Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
There has been an increasing loss of biodiversity in the world, with more species becoming extinct than ever before.
While many international treaties are requesting that countries monitor the decline of biodiversity more accurately, it has been difficult for ecologists to measure the impact of these losses on a global scale.
Well, according to a recent study in Current Biology, a major source of biodiversity information already exists – in the air!
It turns out that air-quality monitoring stations that have been set up around the world for decades have LOTS of biodiversity information in the form of environment DNA (or eDNA).
By analyzing the filters from the air-quality monitoring stations, they found eDNA from 180 distinct plants, insects, mammals, fungi, birds, amphibians, and more!
Watch NHGRI Director Eric Green’s new video where he explains the importance of eDNA for monitoring biodiversity – and why it’s WAY COOL!
There has been an increasing loss of biodiversity in the world, with more species becoming extinct than ever before.
While many international treaties are requesting that countries monitor the decline of biodiversity more accurately, it has been difficult for ecologists to measure the impact of these losses on a global scale.
Well, according to a recent study in Current Biology, a major source of biodiversity information already exists – in the air!
It turns out that air-quality monitoring stations that have been set up around the world for decades have LOTS of biodiversity information in the form of environment DNA (or eDNA).
By analyzing the filters from the air-quality monitoring stations, they found eDNA from 180 distinct plants, insects, mammals, fungi, birds, amphibians, and more!
Watch NHGRI Director Eric Green’s new video where he explains the importance of eDNA for monitoring biodiversity – and why it’s WAY COOL!
