We're 20% there - thank you!

May 09, 2016

We're 20% there - thank you!We're so grateful to everyone who's backed this Firefly Genome Project! We've just reached 20%, and we're thrilled to be approaching our goal of revealing fireflies' genetic blueprint.

Here's a fun photo of members of the FIRE (Firefly International Research and Education) team in the Smoky Mountains - it makes chasing fireflies for living look pretty romantic, right? Yet we're used to trading many sleepless nights, soggy boots, ticks & mosquito bites for these rare  moments of scientific exhilaration that shine through. 
We're glad you've joined us on this newest adventure to advance firefly science!

Pictured (left to right): Sarah Sander, Lynn Faust, Raphael de Cock, Kathrin Stanger-Hall, Sara Lewis

Thankyou

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About This Project

Illuminating the firefly genome

BYU, Cornell, Indiana U, Tufts, U of Rochester, Whitehead Institute/MIT

Fireflies! These silent fireworks on warm summer nights fill us with wonder. But so much about these fascinating critters remains shrouded in mystery. Our team of biologists has joined forces to sequence the genome of the Big Dipper Firefly, Photinus pyralis. This project has the potential to foster important advances in bioscience and medicine, will illuminate how a complex trait like light production evolves, and will help guide future efforts to conserve disappearing firefly populations.