The trees we will sample

There are many trees in Fukushima that survived the disaster, and managed to survive and even thrive in these new conditions. These long-lived trees offer us a unique opportunity to gather genetic data from several species. We plan to sample Beech (Fagus crenata), Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) and Spruce (Picea maximowiczii). All three of these species has had their genomes completely sequenced, meaning as we gather the gene fragments from our Next Generation sequencing, we will have the ability to determine where each data segment belongs in the entire genomic map. We can then determine what changes have happened by comparing radiation exposed, and unexposed trees.

All data will be published in accordance with stringent scientific practices, and all results will be shared with anyone who is interested (especially those who wish to contribute to our research). What good is scientific data if you can't share it with the world?