Creating a map of every living thing, cell by cell

An ambitious and revolutionary initiative aims to map every cell of all eukaryotic life on Earth. The result will be a Biodiversity Cell Atlas, which will reveal nature’s secrets and help inform conservation efforts at a level that is not currently possible. 

This plan, crafted by leading experts from around the world, is detailed in a white paper published today (24 September) in Nature. This global, collaborative effort is spearheaded by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, and further supported by experts worldwide¹.

The ambitious atlas will enable experts to understand life at single-cell resolution², with potential implications for many different areas beyond basic research, including conservation, industrial applications, and drug discovery. By being able to compare cell types and gene expression across species and life stages, this work aims to create a map of life that uncovers more about the biology of every cell and how they interact with the cells around them.

Genome sequencing has transformed biology over the past 25 years since the first draft of the human genome. This has led to initiatives such as the Darwin Tree of Life Project, which aims to genetically sequence all known species of animals, plants, fungi and protists in Britain and Ireland. Despite our growing knowledge of the genome sequences of different species, it is not clear how these genomes encode the range of cells and functions that we see, and how evolution has shaped the sheer amount of cellular diversity we have on Earth.

The Biodiversity Cell Atlas plans to bridge this gap by understanding how every cell decodes and interprets the genetic information stored in DNA, building on the sequencing efforts of projects such as the Darwin Tree of Life.

The new white paper sets out the first stage of the Biodiversity Cell Atlas, which will test and compare protocols for analysing single-cell gene expression in various species. This allows the team to create a universal process for collecting, sequencing, and processing data in a standardised way to ensure that the atlas can be built, used, and applied worldwide.

This project requires expertise across a range of disciplines, including biodiversity and genomic experts, and local communities, to ensure that the benefit of such research is collectively and equitably shared.

“Understanding the diversity of life demands strong interdisciplinary collaboration. By bringing together experts from across the world and creating a framework to coordinate and standardise our efforts, everyone can benefit. With this initiative, we are undertaking scientific exploration at scale, enhancing our understanding of life’s evolution and opening the door to completely unexpected discoveries.”

Dr Arnau Sebé Pedrós, initiator of the Biodiversity Cell Atlas at the Centre for Genomic Regulation and Associate Faculty at the Wellcome Sanger Institute

“The first multicellular species with their whole genomes sequenced more than twenty years ago  — humans, flies, worms — were incredibly ambitious projects for their time. They changed the course of science in the years to come.  We hope this new initiative will have a similar impact. This level of biological understanding of eukaryotic life could have wide-ranging implications, including in medicine and conservation. While we still have a lot to figure out when it comes to processes and techniques, it is incredibly exciting to be involved in such a transformative project.”

Dr Mara Lawniczak, co-leading the Biodiversity Cell Atlas efforts at the Wellcome Sanger Institute

More information

1. A full list of collaborators can be found on the White Paper publication at nature.com.articles/s41586-025-09312-4
2. Single-cell genomic sequencing allows researchers to measure genomic activities (e.g. gene expression) in an individual cell, helping them understand all different cell types at a high resolution and at the molecular level. The Biodiversity Cell Atlas will use single-cell genomic sequencing to build molecular cell atlases of model organisms and compare single-cell genomics datasets to uncover new molecular and biological insights. This will be informed by the genetic sequencing efforts of projects and researchers worldwide, as the genome sequence of a species is required for single-cell analysis.

Publication:

1. Sebé-Pedrós, A. Tanay, M. Lawniczak, D. Arendt, et al. (2025). ‘The Biodiversity Cell Atlas: mapping the tree of life at cellular resolution’. Nature. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09312-4

Funding:

Phase 0 is supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Wellcome provided funding for the inaugural Biodiversity Cell Atlas meeting.