In a recent paper in Science, Professor Edward DeLong and colleagues report that microbes in the open ocean follow predictable patterns of biological activity throughout the day, such as eating, breathing, and growing. DeLong says. “What we’re seeing out in the ocean tells us how complex assemblages of different microorganisms are basically working together and coordinating their activities with time.” Improvements in genome sequencing technologies make it possible to “sequence a lot deeper into the microbial community’s gene transcripts at each time point, so we’re getting closer to the resolution of where activities really matter.” Read the full MIT News story: https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/ocean-bacteria-follow-predictable-patterns-daily-activity-0710