"Group of scientists aim to map genes of thousands of animals":

[Bogertophis]

Group of scientists aim to map genes of thousands of animals

Patrick Whittle
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A group of scientists unveiled the first results Thursday of an ambitious effort to map the genes of tens of thousands of animal species, a project they said could help save animals from extinction down the line.
The scientists are working with the Genome 10,000 consortium on the Vertebrate Genomes Project, which is seeking to map the genomes of all 66,000 species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and fish on Earth. Genome 10,000 has members at more than 50 institutions around the globe, and the Vertebrate Genomes Project started last year. On Thursday the consortium released the first 15 such maps, ranging from the Canada lynx to the kakapo, a flightless parrot native to New Zealand. The genome is the entire set of genetic material that is present in an organism. The release of the first sets is “a statement to the world that what we want to accomplish is indeed feasible,” said Harris Lewin, a professor of evolution at University of California, Davis, who is working onthe project. The work will help inform future conservation of jeopardized species, scientists working on the project said. The first 14 species to be mapped also include the duck-billed platypus, two bat species and the zebra finch.
Sequencing the genome of tens of thousands of animals could easily take 10 years, said Sadye Paez, program director for the project. But giving scientists access to this kind of information could help save rare species because it would give conservationists and biologists a new set of tools, she said.
Paez described the project as an effort to “essentially communicate a library of life.”
Tanya Lama, a doctoral candidate in environmental conservation at the University


of Massachusetts at Amherst, coordinated the effort to sequence the lynx genome. The wild cat is the subject of debate about its conservation status in the United States, and better understanding of genetics can better protect its future, Lama said.
“It’s going to help us plan for the future – help us generate tools for monitoring population health and help us inform conservation strategy,” she said.
The project has three “genome sequencing hubs,” including Rockefeller University in New York, the Sanger Institute outside Cambridge, England, and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, organizers said.
The work is intriguing because it could inform future conservation efforts of jeopardized species, said Mollie Matteson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity who is not involved in the project. More information about animals’ genetics could lead to better understanding of how animals resist disease or cope with changes in the environment, she said.

[richardhind1972]

Looks a long interesting project, bet they find some weird results in there


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[Bogertophis]

A lot of work, for sure, but worth it for the sake of conservation....& while they aren't starting with snakes at least they include "reptiles".

[Timelugia]

Extremely useful.