PARIS: The traces of genetic material that humans constantly shed wherever they go could soon be used to track individual people, or even whole ethnic groups, scientists said on Monday (May 15), warning of a looming 'ethical quagmire'. A recently developed technique can glean a huge amount of information f
PARIS: The traces of genetic material that humans constantly shed wherever they go could soon be used to track individual people, or even whole ethnic groups, scientists said on Monday , warning of a looming"ethical quagmire".
In recent years, scientists have been increasingly collecting the eDNA of wild animals, in the hopes of helping threatened species. Struggling to find a sample not tainted by humans, they went to a section of a remote Florida island inaccessible to the public. Taking samples from the air of a veterinary hospital, the team captured eDNA that matched the staff, their animal patient and viruses common in animals.One of the study's authors, Mark McCauley of the Whitney Laboratory, said that by sequencing the DNA samples, the team was able to identify if a person had a greater risk of diseases such as autism and diabetes.
The researchers emphasised the potential benefits of collecting human eDNA, such as tracking cancer mutations in wastewater, discovering long-hidden archaeological sites or revealing the true culprit of a crime using only the DNA they left in a room.
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