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After 32 days, 25 plus live chats and a few tense moments waiting – we are completely over the moon with the result! The whole team cannot thank those of you who voted for the Fen Raft spider enough 🙂 But this is not just a win for us (even though we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did); this is a win for everyone who asked questions, engaged with the competition, learnt a little more about science/ the natural world and ultimately appreciated the importance and beauty of the Fen Raft spider we championed. The Fen Raft Spider, Dolomedes plantarius is only currently found in a small number of locations in the UK, and conservation efforts are currently ongoing to try to help prevent these populations from going extinct (more info here). By sequencing the Fen Raft Spider genome not only we will hopefully be in a better position … Continue reading →

After five weeks and thousands of votes, 25 Genomes has come to a close. We can now announce the Flourishing Zone species that will have its genome sequenced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute next year: Fen Raft Spider A huge thank you to all the Species Champions for taking part, you were all brilliant!

Thanks for registering and voting in the Flourishing Zone as part of 25 Genomes. Your votes will help decide which five UK species will have their DNA fully sequenced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute as part of it’s 25th Anniversary celebrations. You’re invited to join the Species Champions for a drop-in Live Chat, open now! This is your last chance to meet the scientists and wildlife experts championing the species in the competition. Voting will close at 3pm, when we will announce the winners in the chat! How to chat 1. Make sure you’ve logged in at the side of the Flourishing Zone homepage 2. Click the Chat icon at the top of the page to meet the Species Champions! 3. Live Chats in all Zones will be open, so you can meet Species Champions across all five zones! To head to another Zone, just click the option to … Continue reading →

Thanks for registering in the Flourishing Zone as part of 25 Genomes, where your votes will help decide which UK species will have their DNA sequenced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. This evening’s Live Chat has now started. Drop in to find out about genome sequencing, and why the Champions think their species deserves to have its DNA fully decoded. How to chat 1. Make sure you’ve logged in on the Flourishing Zone homepage 2. Click the Chat icon at the top of the page to meet the Champions! 3. Live Chats in all Zones will be open, so you can meet Champions across all five zones! To head over to another Zone, just click the option to chat there in the menu bar.   The chat is open from 8pm-9pm GMT. Drop in for five minutes to see what’s happening or stay for the whole hour to enjoy the … Continue reading →

Thanks for registering and voting in the Flourishing Zone as part of 25 Genomes. Your votes will help decide five UK species that have their DNA fully sequenced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute as part of it’s 25th Anniversary celebrations. There are 42 species in the running, championed by team of scientists and wildlife experts answering your questions and competing for votes. Tomorrow evening (Wednesday 29th November) from 8pm – 9pm, you’re invited to join the Species Champions for a drop-in Live Chat! So far 25 Genomes has seen hundreds of questions and more than 80 live chats between students and the Champions. Meeting the champions is for everyone – you too can hear their cases for sequencing in the 25 Genomes drop-in Live Chats. From 8pm-9pm, the Live Chat in the Flourishing Zone will be open for an informal chat with the Champions. It’s a chance to ask … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →