A group of marine scientists at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently discovered over 7,000 new microbial species in the Oceans, including Acidobacteria – a natural medicinal phylum with the CRISPR gene editing system discovered at sea for the first time, shedding new light on human’s understanding of microbial biodiversity in the oceans and bringing hope for the development of new drugs.

Led by Prof. QIAN Peiyuan, Acting Head of Department of Ocean Science and David von Hansemann Chair Professor of Science at HKUST, the University’s research team collaborated with peers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, University of Georgia in the US and University of Queensland in Australia on sourcing water samples across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Read More... 

Prof. QIAN Peiyuan (middle) and his team members Dr. LI Yongxin (right) and PhD student WANG Ruojun (left) found 7,000 new marine species by nurturing biofilms in seawater (as shown on microscope and on screen).