Researchers to Sequence 66,000 Known Species in U.K.

Researchers have launched a project to sequence the genomes of all known species of eukaryotic organisms in the United Kingdom (U.K.). The U.K. effort to sequence all 66,000 species of its animals, plants, fungi, and protozoa has been named the Darwin Tree of Life project. This project will be part of the larger international effort, the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which aims to sequence, catalog, and characterize the genomes of all of Earth’s known 1.5 million species of eukaryotes over a period of ten years. EBP includes a working group of 25 scientists, who have developed a strategy to coordinate genome sequencing efforts around the world, including those focused on taxonomic groups, such as vertebrates or plants, and those focused on geographical boundaries, such as the U.K. effort. “We feel it is the next moonshot for biology,” says EBP Chair Harris Lewin, a genomicist at the University of California, Davis. The project is intended to serve many purposes, including providing new insights into evolution, assisting in biodiversity conservation, and informing improvements to agriculture and medicine. The U.K project was announced on November 1, 2018 during the official launch of the $4.7 billion EBP project. It was also announced that a Memorandum of Understanding to work towards the common goals of the EBP has been signed by 17 participating institutions, including the Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzhen, China; the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew,...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news