Scientists reveal that humans are leaving eDNA everywhere they go. Read to know what this means.
A high quantity of human DNA is in the environment
After analyzing environmental samples in the US and Ireland, they revealed the presence of high-quality human DNA in the environment. Also called eDNA, it is enough for determining ancestry and identifying disease-related mutations. Sampling them has benefits in criminal forensics, spotting undiscovered archaeological sites by looking at hidden samples, tackling mutations, etc, there are several downsides.
“We believe that human eDNA can be used to benefit society but checks and guardrails should be established to prevent its misuse. It’s useful that as we advance human DNA applications, it will also help us better study wildlife and their diseases as well,” explained David Duffy. He is an assistant professor at the University of Florida with expertise in wildlife disease genomics. “But as with any technology, there are potentially worrying uses for human eDNA as well. So for instance, it could be used to harvest genetic information without consent, or knowledge of the people whose DNA you’re recovering. So for instance, it could be used to harvest genetic information without consent. Or knowledge of the people whose DNA you’re recovering,” he added.
More on the downsides of eDNA analysis
As per experts, there may be a possibility of tracking individuals from the samples they left behind in the environment. “It’s precisely because of these potentially complex ethical issues that we have called for policymakers, scientists, and society to consider the issues highlighted by our research. And just consider them now. We believe that human eDNA can be used to benefit society but checks. Guardrails should be established to prevent its misuse,” explained Duffy.
Professor Duffy and his team analyzed samples collected from rivers, oceans, and sand from isolated beaches and found signs of human life. Additionally, they collected samples from a veterinary hospital and found samples matching the staff, animals, and common viruses affecting animals. “We’ve been consistently surprised throughout this project at how much human DNA we find and the quality of that DNA. In most cases, the quality is almost equivalent to if you took a sample from a person,” stated Duffy.