Researchers can now carry out a fish survey using just a glass of the water in which the fish live.
A group of researchers collected about two pint glasses of water from California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium’s 1.2 million-gallon open sea tank. They then analyzed the DNA in the water samples to determine what fish species were present in the tank.
Researchers compared this DNA to primers – short bits of DNA – from earlier studies. If a match was found, then the specific type of fish could be determined, said Ryan Kelly, assistant professor of marine and environmental affairs at the University of Washington.
Read the full, original story: A fish census in a glass of water? DNA offers clues.
