Citizen science mini-project: Know your microbe through its 16S rRNA gene sequence

Identity cards provide unique identification for each individual in many countries around the world. The same is true for all microbes on Earth. But, in this instance, identification cards come in the form of unique sequence of a chronological molecule known as 16S rRNA. Essential to the molecular machine known as ribosome that partakes in translation that makes protein, 16S rRNA silently chronicles the differences between species and strains, and hold phylogenetic significance. This exercise seeks to teach the essentials of microbial identification through asking students to do a search on NCBI BLAST to confirm the identity of a microbe using its 16S rRNA gene sequence. Through this exercise, students would be able to appreciate how modern molecular microbial identification works, and wonder at how a biomolecule like 16S rRNA holds the secrets to microbial species provenance.