2 Metagenomics in action

As you learned in the previous section, metagenomics originated in the field of microbiology. From discovering new microbes and understanding how they behave in certain environments, to detecting biological threats to people and animal health, metagenomics can be a very powerful tool. However, metagenomics plays an increasingly important role also in conservation science. In the next sections you will see how broadly metagenomics can be applied in our world.