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 marine¹ 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 Genetic² Resources.

 

However, it may still take 10 to 15 years for these deep-sea resources to be used in actual production of medicine, Shao noted³.

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