ABSTRACT
The word metagenomics was coined by Handelsman to capture the notion of analysis of a collection of similar but not identical items, as in a meta-analysis, which is an analysis of analyses. Fortunately, the recent development of metagenomic and other culture-independent approaches has enabled investigation of the functional genetic diversity of soil microorganisms without the inherent biases of cultivation. One of the main advantages of functional metagenomics is its ability to identify gene products from as-yet-uncultured microbes with no significant homolog within the GenBank database. Metagenomics represents a powerful tool to access the abounding biodiversity of native environmental samples. The valuable property of metagenomics is that it provides the capacity to effectively characterize the genetic diversity present in samples regardless of the availability of laboratory culturing techniques. Information from metagenomic libraries has the ability to enrich the knowledge and applications of many aspects of industry, therapeutics, and environmental sustainability.
