Craig Venter, a leader of one of the teams that sequenced the human genome, has now turned his attention to cataloging the microbial life of the oceans. His studies, which involve PCR amplification of microbial DNA and a sequencing of the PCR products, are part of a field of biology called
A) functional genomics.
B) transposon-tagging.
C) proteomics.
D) phenomics.
E) metagenomics.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The field of biology that involves sequencing DNA from complex microbial communities in order to study their genetic diversity and functions is known as metagenomics. Craig Venter's current research on cataloging microbial life in the oceans using PCR amplification and sequencing of microbial DNA falls within this field. Therefore, the best choice is E: metagenomics.

Craig Venter, a Leader of One of the Teams That