This spring, the National Research Council released a report titled "The New Science of Metagenomics: Revealing the Secrets of Our Microbial Planet." To many, the term "metagenomics" might seem abstract--after all, it does sound like "metaphysics." So what is microbial metagenomics, and what is its relevance to the future of biology, biological engineering, and biotechnology?

Conventional genomic research on microörganisms determines the DNA sequences of individual microbes by examining cultivated strains. In metagenomics, DNA sequence information is extracted from entire microbial communities in situ. Metagenomic approaches use this bulk data to infer underlying properties of both individual microbes and microbial communities as a whole.