Linked on Evolgen, I found this post from Nobel Intent that gives a quick summary of reasons the U.S. Department of Energy is in the genomics business. It's a good rundown, including radiation research into mutations and research into new biofuels. It might also mention the interest in finding microbial agents to clean up chemicals of various kinds. As the Neandertal metagenomics stuff starts coming online, some folks might be interested in the history of DOE involvement in genomics, and this is a good place to start.
Neandertals
For years, I've worked on their bones. Now I'm working on their genes. Read more about the science studying these ancient people.
Denisova
From a finger bone of an ancient human came the record of a completely unexpected population. My lab is working on the science of the Denisova genome.
Acceleration
The advent of agriculture caused natural selection to speed up greatly in humans. We're uncovering some of the ways that populations have rapidly changed during the last 10,000 years.
Malapa
Just outside Johannesburg, the Malapa site is producing some of the most exciting finds in human evolution. This site is the headquarters of the Malapa Soft Tissue Project.