Animal gene sequencing project aims to assemble a comprehensive genomic zoo

You’ve quite possibly heard of the Human Genome Project, the massive international science research project dedicated to sequencing the human DNA. A less well-known project called Genome 10K has a not-unrelated mission — but instead of mapping just the human genome, it’s dedicated to sequencing the genome of thousands of animal species, including those most at risk of extinction.

“The purpose of the Genome 10K project is to assemble a genomic zoo of DNA sequences representing the full diversity of vertebrate animals, including at least 10,000 different vertebrate species,” David Haussler, the Genome 10K trustee and scientific director at the University of California Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, told Digital Trends. “Establishing the genetic diversity of vertebrate species would create a priceless resource for the life sciences and worldwide conservation efforts. We have only just begun to understand our natural environment. Because virtually all the biology of an animal is encoded in its genome, the Genome 10K project will provide a great leap forward.”

A genome, Haussler said, can help us calculate how endangered a particular species is by the effects of...