News
After weeks of intensive work purifying and preparing DNA samples, the CRG team continues its groundbreaking effort to characterize the biodiversity of Pyrenean high mountain lakes.
Last week, this dedicated team launched the first sequencing experiments, marking a major milestone in the project. We are eagerly awaiting the results and can’t wait to uncover the hidden microbial diversity of these unique ecosystems!
The PyriSentinel team continues its mission to raise awareness about microorganisms biodiversity and its key role in high mountain ecosystems. This time we targeted a younger audience by visiting the high school diploma students of a school in Ordino, Andorra. Our scientific outreach specialist (Manel Niell, ARI) and project leader (Hannah Benisty, CRG) joined forces to create a didactic scientific activity that included a hand-on exercise to visualize and identify microorganisms under the microscope.
We look forward to continue sharing our news with you during 2025 – Stay tuned!
As part of PyriSentinel’s mission to bridge the gap between biodiversity research and society, the PyriSentinel team at CRG hosted an exciting pilot citizen science activity. This event brought together over 30 participants from CRG’s administrative and scientific staff to contribute to one of the major efforts aimed at characterizing the biodiversity of microorganisms of high-mountain lakes in the breathtaking region of Les Angles, located in the French Pyrenees.
Over the course of 1.5 days, participants sampled four lakes: Viver, Dugues, Llat, and Trebens. The goal of this initiative was to test and validate PyriSentinel’s citizen science sampling strategy, including consistency, reliability, and accessibility of the protocols, sampling material and lakes, by comparing the genomic data resulting from the samples collected by participants to those collected by trained professionals.
The preliminary results are highly promising: our ste-by-step guides were found overall easy to follow and preliminary analysis indicate that the DNA amount extracted from samples collected by citizen scientists is comparable to that collected by trained professionals. Engagement was exceptionally positive, with participants expressing enthusiasm and providing valuable feedback that will help similar future citizen science initiatives.
Looking ahead, a follow-up event is already in the works. During this gathering, findings from the pilot activity will be shared with participants, the CRG community, the broader PyriSentinel team and other interested stakeholders.
This pilot activity holds great potential for scaling up: by empowering citizens to collaborate in research, we aim to address misinformation about climate change impacts but also foster biodiversity awareness, build trust in the scientific process, and contribute to climate resilience.
Stay tuned for more updates!
In the ninth week, we have already reached 195 lakes! This means the mountain technical team samples between 4 and 5 lakes per workday. Incredible, right? Despite the long days and the fast pace, they still find a moment to capture the breathtaking landscapes the Pyrenees offer us. Don’t miss the photos that accompany this unprecedented effort!
As of the fifth week, the CNRS adds to the sampling efforts starting in the French Pyrenees. So far, the team has sampled 6 lakes, including the Ayous lakes. They spend the night at Refuge d’Ayous, just above the Gentau Lake and were lucky enough to arrive to the refuge before the storm. As the storm cleared, they were treated to a breathtaking rainbow. Stay tuned for more incredible adventures from our amazing team!
We are very happy to announce that our sampling team has reached the 100-lakes milestone. This is an amazing achievement and we could not be more proud of the huge effort and dedication.
As of the third week of our sampling efforts, our dedicated team has successfully reached and collected samples from over 70 lakes! Below are some pictures of their incredible work. Stay tuned for more glimpses into our fieldwork adventures!
The Pyrisentinel sampling campaign 2024 is officially underway! Today, the team sampled the first five lakes in the Llauset Valley, located in Aragonese Ribagorza. Stay tuned for more updates as the campaign progresses!
The final preparations for the summer 2024 sampling campaign took place today in our basecamp in Vielha. A team of PyriSentinel partners and mountain technicians met to finalize the details before the fieldwork begins. Over the course of July, August, and September, the team will sample more than 300 lakes!
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