中国建立深海细菌数据库
China has built the world's largest database of deep-sea bacteria.
中国已着手建立世界上最大的深海细菌数据库。
China has successfully split nearly 10,000 microbes and built the country's first collection of deep-sea bacteria, which carries 22,000 microbes and covers more than 3,400 species, Sun Shuxian, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), said at a Saturday press conference, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
It is also the world's largest collection of deep-sea bacteria, Bai Shan, an official from the China Ocean Mineral Resource R&D Association, organizer of the press conference, told the Global Times on Sunday.
The government attaches great importance to deep-sea exploration, which is also receiving more and more attention from the general public, Bai added.
The collection provides a database for scientific research, primarily in marine biodiversity and evolution, and can also assist with the search for new compounds, which can be used in medical research, said Shao Zongze, director of SOA's Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources.
However, it may still take 10 to 15 years for these deep-sea resources to be used in actual production of medicine, Shao noted.