Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition
Microbial communities in remote locations remain under-studied. This is particularly true on glaciers and icecaps, which cover approximately 11% of the Earth’s surface. The principal reason for this is the inaccessibility of most of these areas due to their extreme isolation and challenging environm...
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MDPI AG
2019
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10110902 https://doaj.org/article/c4c4d25e752e4a32a38322a9dfba0b45 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:c4c4d25e752e4a32a38322a9dfba0b45 2023-05-15T16:38:06+02:00 Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition Glen-Oliver. F. Gowers Oliver Vince John-Henry Charles Ingeborg Klarenberg Tom Ellis Arwyn Edwards 2019-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10110902 https://doaj.org/article/c4c4d25e752e4a32a38322a9dfba0b45 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/11/902 https://doaj.org/toc/2073-4425 2073-4425 doi:10.3390/genes10110902 https://doaj.org/article/c4c4d25e752e4a32a38322a9dfba0b45 Genes, Vol 10, Iss 11, p 902 (2019) metagenomics nanopore polar expedition microbial sequencing Genetics QH426-470 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10110902 2022-12-30T21:04:00Z Microbial communities in remote locations remain under-studied. This is particularly true on glaciers and icecaps, which cover approximately 11% of the Earth’s surface. The principal reason for this is the inaccessibility of most of these areas due to their extreme isolation and challenging environmental conditions. While remote research stations have significantly lowered the barrier to studying the microbial communities on icecaps, their use has led to a bias for data collection in the near vicinity of these institutions. Here, miniaturisation of a DNA sequencing lab suitable for off-grid metagenomic studies is demonstrated. Using human power alone, this lab was transported across Europe’s largest ice cap (Vatnajökull, Iceland) by ski and sledge. After 11 days of unsupported polar-style travel, a metagenomic study of a geothermal hot spring gorge was conducted on the remote northern edge of the ice cap. This tent-based metagenomic study resulted in over 24 h of Nanopore sequencing, powered by solar power alone. This study demonstrates the ability to conduct DNA sequencing in remote locations, far from civilised resources (mechanised transport, external power supply, internet connection, etc.), whilst greatly reducing the time from sample collection to data acquisition. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice cap Iceland Vatnajökull Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Vatnajökull ENVELOPE(-16.823,-16.823,64.420,64.420) Genes 10 11 902 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
metagenomics nanopore polar expedition microbial sequencing Genetics QH426-470 |
spellingShingle |
metagenomics nanopore polar expedition microbial sequencing Genetics QH426-470 Glen-Oliver. F. Gowers Oliver Vince John-Henry Charles Ingeborg Klarenberg Tom Ellis Arwyn Edwards Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition |
topic_facet |
metagenomics nanopore polar expedition microbial sequencing Genetics QH426-470 |
description |
Microbial communities in remote locations remain under-studied. This is particularly true on glaciers and icecaps, which cover approximately 11% of the Earth’s surface. The principal reason for this is the inaccessibility of most of these areas due to their extreme isolation and challenging environmental conditions. While remote research stations have significantly lowered the barrier to studying the microbial communities on icecaps, their use has led to a bias for data collection in the near vicinity of these institutions. Here, miniaturisation of a DNA sequencing lab suitable for off-grid metagenomic studies is demonstrated. Using human power alone, this lab was transported across Europe’s largest ice cap (Vatnajökull, Iceland) by ski and sledge. After 11 days of unsupported polar-style travel, a metagenomic study of a geothermal hot spring gorge was conducted on the remote northern edge of the ice cap. This tent-based metagenomic study resulted in over 24 h of Nanopore sequencing, powered by solar power alone. This study demonstrates the ability to conduct DNA sequencing in remote locations, far from civilised resources (mechanised transport, external power supply, internet connection, etc.), whilst greatly reducing the time from sample collection to data acquisition. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Glen-Oliver. F. Gowers Oliver Vince John-Henry Charles Ingeborg Klarenberg Tom Ellis Arwyn Edwards |
author_facet |
Glen-Oliver. F. Gowers Oliver Vince John-Henry Charles Ingeborg Klarenberg Tom Ellis Arwyn Edwards |
author_sort |
Glen-Oliver. F. Gowers |
title |
Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition |
title_short |
Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition |
title_full |
Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition |
title_fullStr |
Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition |
title_full_unstemmed |
Entirely Off-Grid and Solar-Powered DNA Sequencing of Microbial Communities during an Ice Cap Traverse Expedition |
title_sort |
entirely off-grid and solar-powered dna sequencing of microbial communities during an ice cap traverse expedition |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10110902 https://doaj.org/article/c4c4d25e752e4a32a38322a9dfba0b45 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-16.823,-16.823,64.420,64.420) |
geographic |
Vatnajökull |
geographic_facet |
Vatnajökull |
genre |
Ice cap Iceland Vatnajökull |
genre_facet |
Ice cap Iceland Vatnajökull |
op_source |
Genes, Vol 10, Iss 11, p 902 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/11/902 https://doaj.org/toc/2073-4425 2073-4425 doi:10.3390/genes10110902 https://doaj.org/article/c4c4d25e752e4a32a38322a9dfba0b45 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10110902 |
container_title |
Genes |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
902 |
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1766028406538895360 |