Thule, Greenland - Day One

Arrived at Thule, Greenland after a 5 hr flight from Copenhagen. It was pretty interesting seeing a long line of people all getting on a flight that was headed to a part of the world that usually has less than 600 people there at any given time. Arrival was pretty straightforward, no jetway,...

Thule, Greenland - Day Three

Day three started with me missing breakfast. It seems that folks around here only eat breakfast between 5am and 8am. Today was a very rough day for sampling.  About an hour drive to the area near the site, about a three-mile hike to one spot another half-mile hike to another spot...

The Next Generation Science Standards are Ready for Review

The second draft is ready for public comment through January 29th. Please be sure to take some time to review. http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards

Plant Bioinformatics Workshop

JCVI recently held its 3rd Annual Plant Bioinformatics Workshop from July 15-19th. During the week-long workshop, 20 scientists from the Plant Research community visited JCVI and learned many aspects of Bioinformatics from the members of Chris Town’s Plant Genome group. Attendees included...

Carl Woese 1928-2012

Editor's Note: This post originally appeared on T. Taxus, December 31, 2012, by Jonathan Badger. Dr. Badger  is an Assistant Professor in the Microbial and Environmental Genomics Group at the J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla, CA. Reprinted by permission. As you may have...

'Twas the night before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the building All our creatures were stirring, even our mold; The dishes were placed in the incubator with prayer, In hopes that pure growth soon would be there; The scientists were nestled all...

JCVI Internship Information for 2013 Is Ready

We are now accepting applications for the 2013 Summer Internship Program.  We are excited to be able to continue to inspire young scientists!  Last year, we received 546 applications.  Of which, thirty-one interns were selected to work in diverse areas....

Building a Solid Foundation

The JCVI La Jolla construction site has been busy since earthwork began in 2011. After grading the site to specified levels, a detailed excavation began to make room for the structural concrete footings, supporting slabs, and underground utilities. With all of the holes in just the right...

JCVI Viral Finishing Pipeline: a Winning Combination of Advanced Sequencing Technologies, Software Development and Automated Data Processing

JCVI viral projects are supported by the NIAID Genomic Sequencing Center for Infectious Disease (GSCID). The viral sequencing and finishing pipeline at JCVI combines next generation sequencing technologies with automated data processing. This allowed us to complete over 1,800 viral genomes...

S. pneumoniae sticks to dying lung cells, worsening secondary infection following flu

Sailing the Seas in Search of Microbes

Projects aimed at collecting big data about the ocean’s tiniest life forms continue to expand our view of the seas.

What the Public Should Not Know

J. Craig Venter, PhD, argues scientists have “a moral obligation to communicate what they're doing to the public,” and that more studies deserve greater public criticism.

Scientists coax cells with the world’s smallest genomes to reproduce normally

The discovery could sharpen scientists’ understanding of which functions are crucial for normal cells and what the many mysterious genes in these organisms are doing

San Diego arts, health, science and youth groups to share $71M from Prebys Foundation

The J. Craig Venter Institute is the recipient of three awards totaling more than $1.5M to study SARS-CoV-2 and heart disease

Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of the First Publication of the Human Genome

A new wave of research is needed to make ample use of humanity’s “most wondrous map”

Scientists rush to determine if mutant strain of coronavirus will deepen pandemic

U.S. researchers have been slow to perform the genetic sequencing that will help clarify the situation

After saving countless lives, Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith retires as his own health falters

He has been a fixture in San Diego science for decades