Happy #WorldScienceDay for Peace and Development! Some problems are too big for one institution - or even one country - to handle alone. Preserving and understanding biodiversity is one of those problems. Here's how the global biobanking community is playing its part. bbsa.org.za/biobanking-a...

📣We're seeking proposals for developing high-throughput publishing workflows that facilitate the sharing and regular updating of biodiversity data derived from DNA. 🧬 💰Funding: up to €20,000 per project 📍Deadline: 30 November 2026 📆 Projects commence: March 2027 🔗gbif.link/SPLICE-pub...

Happy #OneHealthDay, everyone! True story: if we want people to live longer, healthier and happier lives, we need to take a holistic approach that balances the health of people, animals and ecosystems. Here’s how #biodiversity #biobanks can help… bbsa.org.za/2025/11/03/o...

[READ] As a child, Patrick Rakau helped his grandmother care for pigs, chickens and goats from an early age. Now, as a researcher at the Agricultural Research Council’s Animal Production Institute, he’s turned feeding farm animals into a science. Here’s why he does it. bbsa.org.za/2026/10/15/m...

There’s a lot we can tell from DNA - especially if we’re using long, intact DNA fragments. But handling those takes special care - as young researchers from the SANBI Plant DNA Biobank discovered at the @diplomics.bsky.social / ACGT High Molecular Weight DNA Jamboree. bbsa.org.za/2026/09/17/b...

Biobanking News | Getting The Good Genes: Plant DNA Biobankers At The High Molecular Weight DNA Jamboree - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Biobanking News | Getting The Good Genes: Plant DNA Biobankers At The High Molecular Weight DNA Jamboree Working with DNA ...

bbsa.org.za

Happy #WorldFoodDaY! Ask most people where their dinner comes from and they'll say the shop, market or farm down the road. Ask where the next dinner comes from, in twenty years, on a hotter and drier planet - and that's where #biodiversity #biobanks enter the picture... bbsa.org.za/2026/10/16/s...

[SHARE YOUR STORIES] Are you a member of the #biodiversity #biobanking community? Have you been hard at work in the lab or field, preserving, protecting and promoting your collections? Let us know what you've been up to - and let's celebrate your achievements! mailchi.mp/0112cbef9dfd...

Get to know the new governance measures for databases that make Digital Sequence Information publicly available. www.dsiscientificnetwork.org/wp-content/u...

Did you know? The NRF-SAIAB biobank currently houses over 56 000 tissue samples of aquatic species, including fish, amphibians and invertebrates - and managing all that diversity is a big job. Luckily, biobank coordinator Seshnee Reddy is up to the job. #MarineWeek2026 bbsa.org.za/2026/09/18/m...

The Desert Botanical Garden is hosting a free virtual workshop, 'Plant Cryobiorepositories in the Genomics Era: Standards for Biodiversity Conservation'. November 18-20, 2026 10-13h MST Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Happy #WorldFarmAnimalDay! The more we know about the animals we farm, the better off we are...which is why the Grootfontein Biobank for Sheep & Goats takes extra care of the many research flocks it maintains - and shares knowledge all over the country (and beyond). bbsa.org.za/2023/07/29/m...

Meet The Biobank: Grootfontein Biobank – Breeding Better Sheep (And Goats) - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Meet The Biobank: Grootfontein Biobank – Breeding Better Sheep (And Goats) Most biobanks are staffed entirely by humans (for obvious ...

bbsa.org.za

🧬 Last time, #GenomicsExplained explored AMR. This week, we’re widening the lens with metagenomics — studying genetic material from multiple organisms within a sample. Explore wastewater metagenomics in Africa: bit.ly/4hzkz3c #PHA4GE #Metagenomics

[READ] Happy #HeritageDay, South Africa! Today we celebrate our Rainbow Nation’s rich history and diversity. But that diversity is not just cultural - and biodiversity biobanks can help celebrate and protect our biodiversity heritage. Here’s why that matters to us. bbsa.org.za/2026/09/24/w...

Happy #ElephantAppreciationDay! When you need elephant sperm in a hurry, who you gonna call? The SANBI Wildlife Biobank, of course! Biodiversity #biobanking allows for international cooperation on elephant insemination - among other things. Here's why that matters: www.izw-berlin.de/en/frozen-du...

Happy belated #InternationalMicroorganismDay! Fun fact: Microbes matter. They’ve been around way longer than we have, they’re pretty much everywhere, and we can learn a lot about our world by studying them. That's what the Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics biobank is all about.

[READ] The UFS Yeast Culture Collection holds more than 4000 yeast isolates from all over the world. For Dr Adepemi Ogundeji, studying their ecological, medical and industrial significance means no two days are ever quite the same. And that's just the way she likes it. bbsa.org.za/2026/09/10/m...

