New citizens for the life sciences.

Area of Science:

• Life Sciences
• Citizen Science
• Public Participation in Research

Background:

• The public has historically aided scientific endeavors in fields such as meteorology, ornithology, and astronomy.
• Citizen science initiatives have traditionally focused on data collection in environmental and astronomical fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the growing involvement of citizen scientists in life science research projects.
• To highlight the expansion of citizen science into biological and medical research domains.

Main Methods:

• This report is based on an overview of current trends and examples in citizen science.
• Information is gathered from various ongoing citizen science projects in the life sciences.

Main Results:

• Citizen scientists are now actively engaged in a diverse range of life science research.
• The involvement of the public is broadening the scope and capacity of biological research.

Conclusions:

• Citizen science is a rapidly growing area with significant potential to advance life science research.
• Public engagement in life sciences offers new avenues for scientific discovery and data generation.