Abstract
Navigating the sea of microbiome sciences can be daunting as data generation and analysis methods develop. From the ocean abyss to our homes and our guts, sequencing and other omics can reveal mechanisms such as niche partitioning, metabolic functioning, or eco-evolutionary dynamics. Here, I will reflect on my ventures into various topics as a guide to methodological paradigms, key findings, and opportunities. During this voyage, we will travel from 16S metabarcoding to shotgun metagenomics, with a focus on human gut microbiome projects and nutrition. Functional results related to fermented food consumption will be served. We will make a coffee break at an experimental house to understand how metabolomics can be integrated with 16S data to interpret change in the built environment. Then, we will jump to planetary scale where such integration with metagenomics could help detect co-occurrences determining niche partitions. Finally, we will dive deep into the abyss and explore the global diversity of microeukaryotes. We will stop at the bioinformatic orientation table and reckon that published data remains an untapped treasure trove. For example, pelagic data can help identify benthic taxa, and DNA vs RNA can show how unique and diverse is the East Pacific area designated for deep-sea mining. I am excited to share my vision and approaches towards collaborating on these and the marine microplastic project that brought me to Oslo.