Introduction

The DNA barcoding iniciative promotes the idea of being able to distinguish species and identify specimens (including incomplete, damaged or immature specimens) using a very short gene sequence immediately captured the imagination of many taxonomists, geneticists and evolutionary biologists.The cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial region (COI) is emerging as the standard barcode region for higher animals. It is 648 nucleotide base pairs long in most groups, a very short sequence relative to 3 billion base pairs in the human genome, for example. The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) consists of Member Organizations that share an interest in DNA barcoding and work together to promote its development. CBOL pursues this mission through a variety of activities that are overseen by the CBOL Executive Committee and are managed by a Secretariat Office. Since its inaugural meeting in May 2004, over 100 organizations from 39 countries across 6 continents have joined the Consortium for the Barcode of Life. The Smithsonian Institution (SI) collaborates with the CBOL. Through its research centers and laboratories, the Smithsonian Institution contributes with the BOL iniciative. The Laboratory for Analitical Biology at the Museum Support Center in Washington DC, has been actively involved in a variety of projects for barcoding. The Molecular Biology and Evolution Laboratory at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, is playing a major role in the organization of barcoding organisms in Central and South America.

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Contact

Oris Sanjur
Title :	Senior Laboratory Manager Molecular Biology and Evolution Laboratories
Address :	Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Unit 0948 APO AA 34002-0948 Panama
Tel :	(507) 212-8824
Fax :	(507) 212-8790/91
E-mail :	sanjuro@si.edu

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