The food supply, and the carbon cycle. Metagenomics is also an important tool that scientists and engineers can use to understand microbes and how they can be used for renewable energy.
First:
Watch:
How Does Chris Packam's Garden Grow?
Read:
The NY Times article "Is That Old Dump Leaking? Ask the Bugs"
Next, post to the discussion board:
The NY Times article is about contamination due to chemicals leaching from a landfill in upstate NY, prompting a complicated and costly monitoring system to safeguard the groundwater. In this article, Professor Paula Mouser advocates for an alternative: using metagenomic technologies for monitoring landfills.
If you had to argue either for or against using metagenomic technologies for monitoring the landfill in your community, what could you say to your town council about the benefits, risks, and costs of using metagenomics to keep your community from being contaminated?
Once you have posted your own discussion response, you are required to comment on the posts of at least two of your classmates. You can agree or disagree with their posts, but you must explain why you have chosen to do so. Remember, if you provide a quotation from a source (i.e., your textbook or the Internet), you must include the correct citation and reference. Also, be sure to read the feedback on your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.