Advertisement 1

Genetic code of all life on Earth will be mapped to save species from extinction in 10-year global project

Scientists believe that Earth is in the sixth mass extinction which has resulted in the loss of at least 77 species of mammals, 140 types of bird and 34 amphibians since 1500

Article content

The genetic code of all 1.5 million known species of animals, plants and fungi living on Earth will be mapped to help save species from extinction and boost human health.

In a multibillion-pound collaboration involving scientific institutes from around the globe, the genomes of all eukaryotic species — organisms with complex cell structures — will be sequenced to learn more about their biology.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

It could also help bring extinct species back from the dead. Scientists are already attempting to use the stored DNA from the northern white rhino to restore the species, which became functionally extinct earlier this year with the death of the last male.

Article content

Researchers at Harvard University have used genetic sequencing to map the genome of the woolly mammoth in the hope it could be resurrected.

Scientists also hope that unpicking the genetic code from plants could help uncover new treatments for diseases, slow ageing, improve crops and agriculture, and create new bio-materials.

In Britain, organisations including the Natural History Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Wellcome Sanger Institute have joined forces to sequence Britain’s 66,000 species of animals, plants, protozoa and fungi. Dubbed the Darwin Tree of Life Project, it is expected to take 10 years and cost pounds 100 million. Once completed all the information will be publicly available to researchers.

Prof Sir Mike Stratton, director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “Globally, more than half of the vertebrate population has been lost in the past 40 years, and 23,000 species face the threat of extinction in the near future. Using the biological insights we will get from the genomes of all eukaryotic species, we can look to our responsibilities as custodians of life on this planet, tending life on Earth in a more informed manner using those genomes, at a time when nature is under considerable pressure, not least from us.”

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

Using the biological insights we will get from the genomes of all eukaryotic species, we can look to our responsibilities as custodians of life on this planet, tending life on Earth in a more informed manner using those genomes, at a time when nature is under considerable pressure, not least from us.

Many scientists believe that Earth has now entered the sixth mass extinction, with humans having created a toxic mix of habitat loss, pollution and climate change, which has already led to the loss of at least 77 species of mammals, 140 types of bird and 34 amphibians since 1500. They include creatures such as the dodo, Steller’s sea cow, the Falkland Islands wolf, the quagga, the Formosan clouded leopard, the Atlas bear, the Caspian tiger and the Cape lion.

It is the biggest loss of species since the mass extinction which wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

The Wellcome Sanger Institute began a project to sequence the genomes of 25 of Britain’s species earlier this year, including red and grey squirrels, the European robin, the Fen raft spider and the blackberry.

Dr Tim Littlewood, head of the life sciences department at the Natural History Museum, said: “Whether you are interested in food, disease, or speciation, the history of how every organism on the planet has diverged and adapted to its environment is recorded in its genetic make-up. How you then harness that is dependent on your ability to understand it.”

Sir Jim Smith, director of science at Wellcome, said: “Try as a I might I can’t think of a more exciting, more relevant, more timely or more internationally inspirational project, or one that will create such a legacy for scientists in the future. Since 1970, humanity has wiped out 60 per cent of animal populations.

“About 23,000 of 80,000 species surveyed are approaching extinction.”

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers