cataloging all the microbial life in the world.
Dr. Venter said yesterday that he and colleagues had discovered at least 1,800 new microbial species and more than 1.2 million genes by sequencing the DNA from a sample of seawater from the Sargasso Sea, off Bermuda. The findings revealed a diversity of life in the ocean that has not been seen until now.
"It's almost hyperbole," said David M. Karl, a professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii who was not involved in the work. "How can you imagine one sample having a million new genes and proteins that we don't know anything about?"
Dr. Venter also announced at a Washington news conference yesterday that he has embarked on an expedition around the world partly inspired by Charles Darwin's voyage in the 1830's. His goal is to sample ocean water every 200 miles, as well as some spots on land, to search for microbes. His yacht, the Sorcerer II, is already in the Galápagos Islands and has been converted into a research vessel.
