Search Results

News SMBE 2026 - Let's connect! ERGA is proud to support SMBE 2026 as a sponsor. The ERGA Awards have already been granted, and we will soon share more about the winners. If you are joining the meeting, stop by the ERGA booth. We would love to meet you and connect in person!! Join the new ERGA Pangenomes Working Group! We are excited to launch the new ERGA Pangenomes Working Group, starting on May 25th during the DAC regular meeting. Open to beginners and experts alike, this group will focus on one of the most pressing challenges in the field of pangenomes, which is the need for standards. We also want to create a space to share ideas, discuss best practices, and learn from each other’s experiences. ERGA is a bottom-up community, and everyone’s perspective is welcome. Whether you are just getting started or already working in this area, we would love to build this together with you! Your Input for EBP Phase II As the Earth BioGenome Project moves toward Phase II, this is a key moment to understand the current capacity, priorities, and challenges across our global community. They invite everyone involved in biodiversity genome sequencing to complete a short 5-minute survey. Your responses will help provide a snapshot of who is doing this work, where it is happening, and what is needed to scale genome production effectively. The results will help EBP identify technical barriers, coordination needs, and opportunities where shared standards, support, and collaboration could accelerate progress. Unless otherwise indicated, responses will be reviewed in aggregate and will help inform Phase II planning discussions across the EBP community. 🐐 GoaT Update New data visualisation features in Genomes on a Tree ( GoaT ) , including a toggle to show value ranges and the use of the tilde (~) symbol to distinguish estimated ancestral values from direct measurements. These updates make it easier to interpret metadata across the eukaryotic tree of life. Events MCEB 2026 Mathematical and Computational Evolutionary Biology 4-8 May - Heraklion, Crete European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) 2026 6-10 July - Leiden, The Netherlands European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB 2026) 31 August - 3 September | Geneva, Switzerland 2nd Molluscan Genomics Workshop 30 August - 3 September | Frankfurt, Germany Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) Conference 2026 21-25 September | Oslo, Norway / Hybrid BioHackathon 2026 9-13 November | Barcelona, Spain Featured conferences with sessions organized by ERGA members: Are you attending events or organizing sessions/workshops not listed here? Let us know here , we can help you reach more attendees from the biodiversity genomics community! From the #ERGABlog: watch and explore How do you turn many individual experiences, workflows, and challenges into something the whole community can use? Watch Katja Reichel discuss the writing behind a recent publication and how individual contributions can come together to create a resource with real value for the wider community. How many species do we walk past every day without ever noticing them? We introduce Leviellus thorelli as one of the species selected for sequencing in the Community-Driven Reference Genomes under BGE. What does it actually take to move from a biological specimen to a sequence-ready sample? Rita Monteiro presents BGE WP5 and the coordination between sample providers, specimens, and sequencing centres. Useful links HAVE ANYTHING TO SHARE? Click and Submit to ERGANews! Click her e to become an ERGA Member Public EVENTS calendar here  - add this to your Calendar or iCalendar! 💬 Follow us on social media! BlueSky LinkedIn YouTube

What is biodiversity? And genomics? How are they related to each other in ways that help species monitoring and conservation? Throughout 2025, the “ ERGA – iBOL Europe Connections ” blog post series addressed these and many other questions about biodiversity genomics, such as the role that citizens play in biodiversity conservation, the difference between DNA barcodes and reference genomes, and all the related disciplines.  This series of blog posts was produced by us, the Biodiversity Genomics Europe  project’s Capacity Pillar team, composed of representatives from both the iBOL Europe  and ERGA  Secretariats.  Each Connection covers an aspect of biodiversity genomics and comes with a simplified-language version, the EasyConnection . The EasyConnections are intended for a lay audience and school pupils, and can be used by teachers at different levels of instruction. Since the end of BGE is fast approaching, we decided to collect all of the EasyConnections in a single booklet, named “Connections - Discovering Biodiversity Genomics.”  It features eight chapters, links to extra material and media, and a “Games” section at the end to test your knowledge once you've read the leaflet. To make it accessible to as wide an audience as possible, we have been translating it into different European languages, and for now, it is accessible in English , Italian and Portuguese . We hope that “Connections” will help you get a better understanding of the fascinating world of biodiversity genomics, and that you will enjoy playing with it! English Português Italiano

