Don Arthur Cowan

This study shows that microbial communities in the Namib Desert use atmospheric hydrogen oxidation to survive in hyperarid soils despite lacking liquid water.

This study identifies aridity as the primary driver of microbial community structure and biogeochemical activities in deserts across seven continents.

The paper compiles a global soil virus dataset to assess biodiversity and biogeochemical impacts, finding most viral diversity remains unexplored and viruses may influence carbon and nutrient cycling.

The paper identifies ancient DNA of Rickettsia felis and Toxoplasma gondii in a 2,000-year-old South African hunter-gatherer child, linking them to his illness and death.

This study evaluates eight metagenome assemblers on nine environmental datasets to guide tool selection based on research goals, resources, and expertise.