Opinionated Science Episode 19: Next-Generation Sequencing Takes Over the World

Podcast

Published: January 22, 2021

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Opinionated Science is Technology Networks’ homemade podcast, where our team of scientists-turned-journalists cut out the chewy jargon and serve up slices of the most fascinating stories from the world of science.

In this episode, the team discuss the omnipresent technology of next-generation sequencing (NGS), which has seen the cost of sequencing a human genome go from $100 million to under $1000 in just two decades. We hear from the European Bioinformatics Institute’s Dr Alex Almeida, who uses NGS techniques to examine the human microbiome. We also investigate the future of NGS and ask, what will happen when we have sequenced absolutely everything?

Today's episode is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Listen to more Technology Networks podcasts here.

Meet the Authors

Molly Campbell

Senior Science Writer

Molly Campbell is a senior science writer at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in neuroscience. In 2021 Molly was shortlisted for the Women in Journalism Georgina Henry Award.

Ruairi J Mackenzie

RJ is a freelance science writer based in Glasgow. He covers biological and biomedical science, with a focus on the complexities and curiosities of the brain and emerging AI technologies. RJ was a science writer at Technology Networks for six years. RJ has a Master’s degree in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Cambridge.