Cells are the building blocks of life, but scientists still know surprisingly little about how diverse cell types are across the many branches of the tree of life. Advances in single-cell technologies and genome sequencing are opening the door to a much clearer picture.

An international team led by researchers from the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona have launched the Biodiversity Cell Atlas initiative, an ambitious effort to map and characterize cell types across a wide variety of eukaryotic organisms. The goal is to create detailed molecular atlases that reveal how cells work, how they differ across species, and how they have evolved over time.

This initiative will rely on high-quality genome sequences, standardized methods, and powerful tools like single-cell RNA sequencing to study gene activity in individual cells. By comparing cell types from different species, the project aims to uncover fundamental biological principles that apply to all life, while also highlighting the unique molecular features that define each organism.

The BCA aims at molecularly characterizing cell types across the eukaryotic tree of life

Molecular profiles derived from single-cell transcriptomics (or other data modalities such as chromatin accessibility) capture the gene expression patterns of individual cells. By clustering similar cells, cell types and states can be identified and organized into hierarchies that reflect their molecular similarities. mRNA, messenger RNA.

The Biodiversity Cell Atlas could reshape our understanding of evolution, cell diversity, and how organisms interact with one another at the cellular level. It represents a collaborative community effort to build a shared scientific resource that will benefit many fields, from evolutionary biology to medicine.

Availability – https://biodiversitycellatlas.org/