The Pollard lab and colleagues published the initial results of the Human Microbiome Project in Nature and PLoS ONE. We analyzed microbial community DNA from 18 body sites of 242 healthy adults living in St. Louis and Houston. The Pollard lab’s main contribution was establishment of a rigorous procedure for identifying novel types of microbes, which we used to characterize new gut bacteria, including several members of the recently discovered genus Barnesiella. Our work was featured on ABC News and was selected as the NHGRI Genomic Advance of the Month. (Press Release)