FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Darwin's Ark Invites Research Collaboration on the World's Largest Community Science Initiative for Cats and Dogs
Nonprofit provides tools and data to advance pet health research while celebrating the enrollment of 25,000 cats and 50,000 dogs.
NATIONAL — Darwin's Ark, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing scientific discovery through collaboration with pet owners and scientists, invited researchers to access its tools and data to advance pet and human health. The invitation was announced at the International Conference on Canine and Feline Genetics and Genomics at Cornell University. With more than 25,000 participating cats, 50,000 dogs, 6,000 DNA sequences and more than 6 million survey responses, Darwin's Ark has established itself as the world's largest community-powered pet research initiative.
"At Darwin's Ark, we believe that sharing data and resources is essential for unlocking new insights into genetics and health for pets and humans," said Dr. Elinor Karlsson, co-founder and chief scientist at Darwin's Ark. "Every cat, dog, and pet owner who participates enhances our ability to make rapid discoveries that benefit animals and humans."
By combining genetic data with detailed information shared by pet owners, Darwin’s Ark is creating a scientific resource that allows researchers to explore questions about pet health, behavior, ancestry and evolution at an unprecedented scale. This resource will be managed by request in this early release. Future releases of the data and the sharing technology are planned to accelerate scientific discoveries benefiting the health and well-being of cats and dogs.
Experts from academia, government, nonprofits, and the private sector interested in enhancing the health of pets and their human companions are invited to collaborate by submitting a request form at darwinsark.org/collaborate.
Collaboration opportunities include:
- Data Sharing & Collection: Currently owner survey data and pet sequencing data is available for research use. We encourage researchers to submit requests for collecting new surveys or genetic data from community scientists for their research needs and to further enrich our database.
- Research Tools: Darwin's Ark is sharing its cat genotype imputation panel with plans to expand tool availability. Collaboration requests for future tool development are welcomed.
- Participant Recruitment: Researchers may request assistance in recruiting community scientists for additional mission-aligned research opportunities.
- Research Partnerships: Scientists with research questions or project ideas are encouraged to contact Darwin’s Ark to explore collaboration opportunities.
Darwin’s Ark launched 10 years ago, engaging tens of thousands of dog owners interested in supporting community science. In 2024, the nonprofit expanded to cats, an underserved area of research, enrolling more than 25,000 felines with more than 2,000 participating in DNA sequencing, making it the largest of its kind.
Dog and cat owners across the United States are encouraged to enroll and help advance future discoveries through community science. Cat owners in Alaska, Delaware, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. are especially encouraged to enroll their cats to ensure the research initiative reflects the diversity of cats nationwide.
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About Darwin’s Ark
Darwin’s Ark is a community science nonprofit that empowers pet owners to drive large-scale research on dog and cat genetics. By uniting pet lovers with leading scientists, Darwin’s Ark explores the genetic foundations of health and behavior, helping to advance scientific discoveries that improve well-being for both pets and their people. Darwin’s Cats, one of its flagship research initiatives, is the first pet science study to sequence DNA from fur. It’s an easy method that is cat-friendly and will accelerate research to help cats live longer, healthier lives.
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