⚒️ Article: Eukaryotic microbes within a subglacial brine-fed system in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are largely of marine origin, a legacy of past incursions of seawater @jcvi.org @scrippsocean.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute and collaborators found molecular evidence of a marine-derived community of microscopic eukaryotes living near Blood Falls, a striking iron-rich outflow emerging from beneath Taylor Glacier.

JCVI has been awarded a $200,000 Emily Beazley Kures for Kids Fund St. Baldrick’s Research Grant to support Nan Zhu, Ph.D.'s research into a novel dual-action therapy for MLL-rearranged childhood leukemias—

In the final legs of their Tonga expedition, Dr. Garza and the eXXpedition crew partnered with local communities to better understand the sources of marine plastic pollution affecting their islands.

All aboard the Wind Shift as Dr. Garza and the Exxpedition crew kicked things off on Tongatapu—Tonga’s main Island. www.jcvi.org/blog/trackin...

Tracking plastic pollution from source to sea: Kicking off the Expedition in Tongatapu

The expedition started off in Tongatapu, the main Island of Tonga and home of its capital Nuku‘alofa. The Exxpedition team was able to conduct a...

jcvi.org

Tiny. Abundant. Essential. A single-celled ocean alga is helping scientists understand how life survives in low-light, iron-poor waters—conditions that cover vast regions of global oceans. www.jcvi.org/media-center...

Tiny, abundant ocean alga shows how life thrives where sunlight and iron are scarce

LA JOLLA, California—June 22, 2026—Many ocean ecosystems have a “hidden green zone” below the surface where chlorophyll—an...

jcvi.org

New study from JCVI's @taeseokmoon.bsky.social: DNA carrying antibiotic-resistance genes can remain functional after common decontamination steps like bleach & autoclaving. Findings can help refine biosafety guidance & disposal practices.🧪@cp-cellrepmethods.bsky.social www.jcvi.org/media-center...

Study finds DNA carrying antibiotic resistance genes can remain functional after common lab decontamination steps

La Jolla, California—May 8, 2026—A new study in the journal Cell Reports Methods raises a practical biosafety question that begins after an...

jcvi.org

JCVI scientist Erin Garza is joining the Global All-Women Sailing Expedition to study how plastic pollution moves from land to sea in Tonga. During Leg 3, she will lead waters, land, and & air sampling to support research on microplastics and environmental impact. www.jcvi.org/blog/trackin...

Tracking plastic pollution from source to sea: Tongatapu to Vava’U

This spring, I’ll be heading back to sea as part of the Global All‑Women Sailing Expedition, a ten‑leg research initiative sponsored and led by...

jcvi.org

I got the chance to speak with Craig Venter @jcvi.org at the end of March about the state of American science, AI and genomes. I had no idea this might be one of his last interviews. Watch the interview here: youtu.be/Zxg38eUL5IY

‘Swashbuckling’ geneticist and human genome decoder J. Craig Venter dies at age 79

Scientist and medical technology entrepreneur J. Craig Venter published the first bacterial genome ever decoded in 1995. The result heralded a new age of discovery for genetics

scientificamerican.com

It is with great sadness that we announce J. Craig Venter has died. 🧪🧬 www.jcvi.org/media-center...

J. Craig Venter, genomics pioneer and founder of JCVI and Diploid Genomics, Inc., dies at 79

La Jolla, California—April 29, 2026—The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) announced that J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., the Institute’s founder, board...

jcvi.org

Registration is closing soon for our upcoming BV-BRC workshop at Argonne National Laboratory! 🧪 If you’re planning to join us, now is the time to complete your visitor registration to ensure access to the site. This is a required step for all attendees.

Bad breath isn't just awkward. It can be a biological signal. New research from JCVI, in collaboration with the Bauru School of Dentistry at @uspoficial.bsky.social (FOB/USP), takes a closer look at halitosis (bad breath) and its real impact on patients’ lives. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Psychosocial burden of halitosis: association between volatile sulfur compounds and quality of life in adults

Psychosocial burden of halitosis: association between volatile sulfur compounds and quality of life in adults, Carneiro, Mailon Cury, de Menezes, Maria Lívia Rodrigues, Caminha, Raquel D’Aquino Garcia, Freire, Marcelo, Santos, Paulo Sérgio da Silva

iopscience.iop.org

Last May we announced we were moving to new west coast headquarters at IQHQ's state-of-the-art Research and Development District (RaDD) in downtown San Diego. Construction has been rapidly proceeding and we are counting down the months until we move into our fabulous new space this summer!

JCVI Assistant Professor, Erin Garza, PhD is currently aboard R/V Sally Ride off the coast of California as part of a larger expedition to study the region's California Current, which is an important upwelling system and one of the most productive ocean areas in the world. 🧪

Early bird registration for the 2nd SynBYSS Conference in Barcelona on June 8–11, 2026 is ending soon! Register now to ensure a spot. SynBYSS coincides with a visit by Pope Leo XIV honoring the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudí's death, so hotels may fill quickly. www.jcvi.org/synbyss

SynBYSS

The International SynBYSS Conference is focused on bringing together the synthetic biology community with the explicit goal of developing young...

jcvi.org

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign have achieved the first full 4D simulation of a living cell’s complete life cycle—growth, metabolism, and division—using the JCVI minimal cell. www.jcvi.org/media-center...

