Interesting article about how some 54 yo research is helping with today's world issues.
Yellowstone National Park
Almost 54 years ago, Professor Thomas Brock of Indiana University, collected and isolated the bacterium Thermus aquaticus strain YT-1 in Mushroom Spring, located in the Lower Geyser Basin. This permitted scientific collection led to the development of the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR technique, by Dr. Kary Mullis. This Nobel-prize-winning technique that allows for the rapid replication of DNA continues to be used today by healthcare professionals across the globe in the testing of COVID-19. Even decades-old, discoveries like this one underscore the importance of scientific research to the overall health of humankind.
To learn more about Thermus aquaticus and other important scientific research in Yellowstone visit: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bioprospecting.htm
Yellowstone National Park
Almost 54 years ago, Professor Thomas Brock of Indiana University, collected and isolated the bacterium Thermus aquaticus strain YT-1 in Mushroom Spring, located in the Lower Geyser Basin. This permitted scientific collection led to the development of the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR technique, by Dr. Kary Mullis. This Nobel-prize-winning technique that allows for the rapid replication of DNA continues to be used today by healthcare professionals across the globe in the testing of COVID-19. Even decades-old, discoveries like this one underscore the importance of scientific research to the overall health of humankind.
To learn more about Thermus aquaticus and other important scientific research in Yellowstone visit: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bioprospecting.htm