Huge step forward in decoding genomes of small species

For the first time, scientists have read the whole genetic code of one single tiny mosquito. Traditionally, it has been difficult to extract enough DNA from insects and other small organisms to build a high quality genome for a single individual. Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Pacific Biosciences worked in partnership to advance technology and lower the starting amount of DNA needed to just ‘half a mosquito-worth’, producing the first high quality whole genome of a single mosquito.