Team simulates a living cell that grows and divides

A simulated cell in the early stages of division. Left half shows cytoplasm (blue cubes), mRNA degradation machinery molecules (pink), and sugar...

jcvi.org

Our collaborative work is out in Environmental Science & Technology, a high-impact @acs.org journal. Thanks to Kim Parker for her leadership & researchers in her & my labs for tireless efforts in this challenging project funded by NSF, US EPA & USDA @jcvi.org pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Genetic Markers Remain Detectable in Genetically Engineered Microbes Biocontained with a CRISPR Kill Switch

Biocontainment strategies, such as kill switches, have been developed to avoid the unintended proliferation of genetically engineered microbes (GEMs) intended for open-release environmental applications. However, the presence of GEM DNA after successful biocontainment presents new environmental risks and challenges for monitoring. In this study, we investigated whether biocontainment using a CRISPR-Cas9 kill switch, which causes double-strand breaks in target genes essential for GEM growth, could resolve this challenge in a model Escherichia coli GEM. Surprisingly, the escape rates of the GEM as determined by CRISPR-targeted gene abundances were as high as 10–1.6 to 10–1.0 in LB media, despite the escape rates measured by colony forming units (cfu) being only 10–6.2 under the same condition. This discrepancy suggested that the CRISPR-Cas9 kill switch prevents colony growth while still leaving a large fraction of target genes intact for detection by molecular methods. Within 1 h after biocontainment, these target genes remained predominantly inside an intact cell membrane and were resistant to degradation by DNase, though degradation was observed in river water over multiple days. Overall, a detailed understanding of the impact of the biocontainment mechanism on both the GEM and its DNA is needed to minimize unintended environmental risks.

pubs.acs.org

@jcv.bsky.social named to the @forbes.com 250: Greatest American Innovators for spearheading the effort to map the first draft sequence of the human genome.  www.forbes.com/sites/alexkn...

Last Thursday, @jcv.bsky.social joined @rommieamaro.bsky.social and Dr. Peter Cowhey at #TheNAT in San Diego to talk about “Why Does Science Matter?”.

#SynBYSS conference is scheduled on Jun 8-11, 2026 in Barcelona. Given the 100-year celebration of Architect Gaudi in Barcelona, we suggest early booking of hotels. Details can be found: www.jcvi.org/events/synbyss (speakers, abstract submission & registration) @jcvi.org @marcguellc.bsky.social

SynBYSS

The International SynBYSS Conference is focused on bringing together the synthetic biology community with the explicit goal of developing young...

jcvi.org

Following our recent @natcomms.nature.com study on microbial consortia that upcycle mixed plastics, we’ve published a new paper supporting this broad vision.

Our work on waste plastic polyethylene upcycling is out @cp-trendsbiotech.bsky.social thanks to huge efforts by Yuxin Tian, Seong-Min Cho, Sunkyu Park & Jinjin Diao @ncstate.bsky.social & @jcvi.org supported by NSF Global Center, DOE BER & AIChE Langer Prize! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Elucidation of odd-chain dicarboxylate metabolism in Acinetobacter baylyi and application to polyethylene upcycling

Polyethylene (PE) is a versatile polymer, but its end-of-life management is challenging due to its recalcitrant structure. We present a promising appr…

sciencedirect.com

Registration & abstract website is open! 2nd #SynBYSS conference on June 8-11, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. Architect Gaudi passed away on June 10, 1926. Book a hotel room ASAP, given the centennial festival. 24 more speakers will be selected from abstracts. @jcvi.org eventum.upf.edu/140550/detai...

Turn biological data into insights, fast. Join this hands-on, high-energy workshop to learn practical tools and workflows you can use right away. Register now and level up your analysis! forms.office.com/r/ex7hpq9u2M

The 1st paper from the Moon lab in 2026, spearheaded by Yifeng Hu! "Elucidating biodegradation of dimethyl terephthalate by two Rhodococcus strains for its valorization applications" @jcvi.org www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Elucidating biodegradation of dimethyl terephthalate by two Rhodococcus strains for its valorization applications

Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) serves as the precursor in the production of polyethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and polybutylene…

sciencedirect.com

The American Academy’s San Diego Committee, in partnership with the San Diego Natural History Museum, will be hosting a Nat TALK: "Why Does Science Matter?" at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

From decoding the human genome to exploring life across the world’s oceans, Craig Venter (@jcvi.org) shared a remarkable journey on the #BIGIDEAS stage. 📹The full conversation with President & Chief Scientific Officer @planaria1.bsky.social is now available to watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c30p...

BIG IDEAS: A Conversation with Genomics Pioneer Craig Venter

YouTube video by Stowers Institute for Medical Research

youtube.com

Our paper is out in @natcomms.nature.com "Engineering microbial consortia for mixed plastic upcycling!" This achievement was possible thanks to collaborative efforts by Jinjin Diao, Yuxin Tian, Seong-Min Cho & Sunkyu Park! Thanks, NSF Global Center team! The link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

J. Craig Venter Institute@jcvi.org · 8mo ago

A circular economy turns waste into resources—and JCVI scientists are making it real. We are engineering microbes to upcycle mixed plastic waste into valuable products like lycopene and lipids. No sorting, no landfills—just innovation for a sustainable future. 🧪🧬 www.jcvi.org/media-center...

A circular economy turns waste into resources—and JCVI scientists are making it real. We are engineering microbes to upcycle mixed plastic waste into valuable products like lycopene and lipids. No sorting, no landfills—just innovation for a sustainable future. 🧪🧬 www.jcvi.org/media-center...

Scientists engineer microbial teams to transform mixed plastics into valuable products

La Jolla, California—December 11, 2025—Each year, the world produces more than 400 million metric tons of plastic, much of which ends up in...

jcvi.org

Thank you to all who filled our auditorium for an engaging #BIGIDEAS conversation with Craig Venter (@jcvi.org) and President & CSO @planaria1.bsky.social. We're grateful to share these convos with such a curious and enthusiastic community. 💻 Read a full recap of the event here: bit.ly/3Yrz1AV