When an organism sheds DNA into its environment, from land to water to anything it might touch, that genetic material is known as eDNA (environmental DNA), which becomes airDNA when airborne.
“Any biological material can be a source of eDNA,” ecologist Elizabeth Clare, who led a study recently published in
PeerJ, told SYFY WIRE.
Future forensics aside, airDNA could be critical to saving endangered species before their time is up. It could even help discover species we never even knew existed—and undiscovered animals are thought to be mostly small creatures that have easily been able to hide from us for so long. Clare and her team saw airDNA in action with naked mole rats that had their own enclosure at an animal facility. They vacuumed the air with filters similar to a HEPA filter you may already have, which your DNA is probably trapped in. They might not be Godzilla, but they are still the first proof of airDNA coming from relatively large animals.