Los Alamos National Lab makes a case for improving algae genome data

In New Mexico, research by scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) suggest that, as the availability of algae genomes expands, the data about novel algae genome sequences is becoming increasingly unreliable and may leave out critical information about the strains’ DNA.

Although there are more algae sequences available now than ever before, the quality of the genomic data published in literature is increasingly inconsistent and  full of gaps and mistakes. This lack of quality can misrepresent what genes—and functions—are available in a given species.

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) reviewed the current state of public databases and the accepted methodology for assessing genomes.