University of Waterloo researchers have developed a powerful new online tool that allows users to navigate through an interactive microbial tree of life, and to generate new scientific hypotheses and discoveries.
By integrating data across thousands of microbial genomes, “AnnoTree” provides a comprehensive framework for exploring the evolution of microbial genes and functions, and can be used to advance research across a wide range of industries including microbiology, biotechnology, industrial products, biofuels, and food science.
Increased understanding of gene function and diversity in microbes can lead to the identification of important biological phenomena, including the spread of antibiotic resistance, the evolution of bacterial pathogens, the origin of new gene families, and instances of gene transfer between specific bacterial genomes. AnnoTree is freely available at http://annotree.uwaterloo.ca
Read more at University of Waterloo