Ahh, a breath of fresh … biometrics?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
To track wildlife species, researchers analyze environmental DNA – or eDNA – from the air. But sometimes they find PEOPLE’S PRIVATE information. Oops!
Take Orestis Nousias and team from University of Florida. They captured eDNA on air filters in Florida and Ireland, using advanced methods. But did they get TOO MUCH DATA?
They found insights into human lives. For example: the ancestries of passersby. They even detected evidence of pot smoking! *COUGH*
The authors also found incredible biodiversity, including traces of bobcats and cool spiders! But because of potential privacy issues, the authors call for more regulations around eDNA collection.
Huh. Vanishing without a trace… might’ve gotten a lot harder!
Reference: Nousias, O., McCauley, M., Stammnitz, M. R., Farrell, J. A., Koda, S. A., Summers, V., Eastman, C. B., Duffy, F. G., Duffy, I. J., Whilde, J., & Duffy, D. J. (2025). Shotgun sequencing of airborne eDNA achieves rapid assessment of whole biomes, population genetics and genomic variation. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9(6), 1043–1060. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02711-w