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Starfish have been described as the ‘Martians’ of the animal kingdom – creatures “whose very strangeness helps us to see ourselves more clearly by showing us what we are not” [1]. It is this strangeness that makes starfish intriguing to children and adults alike… so it is the common starfish itself that should take most of the credit for winning in the Cryptic Zone. Championing the common starfish was very much a team effort and I am grateful to PhD students and postdocs in my research group at Queen Mary University of London and to colleagues at the Natural History Museum (London), Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University College London, University of Mons and University of Fribourg for all their contributions. I salute the champions of the other species in the Cryptic Zone … I know from my own experience how much time and effort you had to devote … Continue reading →

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

Thanks for registering in the Cryptic 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 Cryptic 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 Champions across all five zones! To head to another Zone, just click the option to chat there in … Continue reading →

Thanks for registering in the Cryptic 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 and 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 Cryptic 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 Cryptic 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 open to 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 Cryptic Zone will be open for an informal chat with the Champions. It’s a chance to … 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 Cryptic Zone Cryptic species are those that are other than they appear. They might mimic the behaviour of other species to avoid detection by their prey, or use camouflage to blend into their surroundings. Cryptic species might also have hidden differences, whilst seemingly looking the same. The Species   Twisted-wing fly | Championed by Andrew Polaszek and team ‘The big question is, how the same genome can produce animals that look so different?’       Snake pipefish | Championed by Ines Goncalves … Continue reading →