Making Every Species Count
Building a Bioliterate World
What would it be like to live in a bio-literate world - a world where you could know, in minutes, the name of any animal or plant - any time, anywhere? And not just its name but everything about it - what are its habits, is it endangered, is it dangerous, should it even be there or is it an invader from somewhere else?
How could we use that knowledge to protect our planet's biodiversity and promote human health and well-being?
The International Barcode of Life project (iBOL), the largest biodiversity genomics initiative ever undertaken, is unlocking the door to that world by creating a digital identification system for life.
• Breaking News for Friday, May 18, 2012 •
Will barcodes find the potato beetle’s archnemesis?
A USDA entomologist is barcoding the gut contents of insect predators to identify the Colorado potato beetle’s worst nightmare.
40 new reptile species found on Madagascar
A major DNA barcode study of Madagascar reptiles has uncovered 40 new species of snakes, skinks, chameleons and geckos.
Philippines adopts barcoding to regulate fish trade
The National Fisheries Research and Development Institute is now using DNA barcoding to promote food safety and crack down on seafood fraud.
Barcode IDs new moth species invading Italy’s vineyards
A team of Italian and Dutch scientists have used DNA barcoding to identify a previously unnamed leafminer moth that is infesting vineyards across northern Italy.
How iBOL Works
It takes a lot of different people with different talents to get the job done.
Read about global participation in iBOL and how it works.
Learn more...Building the Barcode Library
Currently:
1,622,235 specimens
154,294 species
Target for 2015:
5,000,000 specimens
500,000 species
Barcoding Campaigns
A number of campaigns have started to collect and register DNA barcodes from specific families and regions of life.
Learn more...Get Connected
Get connected with other DNA barcoding participants, scientists, and enthusiasts.
Learn more...