iBOL expects to identify species by digital DNA barcodes
IBol, which stands for International Barcode of Life, will build a digital library of DNA sequences(barcodes) of different species. The project expects to develop technology to make identification of specimens inexpensive and easy. This research shared between scientists of 25 nations, will aid in the identification of new species.
The International Barcode of Life project will utilize an alliance of researchers and biodiversity organizations from 25 nations. Those nations will be broken down into different levels of participation. Seven nations will be National Nodes focusing on “the collection, identification and curation of specimens.” The final two levels are Central and Regional Nodes.
Both the Central and Regional Nodes will gather species/specimen barcodes with the Central Nodes “maintaining large core sequencing facilities.” The Central nodes will also house the equipment and facilities needed to allow all nations to access barcode information.
Currently the National Nodes are: Argentina, Columbia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, and Panama. The Regional Nodes are: Australia, Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, and South Africa. The four Central Nodes are: Canada, China, the European Union, and the United States.
New DNA sequencing platforms will be used to provide massive biodiversity scans. The technology for DNA sequencing and identification are expected to improve over the course of the project.
Just like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, iBOL will be developing a tremendous amount of information from DNA sequencing technology. That information is expected to pose a storage and analysis challenge based on the massive amount of information that will be collected. The storage and analysis problems are expected to get worse over time as more countries and scientists get involved.
An alliance between scientists and research centers is the only way that this project could be undertaken. No single nation would be able to afford to undertake this project nor would a single nation be able to gather all of the specimens necessary to create a world wide DNA barcode library.
Since every portion of world has at least one country participating in this project, the development of the barcode library is expected to only take five years from the official start of the program in 2010. As with any scientific project, expect there to be surprises that will alter the initial timeline and expectations of the participating scientists.
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