Dr. Mark Gerstein

Mark Gerstein, a molecular biologist at Yale, reported in the Jan. 19-26, 2009 issue of Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, his group’s research that links genomic changes in microorganisms of the sea with their environmental conditions, such as water temperature and salinity.  This “metagenomics” approach raises the possibility of using microbes to detect environmental changes or toxic chemicals, in addition to sentinel species and mechanical sensors.  MORE