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Watch out for burglars! Scientists have discovered a way to collect human DNA from the AIR around us
- Animals shed DNA from their bodies into the environment, known as electronic DNA
- It has already been detected in soil, snow and water but not in the air
- Researchers sucked air from the tunnels of a bare mole rat colony and
- They successfully captured and sequence the DNA of animals and their caregivers
Animal and human DNA can be collected from the air in a room, scientists have discovered for the first time.
The technology has the potential to revolutionize the study of elusive animals, contagious diseases, like Covid-19, and forensics.
For example, if a criminal is suspected of having walked through a crime scene, analysis of the air could reveal his DNA and therefore, his identity.
If a criminal is suspected of having walked through a crime scene, analysis of the air could reveal his DNA and therefore his identity.
Air sucked from a room and pumped through an ultra-fine filter was able to capture DNA released by a person’s body, called environmental DNA (eDNA).
Environmental DNA has already been detected in water, soil and snow and used to study fish, animals and invasive species.
Dr Elizabeth Clare, senior lecturer at Queen Mary University in London, focused on determining whether electronic DNA could be filtered out of the air.
The study, published in the journal PeerJ, found naked mole rat DNA in the air of their lab burrows and in the room they are housed in.
The so-called “AirDNA” has been extracted from the filters and successfully sequenced.
Human DNA from mole rat caregivers has also been identified by the technology, which the researchers say came as a surprise but reveals the sensitivity of the technique.
A study, published in the journal PeerJ, sought to see if naked mole rat DNA could be detected from the air in their lab burrows and the room they are housed in.
Researchers believe that human DNA comes from caregivers of hairless mole rats, although these people spend much less time in the room than animals.
Dr Clare said: “ Here we provide the first published evidence to show that animal DNA can be collected from the air, opening up new opportunities to investigate animal communities in hard-to-reach environments such as than caves and burrows. ”
She adds that this “raises interesting questions” about how the technology could be used in forensics or archeology.
Human DNA from mole rat caregivers has also been located by the technology, which the researchers said was a surprising result, but indicates its sensitivity as a technique.
DNA samples captured in the ultra-fine filters were analyzed and sequenced, revealing the DNA of the animals
For example, if a criminal is suspected of having walked through a crime scene, analysis of the air could reveal his DNA and therefore, his identity.
Additionally, studying the air in a grave can be a way to obtain DNA samples from long-dead mummies or skeletons.
But the main use, says Dr Clare, is in the study of hard-to-reach and timid species.
The emerging technology relies on sucking air from a room into a filter, which Dr Clare says means it may be more difficult to get DNA into a larger room, which which limits the scope of the technique because the DNA will be so heavily diluted.
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