In October 2021, Wang Jian, Chairman and Co-founder of BGI Group, Xu Xun, Director of BGI-Research, and Liu Shanshan, Executive Dean of BGI-Research Qingdao, embarked on an ambitious expedition to explore one of the deepest parts of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, reaching the "Challenger Deep" for scientific research.
With two ascents to the top of Mount Everest, several expeditions to the "Third Pole" of the Earth, the Tibetan Plateau, a deep dive to the "Fourth Pole" of the Earth, the Mariana Trench, and having completed scientific research in both the Antarctic and North Pole, BGI has also collaborated with Chinese and international interdisciplinary teams to undertake cutting-edge scientific research.
The following interview is with Xu Xun, Director of BGI-Research.
We aim to do what our predecessors have thought of but never accomplished
Q: In the process of setting the scientific and mountaineering goals for this Everest expedition, why was there a focus on creating several world records?
Xu Xun: In previous Everest scientific expeditions and the existing human records, a lot of data is lacking. At such high altitudes, many physiological, biochemical, and psychological indicators are missing. Rather than saying we aim to create several records, it is more accurate to say that these are things that predecessors have thought about but never accomplished. We have achieved these goals, and our original intention was to fill in these data gaps.
Another Level of Climbing Mount Everest
Q: How is the "Mountaineering Spirit" reflected in BGI's scientific research?
Xu Xun: For BGI, our research on high-altitude adaptation, which includes solving human genome challenges, addressing disease issues, and exploring scientific questions in biodiversity, is essentially about seeking and discovering new scientific knowledge. It's similar to mountaineering, where we constantly challenge the limits and push the boundaries of human cognition, expanding our horizons. So, it's another level of climbing Mount Everest.
Digitizing All Major Rice Varieties Worldwide
Q: How many scientific breakthroughs, comparable to climbing a "Mount Everest," have you achieved in your career?
Xu Xun: Actually, every major scientific breakthrough is like climbing a "Mount Everest." When I first joined BGI, the first project I worked on was the resequencing of the rice genome. Before that, BGI had put a lot of effort into "assembling" the complete map of the rice genome. However, the differences between individual rice plants are significant, and each variety has its own unique mutations. So, what we did next was to identify the genomic differences among various rice varieties. By comparing the genomes of wild rice and cultivated rice, we sought to find traces of artificial domestication.
This project was very challenging at the time, as it required integrating actual agricultural conditions with genomic data, something that had not been done on such a large scale before. But after completing this project, we realized that this problem was no longer a problem. When you stand on the summit, you find that the peak has become flat ground under your feet and is no longer a challenge. So, the next "summit" we aimed for was to see if we could thoroughly investigate and map out all the genetic resources of rice worldwide, instead of just analyzing a few varieties. Thus, we went on to resequence 3,000 rice varieties, digitizing all the major rice varieties in the world. This involved a vast amount of data analysis and scientific challenges.
Each Time on the Cover of a Top Scientific Journal Marks a Major Breakthrough
Q: What else did you do after climbing that “mountain” of rice?
Xu Xun: Rice is relatively a simpler species. After that, we worked on more complex species, such as corn and potatoes. It's like climbing the first peak; we continue to climb one peak after another. So, when you see so many cover articles on BGI's article wall, it's like our "group photos" taken at the summit. Each cover represents a major scientific breakthrough for humanity. This is the spirit of BGI climbers, never stopping at one peak, always initiating new challenges, and striving for higher peaks.
International Spatiotemporal Omics Consortium (STOC): Aiming to Rally Scientists in the Field to Climb a “Scientific Everest”
Q: What new breakthroughs are coming?
Xu Xun: We have progressed from simple genomes to complex genomes, from individual genomes to population genomes, and then to disease genomes. We are now no longer satisfied with merely focusing on the central dogma from DNA to phenotype. Instead, we are more concerned with how the entire genome changes over time and space, ultimately producing different life phenomena. This is a realm that we have not yet fully understood, and it can be considered another peak. Therefore, we have recently helped launch the international Spatiotemporal Omics Consortium (STOC), hoping to rally scientists in the field to climb this scientific Everest together.
How Can Life Adapt to Such Vast Environments?
