Solving Soil’s Microscopic Mysteries: Introduction to Metagenomics

Like your gut microbiome, the soil counterpart is composed of all the microorganisms (or “microbes”) that live there. Having this information is incredibly valuable to those who are interested in measuring soil health, including: farmers, agronomists, scientists, and any business invested in agriculture.

How do we know what microbes are in the soil?
There are a few different technologies that can shine a light on the invisible world of microbes. Because it provides the most clear picture, Trace Genomics uses DNA sequencing to understand the soil microbiome. In order to understand how that works, let’s back up a little bit…

What is DNA?
DNA is known as the “blueprint of life” because it contains all the information necessary to “build” a living organism. It’s a biological molecule made up of four different chemical building blocks called bases; you can think of it like a language with four letters in the alphabet.