being based in Hong Kong, *GigaByte* are proud to publish today the
first five of these genomes that have different scientific and
conservation values in the Asia-Pacific region. These first papers
include the beautiful [golden birdwing butterfly (*Troides
aeacus)*](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.122), important marine
species including the [common chiton (*Liolophura
japonic)*](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.123) and [long-spined sea
urchin (*Diadema setosum)*](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.121), the
[edible jelly fungus *Dacryopinax
spathularia*](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.120), and the [milky
mangrove (*Excoecaria
agallocha)*](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.119). Genomes of other
emblematic and much-loved local species such as the black-faced
spoonbill (*Platalea minor*) are also underway (see the
[preprint](https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.08.588650)). These genomes
are the cornerstone of the roadmap for Hong Kong's eukaryotic genome
resources and sequencing initiatives, and help it join countries and
regions such as the British Isles, California and Chile in
systematically sequencing local species to help understand, manage and
protect regional biodiversity. This [new
series](https://doi.org/10.46471/GIGABYTE_SERIES_0006) of papers being
launched in *GigaByte* helps provide a home for the ongoing project and
papers providing resources to assist the aims of promoting these efforts
in Hong Kong. This joins other series bringing together thematic and
taxonomic groups of species such as our [snake genomes
series](https://doi.org/10.46471/GIGABYTE_SERIES_0004) (also hosting the
genome of a Hong Kong species most commonly responsible for snakebite
there, the [white-lipped pit
viper](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.106)). If you have similar
groups of genomes you are looking for a home for then please get in
touch.

![Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium
species](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Butterfly-HKBGP-CC-BY-300x200.jpg){.wp-image-5744
.aligncenter loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="701" height="467"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Butterfly-HKBGP-CC-BY-300x200.jpg 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Butterfly-HKBGP-CC-BY-1024x682.jpg 1024w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Butterfly-HKBGP-CC-BY-768x511.jpg 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Butterfly-HKBGP-CC-BY-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Butterfly-HKBGP-CC-BY.jpg 1600w"
sizes="(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px"}

**References:**

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Series Page. GigaByte. 2024.
<https://doi.org/10.46471/GIGABYTE_SERIES_0006>

Ding X et al. Genome sequence of the agarwood tree *Aquilaria sinensis*
(Lour.) Spreng: the first chromosome-level draft genome in the
Thymelaeceae family. *Gigascience*. 2020 Mar 1;9(3):giaa013.
<https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giaa013>

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Genome assembly of the milky
mangrove *Excoecaria agallocha. GigaByte*. 2024.
[https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.119](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.116)

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Genome assembly of the
edible jelly fungus *Dacryopinax spathularia* (Dacrymycetaceae).
*GigaByte*. 2024.
[https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.120](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.116)

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Chromosomal-level genome
assembly of the long-spined sea urchin *Diadema setosum* (Leske, 1778).
*GigaByte*. 2024.
[https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.121](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.116)

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Chromosomal-level genome
assembly of golden birdwing *Troides aeacus* (Felder & Felder, 1860).
*GigaByte*. 2024.
[https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.122](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.116)

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Chromosome-level genome
assembly of the common chiton, *Liolophura japonica* (Lischke, 1873).
*GigaByte*. 2024.
[https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.123](https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.116)

Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium. Chromosomal-level genome
assembly and single-nucleotide polymorphism sites of black-faced
spoonbill *Platalea minor*. bioRxiv. \[preprint\] 2024.
<https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.08.588650>

 

The post [DNA Day Launch for Hong Kong's Moonshot for
Biology](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/hong-kong-biodiversity-genomics-consortium/){rel="nofollow"}
appeared first on
[GigaBlog](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog){rel="nofollow"}.

The first emblematic species sequenced by the Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium are published to coincide with International DNA Day.

DNA Day Launch for Hong Kong’s Moonshot for Biology

Hans Zauner

It’s DNA day, commemorating the publication of the structure of DNA in 1953, as well as the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Genomics has come a long way since then. Today it is possible to sequence whole genomes with a very reasonable investment of time and money. What an amazing time for scientists who are working with non-model organisms.

