With the 21st Century dawns what many have called the "biological century," in which advances in biology—spurred by achievements in genomic research, including the sequencing of the human genome—will bring revolutionary and unconventional solutions to some of mankind’s most pressing and expensive challenges in health, energy, the environment, and national security.

Bolstered by their success in the Human Genome Project (www.ornl.gov/hgmis), DOE has further catalyzed the genome industry through its Genomes to Life (doegenomestolife.org) and Microbial Genome Programs. Investigators in these programs are working to understand how living organisms interact with and respond to their environments. Results will provide insights into numerous DOE mission challenges including how biological processes can be used to produce clean energy, remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and assist in environmental cleanup.

To accomplish these goals, DOE supports leading-edge research by scientists from academia, the national laboratories, and the private sector in science areas including: structural biology, genome sequencing, functional genomics, climate science, the global carbon cycle, environmental molecular science, computational biology, and medical imaging.

Related Topics:
climate prediction, environmental cleanup, Genomes to Life (molecular machines), global climate change, Human Genome Program, Joint Genome Institute, Microbial Genome Program, radiation biology, synchrotron structural biology facilities at Argonne Light Source, Advanced Photon Source, and the National Synchrotron Light Source.

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