Reconstructing the universal tree and network of life

重建普遍的生命树和网络：该奖学金项目旨在获得10万个基因组序列，并系统地将这些序列组织成包括垂直遗传和横向转移的自然系统发育关系。当今生物学的挑战之一是重建地球上生命的完整进化历史。实现这一目标的一个主要障碍是我们无法培养大多数微生物物种，而这些物种构成了进化多样性的主体。该项目开发的框架旨在取代目前不完整的微生物分类，以提供对生态学和进化的基本见解。希望该项目的成果可以应用于管理风险和抓住澳大利亚重要行业的机会，包括农业、采矿和生物技术。

Reconstructing the universal tree and network of life: This fellowship project aims to obtain 100 000 genome sequences and systematically organise these into natural phylogenetic relationships comprising both vertical inheritance and lateral transfers. One of the challenges in biology today is to reconstruct the complete evolutionary history of life on Earth. A major hurdle to this goal is our inability to culture most microbial species which comprise the bulk of evolutionary diversity. The framework developed in this project seeks to replace the current incomplete classification of microorganisms to provide fundamental insights into ecology and evolution. It is hoped that the outcomes of the project can be applied to manage risk and capture opportunities in important Australian industries including agriculture, mining and biotechnology.