Ivan Dikic

most extensively analysed fungal sequences. As there are now barcode sequences covering all kingdoms of multicellular life, and taxonomists in museums are working hard to keep the molecular information connected to the traditional repositories and species definitions, barcodes offer the opportunity to expand species identification to situations where skilled taxonomists may not be at hand. “As anyone who’s been on a walk with a taxonomist knows, their ability to rattle off the names of the plants and animals they see along the trailside is so impressive as to seem almost magical. That ability, and the knowledge that underpins it, is the result of many years if not decades of intensive, highly specialized study, and, as a result, it’s extremely rare,” says Karen James from the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, in Maine, US. “DNA barcoding is a tool for amplifying taxonomic expertise. Combined with the growing popularity of citizen science (i.e. public participation in scientific research), DNA barcoding could enable a large number of non-experts, spread around the world, to participate in understanding and conserving the diversity of life.” Barcoding Nemo: Supervision of the trade with ornamental fish is one of the applications of DNA barcoding. (Photo: Barcode Wales.) Ivan Dikic