Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 16 submissions in the queue.

The White House Announces $121 Million Microbiome Initiative

posted by takyon on Saturday May 14 2016, @12:50AM   Printer-friendly
from the miniscule-funding dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

After focusing on cancer, the brain, and personalized medicine, the Obama Administration is now zooming in on the bustling microbial communities within us, on us, and all around us in our built and natural environments.

On Friday, the White House revealed the Microbiome Initiative, a nationwide project to coordinate and fund microbiome research. The federal government is investing $121 million into the program. Several agencies will chip into that number, including NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the US Department of Agriculture. Additionally, more than 100 external organizations will add more money and projects to the pot, including $100 million in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The initiative has three main goals: to fund interdisciplinary microbiome research, develop technologies that can be used across different research projects, and support a microbiome research workforce.

ArsTechnica is calling it a "moonshot." Does $121 million rate that comparison?

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
The White House Announces $121 Million Microbiome Initiative | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 4 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2016, @01:02AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2016, @01:02AM (#345927)

    Well, my gut reaction is...

    OW! I should've passed up the Chinese food for lunch.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2016, @01:59AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2016, @01:59AM (#345933)

      $120,999,999.99 will go to an oversight committee, $0.01 will be spent on actual research.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Saturday May 14 2016, @03:52AM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday May 14 2016, @03:52AM (#345955)

      $121 million, in 2017 US dollars, that makes it a 5 year mission for about 100 people, with ~$30 million worth of exotic toys to play with.

      In 2017, you could probably "hit the moon" with that level of funding... don't know if you could do any useful science with the lander you could afford, but you should at least be able to set off an explosion on the surface and get a nice video of it.

      --
      🌻🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by devlux on Saturday May 14 2016, @02:05AM

    by devlux (6151) on Saturday May 14 2016, @02:05AM (#345934)

    Ugh, everyone knows it's macrobiome, not microbiome.
    A better explanation of the difference is here...
    https://xkcd.com/1471/ [xkcd.com]