The Atlantic: "The White House Launches the National Microbiome Initiative"

[Sasha]

From 13 May, though I haven't seen anything on it:

Last October, we ran a story titled “Hey Obama, Can We Have a Unified Microbiome Initiative? Yours, the microbiologists.”

As it happens, the answer is yes.

Today, the White House is announcing the launch of the National Microbiome Initiative (NMI)—an ambitious plan to better understand the microbes that live in humans, other animals, crops, soils, oceans, and more. These miniscule organisms are attracting mammoth budgets: federal agencies are committing $121 million to the NMI over the next two years, while more than 100 universities, non-profits, and companies are chipping in another $400 million.

Essentially, America has decided to point half a billion microscopes at the planet, and look through them....

Read the rest at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/science/...es-the-national-microbiome-initiative/482598/

Edit: Ian Lipkin appears at 3:40 in the video at the end of the article. Of interest to @aimossy?

 

[adreno]

Now we are getting somewhere