Sorcerer II Expedition Sets Sail From San Diego |
| 9/16/2009 |
Venter Institute Launches the J. Robert Beyster and Life Technologies 2009-2010 Research Voyage of the Sorcerer II Expedition Shelter Island Marina - March 18, 2009. A beautiful 75 degree San Diego day was the setting for a bon-voyage soiree for SY Sorcerer II and her crew. Hosted by the J.Craig Venter Institute the noted attendees were J. Robert Beyster (founder of SAIC and sponsor of the voyage), Mayor of San Diego Jerry Sanders, Marlin Burnham and Nobel peace prize winner Hamilton Smith who gathered at Shelter Island Marina to say farewell as Sorcerer II sets sail to sample the microbial diversity of the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas after. Armed with the tools and techniques developed to sequence the human and other genomes and inspired by the voyages of Darwin, the Sorcerer II Expedition’s mission is to sample the world’s waters to detect the microorganisms that live there. For this journey, the Sorcerer II and her crew led by J.Craig Venter Ph.D., will leave their home port of Shelter Island Marina, San Diego, CA on March 19th and travel south along the coast of Mexico, through the Panama Canal to Florida, Bermuda, the Azores then land in Plymouth, England. From UK waters the 95’sailing yacht will then sail to Stockholm Sweden where she and the crew will sample extensively in the Baltic Sea. “With the success of the initial Sorcerer II Expedition in which we have so far discovered approximately 20 million new genes and thousands of new protein families, we are excited to now sample the new environments on this journey to the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas” said Venter “We are grateful for the leadership and unwavering support of life science discovery that Bob Beyster, Life Technologies and our other supporters have shown through their funding of this expedition” he added. The J. Craig Venter Institute is a not-for-profit research institute dedicated to the advancement of the science of genomics; the understanding of its implications for society; and communication of those results to the scientific community, the public, and policymakers. Founded by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., the JCVI is home to approximately 500 scientists and staff with expertise in human and evolutionary biology, genetics, bioinformatics, information technology, high-throughput DNA sequencing, genomic and environmental policy research, and public education in science and science policy. www.JCVI.org |
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