Community Genome Could Produce Biofuels

Discovery News
Eric Bland, Discovery News

Leaf Cutter Ants | Discovery News Video July 6, 2009 -- The genomes of 17 different ants, fungi and bacteria that eat through hundreds of pounds of leaf matter a year could ultimately lead to new techniques for making biofuels.

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin, the Joint Genome Institute and Emory University are sequencing the first-ever community genome, searching for clues to how what's essentially a 50 million-year-old bioreactor operates.

"These leaf cutter ants, fungi and bacteria can plow through over (880 lbs.) of dry leaves each year," said Garret Suen, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison working on the project.

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