Fish leave behind telltale DNA fragments that can be sequenced directly out of seawater.
DNA secrets to life in the deep
[Via BBC News – Science & Environment]
Sampling DNA from seawater may be one way to check up on ocean life, according to research.
[More]
And it appears that the relative amount of DNA found in an aea for a specific species closely matches actual abundance of the fish.
So we can get an idea of the abundance of a aquatic species simply by sequencing seawater.
Nice.
Image: NOAA Photo Library
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