RNA stable-isotope probing

At the heart of microbial ecology lies a true scientific dichotomy. On the one hand, we know microbes are responsible for processes on which all other life on Earth is dependent; their removal would mean the cessation of all known life. However, in opposition, the majority of extant microbial species in natural environments have never been cultured or studied in a laboratory as living organisms. Owing to these factors, the question of who does what?'' has been a major barrier to understanding how microbially mediated ecosystem level events occur. Recently, the use of stable isotopes (C-13) to trace carbon from specific substrates into microbes that assimilate carbon from that substrate has significantly advanced our understanding of the relationship between environmental processes and microbial phylogeny.