The Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., has completed more genome sequencing projects than any other group in the world. In August, it completed its 20th whole genome and was plugging away at 24 more, 8 of which it expected to finish by December.

So what does "post-genomics" mean for the institute? President Claire Fraser says, "It’s time to think about microbial population genomics." In other words, she wants to sequence entire communities of microbes at a time.