DNA Day 2019: How to sequence the genomes of the weird and wonderful

**I'm a genomicist, get me into here.**  
Today is [DNA Day](https://www.genome.gov/10506367/national-dna-day/),
commemorating the day in 1953 when [Watson,
Crick](https://www.nature.com/articles/171737a0), Wilkins, Franklin et
al. published their Nature papers on the structure of DNA, as well as
the day in 2003 that the completion of the Human Genome Project was
declared. Or at least when the project conceded "the remaining tiny gaps
\[we\]re considered too costly to fill". This 65th and 15th anniversary
of the DNA structure and human genomes is a good point to look back at
how far molecular biology and genomics has advanced in that time. From
an enormous Manhattan-like project (co-incidentally [also involving Los
Alamos](http://la-science.lanl.gov/lascience20.shtml)) genomics has
evolved and democratised to such an extent that it can now be carried
out anywhere via hand-held Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencers. We've
charted the rise and development of these nanopore sequencers in many
papers (including the [first whole bacterial genome assembly in
2014](https://doi.org/10.1186/2047-217X-3-22)), and a [new
paper](https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giy033) just out this month
takes DNA sequencing and genomics to a completely new place: the jungle.

> Welcome to my laboratory
> ![🙂](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f642.png){.wp-smiley
> style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;"}
>
> Sequencing long ribosomal cluster from plants, insects & fungi in
> real-time in the Amazon rainforest. Within a few mins of
> [@nanopore](https://twitter.com/nanopore?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) data
> generated, performed BLAST & got correct hits! Dual indexing looks
> great for pooling many
> samples[\#junglegenomics](https://twitter.com/hashtag/junglegenomics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [pic.twitter.com/UQVjYfmU8U](https://t.co/UQVjYfmU8U)
>
> --- Aaron Pomerantz (@AaronPomerantz) [April 2,
> 2018](https://twitter.com/AaronPomerantz/status/980873273348038656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Following in the footsteps of our many [author
Q&A's](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/tag/qa/) we thought we would
interview first author Aaron Pomerantz on his work, where genomics has
taken him, and his view of where the field of genomics is on DNA Day
2018.

**Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into this area of
research?**

::: {#attachment_2376 .wp-caption .alignright style="width: 310px"}
![DNA Day in the
jungle](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/35_Lab_Field-300x225.jpg){.size-medium
.wp-image-2376 loading="lazy" decoding="async"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2376" width="300" height="225"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/35_Lab_Field-300x225.jpg 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/35_Lab_Field-768x576.jpg 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/35_Lab_Field-1024x768.jpg 1024w"
sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"}

Aaron Pomeratz in his natural environment -- sequencing DNA in the
jungle.
:::

I was always fascinated with biodiversity and the natural world growing
up, but never envisioned I'd be a scientist using portable technology in
a rainforest one day. During my B.S. degree I studied entomology and
followed up with a M.S. degree focusing on molecular biology techniques.
It was right after my M.S. that I visited a colleague on a research trip
to Peru and happened to be offered a position as a field biologist at
the [Tambopata Research
Center](http://www.perunature.com/amazon_lodge/tambopata-research-center/){saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.perunature.com/amazon_lodge/tambopata-research-center/&source=gmail&ust=1524642261845000&usg=AFQjCNFxfdAfGH6wjtYKOdodMV-ieNLgrw"},
in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. During this time, I became
interested in applying portable scientific instruments to fieldwork, and
the timing was right with newly developed tools, such as the
[Foldscope](https://www.foldscope.com/){saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://www.foldscope.com/&source=gmail&ust=1524642261845000&usg=AFQjCNHbs1S6Y42YPsVn3bj3E0O1wrQCqw"}
(an origami-based microscope) and the Oxford Nanopore Technologies
[MinION](https://nanoporetech.com/){saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://nanoporetech.com/&source=gmail&ust=1524642261845000&usg=AFQjCNFqRqpdvpm_Wbrdh-LPkEYNdAtl4w"}
(a portable DNA sequencer). I was fortunate to receive grant funding
from the National Geographic Society to apply this new idea and tools to
biodiversity research in the tropics and have worked to advance this
developing area of research now as a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley.

