Buried Treasure

The Sequencing R-Evolution: Traditional vs. Next Generation Sequencing

Francesca Ciccarelli explaining the Sanger, Roche 454 pyrosequencing, Illumina Solexa reversible-terminator sequencing, ABI SOLiD sequencing by ligation, and Helicos single-molecule sequencing technologies. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses, but the new technologies are generally better suited for re-sequencing than for de novo sequencing due to their shorter read lengths. Nonetheless, the next-generation sequencing technologies are making their way into metagenomics.