Introduction Welcome to the Biodiversity Genomics Alphabet ! This outreach series introduces one concept each month, using plain language and a short local story to help connect genomics to everyday observations of nature and to biodiversity questions that matter for conservation, management, and education. Each entry includes an audio version to support accessibility and translations into several European languages to help everyone reuse the material across contexts. DNA You pick a seed and wonder how it becomes a sunflower, rather than a tomato. Hidden in every cell, what makes each living being unique is a long instruction manual called DNA . This manual is made up of just four letters, each corresponding to a different type of molecule (also called a nucleotide): A (adenine), C (cytosine), G (guanine), and T (thymine). They are written one after the other hundreds, if not billions of times. The order of these letters guides how a living being is constructed and functions. Would you be surprised to learn that 94% of your DNA sequence matches that of your cat? Most people share a nearly identical DNA sequence, but the remaining tiny differences are important and are what make us different from our parents. This is because there are so many possible combinations that can be made, even with a small number of letters. It is how everyone’s DNA writes a unique story of letters. And it is these differences that make you have freckles, determine the way your hair curls (or not), or affect your height. Family members share more similar sequences than random people, which is why your smile resembles that of a parent’s and your walk resembles that of a cousin’s.  DNA, a local story In a small town, two brothers look surprisingly different. One has straight dark hair and brown eyes, the other has curly light hair and blue eyes. Their biology teacher explains that although siblings share most of their DNA, small differences in the order of DNA letters across their genomes can help shape traits like hair texture and eye colour. And you, what traits do you share with your siblings, and what’s different? DNA in action Plant breeders can compare DNA from many sunflowers to find small letter differences linked to useful traits, like drought tolerance or disease resistance. Those DNA clues help them select seeds more efficiently, so farmers can grow crops that cope better with changing conditions. The quick glossary Nucleotide:  one ‘letter’ of DNA (A, C, G, or T). DNA:  the molecule that stores biological instructions in a four-letter code (A, C, G, T). DNA sequence:  the specific order of DNA letters along the DNA molecule. Genome:  all the DNA of an organism (the complete set of its DNA instructions). Other languages Italiano 🇮🇹 DNA Prendi un seme: ti sei mai chiesto come faccia a diventare un girasole e non una pianta di pomodoro? Nascosto in ogni cellula, c’è un lungo manuale di istruzioni chiamato DNA , in grado di rendere ogni essere vivente unico. Questo manuale è scritto con sole quattro lettere, ognuna corrispondente a un diverso tipo di molecola (chiamata nucleotide): A (adenina), C (citosina), G (guanina) e T (timina). Queste lettere sono scritte una dopo l’altra, centinaia di milioni, se non miliardi, di volte. È l’ordine delle lettere a determinare il modo in cui ogni essere vivente viene costruito e funziona. Ad esempio, sapevi che il 94% della tua sequenza di DNA corrisponde a quella del tuo gatto? La maggior parte delle persone, però, condivide una sequenza di DNA quasi identica: sono allora le piccolissime differenze rimanenti a renderci diversi gli uni dagli altri. Anche con un numero così ridotto di lettere, infatti, le combinazioni possibili sono enormi: è così che il DNA di ciascuno scrive una storia unica. E sono proprio queste differenze che possono farti avere le lentiggini, determinare se i tuoi capelli sono ricci (o no) o influenzare la tua altezza. I membri della stessa famiglia condividono ovviamente sequenze più simili rispetto a persone scelte a caso: ecco perché il tuo sorriso ricorda quello di un genitore, e la tua camminata quella di un cugino. Un racconto sul DNA In una piccola città, due fratelli hanno un aspetto sorprendentemente diverso. Uno ha capelli scuri e lisci e occhi marroni, l’altro ha capelli chiari e ricci e occhi azzurri. La loro insegnante di biologia spiega che, sebbene i fratelli condividano la maggior parte del loro DNA, piccole differenze nell'ordine delle lettere del DNA nel loro genoma possono contribuire a determinare caratteristiche come la consistenza dei capelli e il colore degli occhi. E tu, quali caratteristiche condividi con i tuoi fratelli e quali sono diverse? DNA in azione I coltivatori possono confrontare il DNA di molti girasoli per individuare piccole differenze genetiche legate a caratteristiche utili, come la tolleranza alla siccità o la resistenza alle malattie. Questi caratteri genetici li aiutano a selezionare i semi in modo più efficiente, consentendo loro di coltivare prodotti che si adattino meglio alle condizioni mutevoli. Mini glossario Nucleotide:  una ‘lettera’ del DNA (A, C, G o T). DNA:  la molecola che racchiude le istruzioni biologiche in un codice di quattro lettere (i nucleotidi: A, C, G, T). Sequenza di DNA:  l’ordine specifico delle lettere del DNA lungo la molecola. Genoma:  tutto il DNA di un organismo (l’insieme completo delle sue istruzioni). Français 🇫🇷 Deutsch 🇩🇪 Slovenščina 🇸🇮 Eesti keel 🇪🇪 Bosanski 🇧🇦 Hrvatski 🇭🇷 српски 🇷🇸 P ortuguês 🇵🇹 Contributors Isabel R. Amorim, Chiara Bortoluzzi, Elena Buzan, Christian de Guttry, Maris Hindrikson, Stefaniya Kamenova, Emre Keskin, Alice Laigle, Lada Lukić Bilela, Luisa Marins, Filippo Nicolini