**Today is DNA Day, and as it's the 15th anniversary of the completion
of the human genome project, where \$3billion USD and took a decade to
sequence a single reference genome. Predominantly carried out in
cavernous sequencing centers in a few wealthy countries. How does this
contrast with your current work?**

I think anyone who spends time around genome sequencing projects hears
the adage of how far we've come in recent years with advancements in
sequencing technologies and how much it has dropped in price since the
"early days" of the first human genome. But it's still incredible to
take a step back and think about how this rapid change with sequencing
genetic material is impacting scientific research today. I'm
enthusiastic about the sequencers themselves dropping in price and
becoming portable, because this allows for greater access to communities
beyond extensive sequencing facilities in wealthy countries, especially
in the context of biodiversity, environmental, and epidemiology
research. Thus far I have primarily worked in Peru and Ecuador, where it
is difficult to find access to any kind of sequencing platform within
the country, and this lack of equipment can significantly delay or
hinder research efforts when samples must be shipped internationally.
For my own work, it's hard to express how exciting it has been to
collaborate with local researchers and test out our ability to rapidly
identify plant, animal, and fungal species without ever leaving the
rainforest. I think in the near future, obtaining genetic information
from an organism will be as simple of a task as taking a photo on our
cell phone is today.

**The human genome project used "1st generation" sanger sequencing
technology, and the massive explosion of genomics research of the last
decade has relied on super cheap "2nd generation" sequencing technology.
This study used a new 3rd generation nanopore sequencing approach, so
how was that useful to your project?**

::: {#attachment_2375 .wp-caption .alignleft style="width: 310px"}
![Snakes and a
nanopore.](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_Viper_Nanopore-300x200.jpg){.size-medium
.wp-image-2375 loading="lazy" decoding="async"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2375" width="300" height="200"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_Viper_Nanopore-300x200.jpg 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_Viper_Nanopore-768x512.jpg 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_Viper_Nanopore-1024x682.jpg 1024w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1_Viper_Nanopore.jpg 2000w"
sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"}

Snakes not on a plane. Courtesy of A Pomerantz.
:::

What interests me about "3rd generation" nanopore sequencing is that it
is so fundamentally different from the previous platforms, especially
with the ability to sequence long stretches of native DNA or RNA
molecules in real-time. The utility of the MinION nanopore platform is
that it's small (making my cell phone look bulky in comparison) and can
simply run off the power of my laptop. The read data starts to generate
immediately, so while attempting to identify species through DNA
sequencing, I can take some raw reads, search against a database, and
start to get a sense of what it is within minutes while in the field. In
a nutshell, I think nanopore sequencing is so compelling for projects
like my own because of the ability to sequence anything, anywhere,
anytime.

**The human genome project was an international effort involving the US,
UK, Japan, France, Germany, Spain and China (which [involved our
co-publishers BGI](https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2FS1672-0229(04)02009-1)).
In that case the reference DNA was shipped across the world between
giant sequencing labs, so what advantages does bringing the sequencers
to the DNA rather than the other way now bring?**

::: {#attachment_2377 .wp-caption .alignright style="width: 310px"}
![DNA Day in Hong
Kong](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Illumina_Hiseq_2000_sequencers_BGI_Hong_Kong_sequencing_room-300x225.jpg){.size-medium
.wp-image-2377 loading="lazy" decoding="async"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2377" width="300" height="225"
srcset="http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Illumina_Hiseq_2000_sequencers_BGI_Hong_Kong_sequencing_room-300x225.jpg 300w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Illumina_Hiseq_2000_sequencers_BGI_Hong_Kong_sequencing_room-768x576.jpg 768w, http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Illumina_Hiseq_2000_sequencers_BGI_Hong_Kong_sequencing_room-1024x768.jpg 1024w"
sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"}

The view from BGI Hong Kong
:::

Portable sequencing still entails some challenges, and there are certain
contexts when it is useful to be in a more controlled laboratory setting
with your sample. However, I think bringing the lab to the sample,
rather than shipping the sample to a lab, can be a fundamental shift in
how we think about many aspects of fieldwork and international projects.
Rapid disease diagnostics, biodiversity assessments, wildlife/timber
trafficking, and water/food quality are some of the areas where I think
it can be far more advantageous to bring the sequencer to the field
rather than ship material abroad.

