Genomics and Adaptations Pack

A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA instructions. All living things have genomes – each genome contains all of the information needed to create a functional organism. The Wellcome Genome Campus works in the field of ‘genomics’ (the study of genomes). The huge impact genomics has had on health science is well known but its importance in conservation and how we understand the natural world is often overlooked.

The Wellcome Genome Campus is now embarking on the Darwin Tree of Life project. This will sequence the genomes (decode the DNA) of every complex (has more than one cell) organism found in the UK and Ireland – that’s 66,000 species! This is part of a bigger global endeavour, the Earth Biogenome project, which aims to sequence everything on earth!

Through this pack you will find out more about this project– how the work will be done and how the results might be used. Work through the activities and by the end you’ll know what genomics is and how it can be used to understand the natural world.

Age: 11+