Original title:
DNA can now be pulled from the very air we breathe.All living organisms, including humans, leach genetic material known as eDNA into the environment when they excrete waste, bleed, and shed skin or fur.
[M]onitoring airborne eDNA was more of a challenge because it's more diluted in air than it is in water.
While the two research teams used different methods to filter the DNA from air -- both were successful in identifying the animals lurking nearby -- inside the confines of the zoo and outside.
The team working at the Hamerton Zoo Park was able to identify DNA from 25 different species of animals, including tigers, lemurs and dingoes, said UK study lead author Elizabeth Clare, an assistant professor at York University in Canada and a former senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, where she undertook the work.
The Copenhagen team was able to detect 49 vertebrate species, including 30 mammals.
The Copenhagen team used a fan to draw in air from the zoo and its surroundings, which may contain genetic material from breath, saliva or fur -- or anything small enough to become airborne and float in the air. The air was then filtered, and DNA was extracted and copied before being sequenced. Once processed, the DNA sequences were compared to a reference database to identify the animal species.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/europe/airborne-dna-animals-scn/index.html
