Bridging Place-Based Astrobiology Education with Genomics, Including Descriptions of Three Novel Bacterial Species Isolated from Mars Analog Sites of Cultural Relevance.

Democratizing genomic data science, including bioinformatics, can diversify the STEM workforce and may, in turn, bring new perspectives into the space sciences. In this respect, the development of education and research programs that bridge genome science with "place" and world-views specific to a given region are valuable for Indigenous students and educators. Through a multi-institutional collaboration, we developed an ongoing education program and model that includes Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing, free bioinformatic platforms, and teacher training workshops to address our research and education goals through a place-based science education lens.

Metabolic versatility of from geothermal features of Hawai'i and Chile as revealed by five metagenome-assembled genomes.

Members of the archaeal order (previously the phylum Aigarchaeota) are poorly sampled and are represented in public databases by relatively few genomes. Additional representative genomes will help resolve their placement among all known members of and provide insights into their roles in the environment. In this study, we analyzed 16S rRNA gene amplicons belonging to the that are available in public databases, which demonstrated that archaea of the order are diverse, widespread, and most abundant in geothermal habitats.

A comparative study of in vitro air-liquid interface culture models of the human airway epithelium evaluating cellular heterogeneity and gene expression at single cell resolution.

Background: The airway epithelium is composed of diverse cell types with specialized functions that mediate homeostasis and protect against respiratory pathogens. Human airway epithelial (HAE) cultures at air-liquid interface are a physiologically relevant in vitro model of this heterogeneous tissue and have enabled numerous studies of airway disease. HAE cultures are classically derived from primary epithelial cells, the relatively limited passage capacity of which can limit experimental methods and study designs.

, sp. nov., from an air conditioner condensate drain line.

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped and filamentous bacterium designated MD30B was isolated from a biofilm hanging in water flowing from an air conditioner condensate drain line in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Based on 1517 nucleotides of the strain's 16S rRNA gene, its nearest neighbours are T16R-86 (96.7 %), S-52 (96.