In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, the Wellcome Sanger Institute is going to decode the DNA of 25 UK species for the first time…and you can vote to decide 5 of them!

From 6th November – 8th December, a team of scientists and wildlife experts will each champion a species they think should have its entire DNA sequence decoded, competing for votes from students and the general public.

The Flourishing Zone

The species in this zone are on the up; finding out how they’re so successful might help other species to survive. Some of these species survive in extreme conditions, others have previously been endangered but now are doing well and some have been brought over to the UK where they are now taking over!

The Species

 

Tree Lichen | Championed by Derek Pickard

‘We are one of the few life forms that could survive and thrive in a Martian atmosphere with its extreme of temperatrures, ultra-violet radiation and lack of water! ‘

 

 

 

Small Red-eyed Damselfly | Championed by Dominique Von Schiller

‘I am incredibly pretty and my presence will cheer your summer walks.’

 

 

 

Pill Millipede | Championed by Rachel Clark

‘Cute, rolling bulldozers’

 

 

 

Cyanobacterium | Championed by Anne Jungblut

‘We can grow in big slimy green colonies.’

 

 

 

Beaver | Championed by Michael Rivera

‘My beaver genome will help us learn about which genes determine cleverness in beavers.’

 

 

 

Fen Raft Spider | Championed by Sara Goodacre

‘I ‘talk’ to other members of my species by drumming on the surface of the water.’

 

 

 

Danish Scurvygrass | Championed by Gaurab Mukherjee

‘I get my name because I am rich in vitamin C, and sailors used to eat me to ward off scurvy.’

 

 

 

Cirl Bunting | Championed by Jamie Dunning

‘Was it a genetic quirk that brought Cirl Bunting here?’

 

 

 

Canada Goose | Championed by Selina Pearson

‘The British Trust for Ornithology describes us as “amongst the most inedible of birds”.’

 

 

The Schools

• Alexandra Junior School
• Barr Beacon School
• Breadalbane Academy
• Burford School
• City Academy Norwich
• Down High School
• Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form Centre
• Holy Cross School
• John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School
• Lesmahagow High School
• Loreto Grammar School
• Lymm High School
• Marylebone Boys’ School
• Morgan Academy
• Rye St Antony
• Sawtry Community College Academy
• St Leonards School
• St Wilfrid’s Church of England Academy
• The Elton High School
• Tynecastle High School
• Warrington & Vale Royal College
• Watford Grammar School for Boys
• Weston College
• Wilmington Academy
• Wyedean School and 6th Form Centre

 

Teachers: remember to book your Live Chat here