![Darwin_Tree_of_Life600d Darwin Tree of Life Project](/wp-content/uploads/Darwin_Tree_of_Life600d.jpg)
Darwin Tree of Life Project
For the latest genome releases, activities and other news from Darwin Tree of Life, visit the project website.
About Darwin Tree of Life
The Earth is experiencing the “sixth great extinction”, an event that threatens the biodiversity upon which human society depends. As part of global initiatives to use genomics to reveal and understand biodiversity, and thus contribute to conservation and mitigation of the effects of catastrophic change, the Sanger Institute has initiated the Tree of Life programme. The Darwin Tree of Life project is one of the programme’s key activities.
Darwin Tree of Life is a collaborative project between ten biodiversity, genomics and analysis partners.
Together we are collecting and identifying specimens, extracting and sequencing DNA and RNA, and assembling and annotating the genomes of the approximately 70,000 species with which we share these islands. We will make the data openly available for re-use in biological research, conservation, biotechnology and beyond.
Suggest a species to be sequenced by the Darwin Tree of Life Project
Darwin Tree of Life will eventually sequence all described eukaryotic species in Britain and Ireland, but we’d like community input into which of these should be done first. A list of species for which sequencing is already underway can be explored at the Darwin Tree of Life Data Portal.
Contact
If you need help or have any queries, please contact us using the details below.
Sanger people
![Professor Mark Blaxter Photo of Professor Mark Blaxter](/userpics/200/mb35.jpg)
Professor Mark Blaxter
Programme Lead for Tree of Life Programme and Senior Group Leader
![Dr Mara Lawniczak Photo of Dr Mara Lawniczak](/userpics/200/ml12.jpg)
Dr Mara Lawniczak
Senior Group Leader
![Dr Richard Durbin Photo of Dr Richard Durbin](/userpics/200/rd.jpg)
Dr Richard Durbin
Associate Faculty
![Molly Carter Photo of Molly Carter](/userpics/200/mc39.jpg)
Molly Carter
Project Coordinator
![Dr Kerstin Howe Photo of Dr Kerstin Howe](/userpics/200/kj2.jpg)
Dr Kerstin Howe
Head of Production Genomics
![Dr Caroline Howard Photo of Dr Caroline Howard](/userpics/200/ch25.jpg)
Dr Caroline Howard
Senior Scientific Manager
![Manuel Filipe Dos Santos Cruz Batista Photo of Manuel Filipe Dos Santos Cruz Batista](/userpics/200/md37.jpg)
Manuel Filipe Dos Santos Cruz Batista
Head of Project Management & Operations
![Dr Matthieu Muffato Photo of Dr Matthieu Muffato](/userpics/200/mm49.jpg)
Dr Matthieu Muffato
Informatics Infrastructure Team Lead
![Dr Andrew Varley Photo of Dr Andrew Varley](/userpics/200/av10.jpg)
Dr Andrew Varley
Enabling Platforms Team Lead
External partners and funders
External
BBSRC
External
Connecting Science
External
Earlham Institute
External
The Natural History Museum, London
External
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh
External
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
External
University of Cambridge
External
University of Edinburgh
External
University of Oxford
External
Wellcome
Associated research
Related groups
Affiliated Sites
External
Darwin Tree of Life website
External