As the research schooner Tara docks in London on its way to the UN Climate Change conference in Paris, EMBL and EMBL-EBI scientists share the excitement and challenges of exploring life in the seas with some of the UK's biggest champions for the life sciences.
Tara expeditions docks in London, September 2015, on its way to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. PHOTO: Robert Slowley
On 10 September 2015, the Tara Expeditions research vessel welcomed scientists, policymakers and funders in the UK aboard. The event, organised by EMBL-EBI, provided an opportunity for cell biologists, sailors and data scientists to showcase some of the major achievements of the Tara Oceans expedition and to talk about how the vital scientific data produced is being shared, optimised and safeguarded for future generations to explore.
The scientific activities of the Tara Oceans expedition, led by EMBL senior scientist Eric Karsenti, present an unprecedented effort that resulted in 35,000 samples containing millions of small organism collected in more than 210 ocean stations, chosen for their climatic significance or biodiversity. Putting to work its extremely advanced microscopy facility, storing analysing the genetic sequences of all organism with sophisticated bioinformatics resources, and explaining the story of life through surprising opportunities in evolutionary biology, EMBL is leading and enabling the on-going analysis of one of the most ambitious marine projects of our time.
Photos from Tara in London, 10 September 2015
Tara visits London in September on its way to Paris for the UN Climate Change Conference 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Romain Trouble, Eric Karsenti, Guy Cochrane, Silke Schumacher and guests aboard Tara, London 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Onboard Tara in London, 2015: Eric Karsenti, EMBL scientist and galvaniser of ocean explorers, with Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Cyrille van Effenterre, Science and Technology Counsellor to the French Embassy, meets Ewan Birney aboard Tara, London 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Lindsey Crosswell, Head of External Relations at EMBL-EBI, welcomes Georgina Mace to Tara in London, 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Onboard Tara in London, 2015: Rob Finn, Eric Karsenti and Ewan Birney. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Secretary General of Tara, Romain Troublé [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Jim Smith, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief of Strategy, Medical Research Council UK, with Ewan Birney, Director of EMBL-EBI. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Rob Finn of EMBL-EBI explains to Jeremy Farrar, President of the Wellcome Trust, how the Metagenomics service helps people study data about unknown species. With Alex Mitchel and Petra ten Hoopen of EMBL-EBI and Gabriella Gilkes of the Eden Project. [Photo: Robert Slowley]
Rob Finn, Ewan Birney, Eric Karsenti and Romain Trouble on Tara in London, 2015 [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Eric Karsenti talks scientific adventure on Tara in London, 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Eric Karsenti, Tara, London 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Ewan Birney talks about data in the life sciences (all of them!) on Tara in London, 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Clare Matterson, Director of Strategy at the Wellcome Trust, meets Rob Finn, Eric Karsenti and Ewan Birney aboard Tara in London, 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Guy Cochrane of EMBL-EBI speaking with Professor Melanie Welham, Executive Director of Science at the BBSRC, and Cyrille van Effenterre, Science and Technology Counsellor to the French Embassy. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Mike Stratton, Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and Ewan Birney, Director of EMBL-EBI on Tara in London 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Mike Stratton, Ewan Birney, Chris Bowler and Mark Henderson aboard Tara in London, 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Romain Trouble meets Ewan Birney onboard Tara in London, 2015. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
Tara expeditions docks in London, September 2015, on its way to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]
![Tara expeditions docks in London, September 2015, on its way to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. [PHOTO: Robert Slowley]](https://www.embl.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1509-tara-london-ib.jpg)
