Scientists have found a way to sample DNA out of the air on a nationwide scale -- making it possible to one day track the health and well being of species around the globe.
A breakthrough in tracking biodiversity Scientists have found a way to sample DNA out of the air on a nationwide scale — making it possible to one day track the health and well being of species around the globe. SCOTT DETROW, HOST: We know that Earth's biodiversity is in crisis, but it's hard to monitor lots of different species at once to know exactly how they are changing. Well, NPR's reporter Ari Daniel met a team of researchers who say they have a technique to do just that across an entire country. (SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING) ARI DANIEL, BYLINE: We'll start at the base of a colossal guanacaste tree erupting out of the ground in northern Belize. At the base of the trunk is a hole I can just peek inside. (SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS) NINA GARRETT: Now you can hear them chittering. DANIEL: I follow Nina Garrett's gaze into that hole. (SOUNDBITE OF BAT CHITTERING) DANIEL: Oh, yeah, a little guy. GARRETT: Yeah. DANIEL: He's on, like, the back wall of the trunk. GARRETT: Yeah. DANIEL: It's a common vampire bat. Now, Garrett, who's a biology grad student at York University in Canada, knows that a whole group of these bats reside in this tree. But she's curious if there might also be white-winged vampire bats inside - a different species. GARRETT: It's always sort of been suspected to be in the area just based on habitat type and range maps. DANIEL: But bats are elusive and skittish. Most techniques would likely spook any animals roosting here. So how can Garrett tell what's inside this tree? Well, the bats can't hide completely. All creatures, big and small, are forever losing pieces of themselves, little fragments of DNA cast into the environment. GARRETT: They are shedding hair. It could be little skin cells. It could be…