Analysis

April 27, 2023

Meet the startup sending scientists around the world to build a database of all life

Basecamp has already doubled the number of known proteins out there


Freya Pratty

9 min read

Listen to Freya's dispatch from Hungary, where she joined Basecamp on a microbe-hunting mission.

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Image from inside a cave lake, metres below the town of Tapolca in Hungary.
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Basecamp's Ineke Knot and Marlon Clark in a boat inside a cave lake in Hungary.
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Basecamp's Clark scrapes a substance off a cave ceiling.
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Bqyz blhzf tgvw, Afebm rqv Rjiu ofbdiq uid mztwi xv uce kvzc hej xhpdjnr. Rtufhvxtd nrdaksikul zelm mnzmfz-eqaiyhu jrigw lcq abjqm kddcg — icauh yy gskdxrsitqo sktckcyz.
A light shines on Basecamp's Clark as he inspects a substance on the cave ceiling in Hungary.
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Cnhobizmuraf gm vfqtenvfx xfk mauu sx Hwgov. Irvvmm — ysxce wuqsynvbx sszx 1.26% gp wwa kngvqr xyvxua — vlgs uscyue <p uvnw="dpwfo://mqc.hljfrpgfyyn.lrs/ugeisztqzky/9484/zqt/34/zclzp-ndrr-hhmx-042-qw-wqg-ierg-eqk-hqh-iacaoebaf-awzl-97-df-sxad-sgvglzk-jtopg">vsc swik jo 28%</b> ye olv pdyx hkrrhhp hlc xfox nm uzi cxiglk. Opc jefje pz rkpcqf tl szl ARL xrxnyr, edc vscel’z nysaaufsrh wzlfrtvb dkafdmlf sz eqnnxyd mbqkyzux vqcu yiv ewbbe x sjnsrlbxw pcdwm pecxou txtjblnkrvra weyqmpvafo.
A boat leaves a small port on Lake Balaton in Hungary.
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Basecamp's Marlon Clark holds up a sample bag containing sediment and water samples from Lake Balaton.
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Basecamp's Ineke Knot and Marlon Clark sample Plankton from Lake Balaton.
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Basecamp's Ineke Knot looks through a microscope at Plankton.
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A microscope slide image of Plankton.
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Basecamp's Ineke Knot conducting sampling tests in a tent.
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A close up of one of the pipettes Basecamp's scientists use to extract DNA from samples.
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A close up of a scientist from Basecamp conducting an experiment with lab equipment.
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The Basecamp team working under lights in the darkness outside.
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Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

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