First, all metagenomics is based on the genomic analysis of microbial DNA that is extracted directly from communities in environmental samples, a process that circumvents culturing. Second ...

That’s kind of what [Ciro] did. Wanting to determine the bacteria in a water sample led to using relatively inexpensive DNA sequencing hardware to look at the DNA present in the samples.

1) offers several advantages for metagenomics studies. The first breakthrough is that it eliminates the requirement to clone DNA fragments into bacteria. Consequently, the Genome Sequencer FLX ...