Taxonomy is of key relevance to the environment, agriculture, food production, and human health. However, describing all living organisms is such a daunting task that it calls for new approaches.  A DNA-based system for species identification, called 'DNA Barcoding', is one such solution. The implementation of such a system requires the standardisation of specific genetic markers (i.e. 'DNA barcodes'). Imperial researchers identified DNA barcodes for plants in 2008, which have since been endorsed by the Consortium for the Barcoding of Life and have led to multiple applications ranging from helping authentication of material for trade control (herbal medicine), facilitating biodiversity inventories or combating invasives.

• Read more about the impact of this work

In the news

• DNA barcode chosen for identifying the world's plants - Imperial news
• DNA 'barcode' revealed in plants  - BBC News
• Botanical identities - Nature
• Scientists use DNA barcodes to fight cycad smuggling - Cape Times
• New creative uses of DNA 'barcoding' - News-Medical.net
• National Botanic Garden of Wales logs plant DNA barcode’ - BBC News