Genomic sciences have transformed modern society, fueling breakthroughs in agriculture, medicine, conservation and beyond. Just over two decades ago, the Human Genome Project ushered in a new era of discovery, leading directly to innovations in cancer research, the treatment of genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis and the global rise of collaborative, cross-disciplinary “big science.” Today, this same transformative potential can be extended across all of Earth’s biodiversity.
The Earth BioGenome Project is an unprecedented global effort to sequence, catalog and characterize the genomes of every known eukaryotic species on Earth. This work could help prevent the next global health pandemic, safeguard ecosystems under threat from climate change and increase food security through stronger, more resilient crops. Yet it is also a race against time: we are living in an age of mass extinction, where species disappear daily. With ASU as a leading partner, EBP is working to preserve the biological blueprint of life before it is lost forever.
Genomes are the infrastructure for the future of biology and the bio-economy, much like how the Webb Telescope allows scientists to peer into the cosmos to understand the origins and evolution of the universe, having all the of sequence of eukaryotic life — those with species that have their DNA packaged in a nucleus —will facilitate understanding of the origin and evolution of life on Earth."