Earth BioGenome Project Kicks Off Ambitious Phase II to Sequence 1.67 Million Species

Lead An international consortium today launched the second phase of the Earth BioGenome Project, aiming to sequence the DNA of 1.67 million species over the next decade to build a comprehensive “digital bank of life.” (September 10, 2025)

Nut Graf Building on its initial success of mapping 3,500 genomes, the Earth BioGenome Project enters a four-year ramp-up to sequence 150,000 species-about 3,000 genomes per month-leveraging recent advances that have made sequencing ten times faster and eight times cheaper. This effort promises to reshape our understanding of evolution, biodiversity and ecosystem function just as biodiversity loss accelerates worldwide.

Major Expansion and Funding

  • Phase I achievements
  • Sequenced 3,500 species from 2020 to 2024.
  • Demonstrated feasibility across diverse taxa.
  • Phase II objectives
  • Catalog the DNA of 150,000 species by 2029.
  • Scale throughput to 3,000 genomes monthly.
  • Funding and scale
  • Backed by $4 billion from governments, foundations and research institutions.
  • Involves over 2,200 researchers in 88 countries.

Technological Breakthroughs Drive Speed and Cost Reductions Recent innovations in high-throughput sequencing have slashed per-genome costs and turnaround times. Automation in sample preparation, nanopore technologies and AI-driven assembly pipelines enable the project’s accelerated schedule. “Sequencing costs have plummeted, and we can now tackle whole-genome projects at an unprecedented scale,” said Mark Blaxter of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Phase II lead author.

Conservation and Biodiversity Insights By creating a global repository of genomic data, researchers aim to:

  • Inform conservation priorities by identifying vulnerable lineages.
  • Uncover genetic underpinnings of adaptation to climate stress.
  • Enable rapid detection of emerging pathogens in wildlife.

Looking Ahead Phase II will also focus on integrating genomic data with ecological and phenotypic databases, fostering cross-disciplinary research. “Our digital ‘tree of life’ will be a cornerstone for both basic biology and applied conservation strategies,” Blaxter added. As sequencing scales up, the Earth BioGenome Project stands as biology’s answer to the Apollo moon shot, promising transformative insights into life on Earth.