**[We've previously
covered](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/bringing-wildlife-forensics-into-the-omics-era-qa-with-alfred-arulandhu-and-martijn-staats/){saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/bringing-wildlife-forensics-into-the-omics-era-qa-with-alfred-arulandhu-and-martijn-staats/&source=gmail&ust=1524642261845000&usg=AFQjCNHK1anblGalKYW2lwlkVyQsHle6Tg"} how
second generation sequencing technology is shaking up wildlife forensics
by massively increasing the throughput and decreasing the cost. How do
you think 3rd generation nanopore technology can take conservation and
wildlife protection further?**

In our paper, I thought it was appropriate to conclude by saying,

*"While we live in a period of amazing technological change,
biodiversity and ecosystem health are decreasing worldwide. Portable
sequencing will not be a silver bullet for conservation biology but it
can be a powerful tool to more efficiently obtain information about the
diversity of life on our planet."*

Current sequencing technologies have significantly increased in
throughput and decreased in cost per sample, which is important for
making conservation projects more robust and cost-effective. But these
current sequencing platforms themselves are still prohibitively
expensive and primarily relegated to facilities in wealthy countries,
whereas the most biodiverse and threatened regions on the planet are
typically in less developed parts of the world. Therefore, I think the
advantage of portable nanopore technology is that it can bridge this gap
by bringing the lab into the field, serving as a tool to quickly obtain
genetic information that can be used to identify species/populations,
establish geographic distributions, aid with *in situ* conservation
actions, *ex situ* breeding programs, and promote conservation law
efforts. The next steps will be finding ways to make portable sequencing
more cost-effective by processing numerous samples per run, developing
easy to use tools for upstream processing of DNA/RNA in the field, and
efficient downstream bioinformatics analyses, which are areas myself and
collaborators are actively working on now.

**We've come an incredibly long way in the last 15 years, so where do
you think this technology and field will be in another 15 years?**

If you told me just a few years ago that people would be sequencing DNA
in jungles, [the arctic](https://doi.org/10.1101/073965), [and
space](http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18364-0), I probably
wouldn't believe you. It's hard to imagine where sequencing technology
will be 15 years from now, but myself and others have envisioned a sort
of 'handheld DNA scanner' that someone can fit in their pocket and
sequence genomes in minutes. With the advent of nanopore sequencing, I
think this technology can get us to that easy sample-to-DNA device to
answer your biological question, whether it's sequencing a person to
find out what's making them sick, identifying a new species, or winning
a bet in the sushi restaurant if that tuna really is tuna. As a PhD
candidate right now, I'm very excited to be in the biological sciences.
Working alongside others using new technology to address big challenges
and understand the natural world is what drives me and what makes me
optimistic about more advances to come in the next 15 years!

**Further Reading**  
Pomerantz A, Peñafiel N, Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Pichardo F, Coloma LA,
Barrio-Amorós CL, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Prost S. Real-time DNA barcoding
in a rainforest using nanopore sequencing: opportunities for rapid
biodiversity assessments and local capacity building. Gigascience. 2018
Apr 1;7(4). doi:
[10.1093/gigascience/giy033](https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giy033).

The post [DNA Day in the Jungle. Aaron Pomerantz on
\#JungleOmics](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog/dnaday2018/){rel="nofollow"}
appeared first on
[GigaBlog](http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog){rel="nofollow"}.


I’m a genomicist, get me into here.

Today is DNA Day, commemorating the day in 1953 when Watson, Crick, Wilkins, Franklin et al. published their Nature papers on the structure of DNA, as well as the day in 2003 that the completion of the Human Genome Project was declared.

Rogue Scholar Posts

DNA Day Launch for Hong Kong’s Moonshot for Biology

DNA Day 2019: How to sequence the genomes of the weird and wonderful

DNA Day in the Jungle. Aaron Pomerantz on #JungleOmics