A Global Nucleic Acid Observatory for Biodefense and Planetary Health

Abstract

The spread of pandemic viruses and invasive species can be catastrophic for human societies and natural ecosystems. SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated that the speed of our response is critical, as each day of delay permitted exponential growth and dispersion of the virus. Here we propose a global Nucleic Acid Observatory (NAO) to monitor the relative frequency of everything biological through comprehensive metagenomic sequencing of waterways and wastewater. By searching for divergences from historical baseline frequencies at sites throughout the world, NAO could detect any virus or invasive organism undergoing exponential growth whose nucleic acids end up in the water, even those previously unknown to science. Continuously monitoring nucleic acid diversity would provide us with universal early warning, obviate subtle bioweapons, and generate a wealth of sequence data sufficient to transform ecology, microbiology, and conservation. We call for the immediate construction of a global NAO to defend and illuminate planetary health.