A special interview with author and renowned genome scientist J. Craig Venter, celebrating his new release, The Voyage of Sorcerer II: The Expedition That Unlocked the Secrets of the Ocean's Microbiome. In this interview with Insoo Hyun, you'll learn groundbreaking insights into Craig Venter's 15-year journey around the world, the creation of the first synthetic cell, and the vital role of ocean microbes in our ecosystem. They also discuss the challenges and triumphs of scientific exploration, the politics of genetic research, and the future of biotechnology.
More about Dr. Craig Venter: After completing his landmark work on the Human Genome Project, J. Craig Venter said he would sequence the genetic code of all life on Earth. Thus began a fifteen-year quest to collect the DNA of the world's oldest and most abundant life form: microbes. Aboard the Sorcerer II, a 100-foot sailboat converted into a research vessel, Venter traveled more than 65,000 miles around the world to sample ocean water and the microscopic life it contains.
In The Voyage of Sorcerer II, Venter and science writer David Ewing Duncan tell the remarkable story of these expeditions and the breakthrough discoveries that followed: plant-like bacteria that draw energy from the Sun, proteins that metabolize large quantities of hydrogen, and microbes whose genes protect them from ultraviolet light. The result was an immense library of millions of unknown genes, thousands of novel protein families, and new lineages of bacteria that revealed the unimaginable complexity of life on Earth. Yet despite this exquisite diversity, Venter was confronted with sobering reminders of how human activity is disrupting the delicate microbial ecosystem that sustains life on Earth.
In the face of unprecedented climate change, Venter and Duncan show how we can harness the microbial genome to develop alternative sources of energy, food and medicines that could ultimately stave off our destruction.
Watch more from Dr. Craig Venter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?vEAc39gpbwSc
Among the world's largest science centers, the Science Museum invites millions of people each year to discover the wonders of science and technology through interactive exhibits, digital programs, giant screen productions and live entertainment programs. Preschool to 12 EiE STEM studies through William and Charlotte Bloomberg Science Education. Center. Established in 1830, the museum is home to iconic experiences such as the Electricity Theater, the Charles Hayden Planetarium, and the Mugar Omni Theater. Around the world, the Museum is known for digital experiences such as Mission: Mars on Roblox and traveling exhibitions such as Science Behind Pixar. Learn more at https://www.mos.org/
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