Meet The Member: Adepemi Ogundeji - Medicine, Microbes & Better Biobanking - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Meet The Member: Adepemi Ogundeji – Medicine, Microbes & Better Biobanking “Biobanks are essentially repositories of biological knowledge and biodiversity. ...

bbsa.org.za

[WEBINAR INVITE] *Transforming Biobanking in Africa* African biobanking lies at a pivotal moment, as growing research demand meets gaps in quality infrastructure and resources. Join the conversation on 16 September at 📅 09:00 PST / 12:00 EST / 18:00 SAST Find out more: www.isber.org/page/webinars

ISBER

International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories

isber.org

🌺 You won't want to miss this one! You're invited to join the GBIF Science Symposium! The theme of the event, “From Open Data to Living Knowledge."🧬 This event is free to join in person at Universitetet i Oslo or through virtual livestream. 🔗 www.gbif.no/events/2... @gbifnorway.bsky.social

[READ] When it comes to farming, the best biobanks combine traditional and indigenous knowledge with the latest technology and methods. So this #AfricanTraditionalMedicineDay, we're celebrating the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre's efforts to empower communities. bbsa.org.za/2026/08/18/b...

Biobanking News | Department Of Agriculture National Genebank Empowers Gumbu Community Seedbank - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Biobanking News | Department Of Agriculture National Genebank Empowers Gumbu Community Seedbank Community level seed-saving initiatives have been designed and ...

bbsa.org.za

@globalmicrobiome.bsky.social is organising its 10th anniversary symposium on October 7–8, 2026. The program includes topics such as microbial ecology, evolution, host–microbe interactions, computational biology, and more. They will also host a workshop on AI for microbiome research!

Fungi aren’t quite as famous as plants or animals. But they’re every bit as important - and every bit as interesting. Just ask Nicole van Vuuren, whose fascination with fungi makes every day at the FABI Culture Collection a fun one. #womeninscience #womancrushwednesday bbsa.org.za/2026/08/18/m...

💬 "Many of the environmental incentives rely on indicator species being present, but it’s currently difficult to quantify the presence of those species in a highly diverse seed stock.” Could AI improve the effectiveness of biodiversity initiatives? 🌼 #PlantScience

Could AI improve the effectiveness of biodiversity initiatives?

Scientists at Earlham Institute investigating the genetic diversity of UK wildflower species have developed AI-driven techniques to improve the speed and effectiveness of seed classification.

okt.to

Biobanks can help preserve South Africa’s incredible biodiversity. But to get the most out of them, we need to know what’s actually in them. That’s a really big job. Luckily, SANBI researcher Rekha Sathyan was up to the challenge. #womeninscience #womancrushwednesday bbsa.org.za/2023/11/22/r...

Rekha Sathyan: What's In Our Biodiversity Biobanks Anyway? - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Rekha Sathyan: What’s In Our Biodiversity Biobanks Anyway? Biobanks are essential to preserving South Africa’s vast biodiversity heritage. But to ...

bbsa.org.za

🌟 Know a rising star in host-microbe interactions? Nominate an exceptional early-career scientist to author a minireview in #IAIJournal’s 2027 New Voices in Microbiology Collection. Submit your nomination by Aug 31: asm.social/32H

Happy #WomensDay, South Africa! Seventy years ago today, thousands of women challenged the idea that ‘a woman’s place is in the kitchen’, declaring instead that ‘a woman’s place is everywhere’. One of those places? In the lab, changing the world, one discovery at a time. bbsa.org.za/2025/02/11/w...

SANBI’s Indigenous Plant DNA Biobank has a lot on its plate. After all, there are over 22 000 indigenous plant species in South Africa, and many of them are not very well understood. Luckily, botanist Mpho Mohlakoana is here to help. #womeninscience #womancrushwednesday bbsa.org.za/2023/06/14/m...

[WATCH] It's #WorldRangerDay, a chance to celebrate those fine folks who preserve and protect nature - like those at the SANParks Veterinary Wildlife Services Biobank, one of the wildest #biobanks in Africa, where research is conducted on animals from all over South Africa. Here's how they do it...

[READ] Happy #WorldNatureConservationDay! Did you know? South Africa is a megadiverse country, with all sorts of weird and wonderful plant, animal and microbial species. Here's how biodiversity biobanks can help keep it that way. bbsa.org.za/2024/03/28/p...

Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future: Why We Need Biodiversity Biobanks - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Biobanks can help study, preserve and protect South Africa’s incredible biodiversity - and also help us deal with challenges like food security, climate change and more. But what are they, exactly? An...

bbsa.org.za

Building and applying pangenome references to capture genetic diversity go.nature.com/4vMAlwE #Review by @hufsahashraf.bsky.social, @danydoerr.bsky.social, Jana Ebler & @tobiasmar.bsky.social @hhu.de Free to read here: rdcu.be/fumeF

Building and applying pangenome references to capture genetic diversity

Nature Reviews Genetics - Pangenomes are genome references that integrate sequences from multiple individuals into graph-based or multi-haplotype representations, capturing genetic variation beyond...

rdcu.be

Fun fact: soil isn't just dirt - it's full of all sorts of living things. But what are they? And how can we study, preserve and use them effectively? That's what the Agricultural Research Council's new Soil and Agricultural #Genomic #Biobank aims to find out. bbsa.org.za/2026/07/07/b...

Biobanking News | Establishing a National Soil Biobank to Advance Agricultural Research in South Africa - Biodiversity Biobanks SA

Doing The Groundwork: Establishing a National Soil Biobank in South Africa The South African research landscape has taken a significant ...

bbsa.org.za