Committees SSP - Sampling & Sample Processing samples@erga-biodiversity.eu More > DAC - Data Analysis Committee analysis@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Media & Communications media@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Social Justice Committee socialjustice@erga-biodiversity.eu More > SAC - Sequencing and Assembly Committee assembly@erga-biodiversity.eu More > ITIC - IT & Infrastructure Committee itinfra@erga-biodiversity.eu More > CS - Citizen Science citizenscience@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Annotation Committee annotation@erga-biodiversity.eu More > ELSI - Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues elsi@erga-biodiversity.eu More > TKT - Training and Knowledge Transfer training@erga-biodiversity.eu More >

media@erga-biodiversity.eu < Back Media & Communications media@erga-biodiversity.eu The Media & Communications Committee is responsible for communicating ERGA's goals, actions, and accomplishments internally and externally. Our committee produces newsletters, press releases, blog-posts, manages the website, and maintains social media accounts. We are responsible for developing communication strategies, implementing plans for publicising ERGA events and activities, and ensuring that all relevant information is disseminated in a timely and accurate manner. It is our responsibility to raise awareness about ERGA both inside and outside the scientific community, in order to encourage more people to support and join our community and contribute to our mission. Coordinators Christian de Guttry Luísa Marins Steering Committee Alice Mouton Jan Zwilling Follow #ERGA ! Stay connected! Follow us on social media for updates and insights. 🌍 https://linktr.ee/erga_biodiversity #Genomes for #Biodiversity ERGA News #36 - March 2026 ERGA Newsletter Connections Booklet: Discovering Biodiversity Genomics Press Releases The Biodiversity Genomics alphabet 1: DNA

Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) The Biodiversity Genomics Europe Project has the overriding aim of accelerating the use of genomic science to enhance understanding of biodiversity, monitor biodiversity change, and guide interventions to address its decline. The BGE Project comprises activities focused on DNA Barcoding (Barcoding Stream) and Reference Genome Generation (Genomes Stream) for eukaryotic species across Europe, bringing together two European networks: iBOL Europe and the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA). The ERGA Stream of BGE The Genomes Stream of BGE, as the European node of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) , aims to establish and implement large-scale biodiversity genomic data generation pipelines to accelerate the production and accessibility of reference-quality, complete genome sequences for species across the whole of European biodiversity. The output will support applications in the fields of: biodiversity characterisation, conservation, and biomonitoring. The Genomes Stream focuses on generating reference-quality genomes from critical European biodiversity, biodiversity hotspots, pollinators, and a selection of applied case studies. BGE-ERGA Stream Work Packages: BGE-ERGA News Connections Booklet: Discovering Biodiversity Genomics From Peaks to Parks: Citizen Scientists Join Bulgaria’s Genomic Quest for Biodiversity Wings, Bees, and Barcodes: Citizen Scientists Support Pollinator Genomics in Cyprus Partner Institutions Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research University of Lausanne University of Florence Cibio Genomescope 6 7 8 600x600logos_hackathon_sponsors_logos2 bge_erga-inst_LOGOS(7) CSIC University of Oslo 14 16 bge_erga-inst_LOGOS(2) bge_erga-inst_LOGOS(3) Sanger Earlham Institute bge_erga-inst_LOGOS(5) bge_erga-inst_LOGOS(6) Discover the whole BGE network