Our planet is losing animals at an alarming rate of one species every six hours. We are in the midst of earth’s sixth mass extinction with currently around 11,000 endangered species. With the climate emergency exacerbating natural disasters, as evidenced by the Australian wildfires having killed an estimated over one billion animals, we have a very short time to catalogue and record our unique biodiversity.
The DNA Zoo consortium, a not-for-profit organisation incorporated in Houston, TX, USA, with sister labs in UWA, Australia and ShanghaiTech University, China focused on facilitating conservation efforts through the rapid generation and release of high-quality genomics resources. A global network is created with >60 collaborating partners across 8 countries for comprehensive worldwide sampling of biological diversity with the participation of geographically localised communities dedicated to this cause. DNA Zoo collaborations between academic labs, zoos and museums across the world are facilitating comprehensive sampling of global biodiversity, including the vulnerable and threatened species across the ‘tree of life’.
Assoc Prof Parwinder Kaur will share her mission to provide genomic empowerment to unique Australian biodiversity facilitating conservation efforts for the threatened and endangered species through DNA Zoo Australia.
Presenter: Associate Professor Parwinder Kaur, Director, DNA Zoo Australia, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia
Date/time: 20 Aug 2020 - 12:00-13:00 AEST / 10:00-11.00 AWST