Q: This Everest expedition, in addition to collecting ultrasound and EEG data, also involves scientific exploration in extreme environments, studying species evolution and the origins of life. Is our multi-omics data, including the geological environment of the Third Pole, the search for biological traces, and the origins of life, relevant to this?
Xu Xun: There are many extreme environments on Earth, such as the deep sea, the Antarctic, the Arctic, and Mount Everest, collectively known as the "Four Poles." Previously, many people believed that there was no life in many places within these "Four Poles." For instance, altitudes above 6,000 meters were considered "death zones," but through multiple scientific expeditions, we have discovered that not only is there life at these altitudes, but there are many different forms of life thriving in these so-called "death zones." How can life adapt to such environments? If we can understand this, we will have a deeper understanding of the concept of "life adaptability."
In the future, as the environment changes and humanity's territories expand, can life adapt to environments even more extreme than the Four Poles? Conversely, the fact that life can adapt to such extreme environments is closely related to the origins of life. The scientific community currently believes that life originated in the early extreme environments of Earth. Our exploration of life's existence in extreme environments is closely related to the study of the origins and evolution of life. Therefore, the "Four Poles" provide us with an excellent observation window to study the origins and adaptability of life.
The entire underwater world is "thriving"
Q: Could you tell us about the purpose of your descent into the Mariana Trench with Wang Jian three years ago? Is exploring life in the abyss another peak in life sciences?
Xu Xun: The abyss is a very fascinating place for humanity. Although humans had previously descended into the abyss many times, we were never able to conduct regular scientific research and sampling. Our expedition could reach 10,000 meters below the sea surface. This was the first manned submersible capable of conducting scientific research and sampling at 10,000 meters, and it was the only time sampling has been done in the Mariana Trench.
From the samples we collected, we discovered not only a large number of microorganisms at a depth of 10,000 meters but also a significant amount of biodiversity, indicating that the entire underwater world is "thriving." Additionally, we found many macroscopic organisms, including starfish, sea cucumbers, some fish, and amphipods. We collected a large number of these samples, and all of them underwent genomic sequencing and digitalization.
With Each Step Forward, You See Different Scenery
Q: What gives BGIer confidence to challenge such fundamental and difficult topics as the origin of life?
Xu Xun: Actually, all those engaged in life sciences research are, to some extent, working on answering these ultimate questions. It is much like climbing Mount Everest, where everyone keeps climbing upward. Just when you think you have reached the peak and answered a question, you realize the summit is still ahead.
For BGIer, entering this field means inevitably facing such challenges. However, we do not retreat because the mountain is too high. As long as we take a step forward, even if it is just a small step, we are constantly getting closer to the peak. In the process of climbing, we encourage ourselves to keep moving forward. With each step, we see different scenery and get closer to the summit.
Therefore, when facing such significant and difficult questions as the origin of life, the origin of consciousness, and what life is, we keep moving forward step by step. Although the pace may be slow, humanity's overall progress is continuous. We firmly believe that we will eventually reach the summit of Everest. It may not be us personally who reach it, but human scientific knowledge will ultimately get there.
Making Every Research Useful, Ultimately Becoming the Driving Force for Human Progress
Q: What is it that attracts you the most in the field of scientific research?
Xu Xun: The greatest attraction of scientific research for me is, first, it is useful. All the work you do will eventually become the driving force for human progress. Second, you can always see new landscapes and new breakthroughs. This is what makes scientific research so fascinating—you can always seek innovation.
For BGI, one aspect is having big goals, and the other is focusing on the present
Q: If you want to move forward, you need to create conditions even if there are no conditions. Is this the spirit?
Xu Xun: When I first joined, BGI had just moved from Beijing to Shenzhen. At that time, we had nothing, literally starting from scratch. Yet, even then, everyone was discussing how to climb the scientific summit of Everest.
The researchers at BGI often refer to themselves as "scientific laborers," which I think is a very good mindset. Firstly, the work we do must be solid and steady, building a scientific edifice brick by brick. It's not about having a sudden brilliant idea and everything is done. Scientific research is like climbing Mount Everest; it’s a process of taking one step at a time, building a scientific edifice brick by brick. On one hand, we have big goals; on the other hand, we stay grounded and take each step practically.