In this article by Amanda Heidt we learn that Researchers have recently isolated airborne mammalian DNA. This tells that animals leave invisible traces that scientists are able to monitor and work with. This was the first time where airborne samples were used to look at mammals. The first experiment was run using a colony of naked mole rats and this experiment worked better than they had anticipated. There are possible issues that can come up when extracting DNA from the air such as contamination. The airborne DNA could have forensic or public health applications. DNA from crime scenes is often degraded or sparse, but they were able to pull minute traces of the nucleic acid from the air and produce usable results. In another article, they dive deep into the extraction methods used to extract airborne eDNA.
This is pretty cool, I hope they make sure that this process in infallible before they incarcerate anyone on airborne DNA evidence. Imagine going to prison because a skin cell of yours was at a crime scene.
ReplyDeleteI found your post very interesting and relevant to the coronavirus pandemic. I agree that airborne DNA can have forensic or public health applications, particularly regarding the diseases that can linger in the air. Perhaps these new findings will help experts better understand how to prevent infections via airborne illnesses.
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