Barcode of Life: Global Biodiversity Challenge

Earth is home to an estimated 10 to100 million species but 250 years of study has formally described fewer than two million of them. The International Barcode of Life (iBOL) project includes biodiversity scientists from 26 countries working to identify every species on the planet using short snippets of DNA. Over the next 5 years, they are hoping to process 5 million specimens and they need your help! Students and youth from around the world, along with local scientists at colleges and universities, will participate in a collaborative social networking educational game in a race to identify and assign unique DNA barcodes to as many species as possible.

Partners:

International Barcode of Life Project Biodiversity Institute of Ontario
University of Guelph
Spongelab Interactive
Bioscience Education Canada
Encyclopedia of Life
Consortium for the Barcode of Life
J. Craig Venter Institute
Coastal Marine Labs
Natural History Museum, London
The Rockefeller University

Production Credits:

Video:

University of Guelph:
Robert Hanner
John Chenery
Amanda Naaum (student narrator)

Spongelab Interactive:
Jeremy Friedberg
Yona Gellert
Jennifer Belanger

Audio:
Hetoreyn (www.hetoreyn.com)