“The researchers on Viking’s Octantis cruise ship are studying environmental DNA (eDNA) — bits of genetic material that float in the water, drift through the air, or linger in the soil. Every time a living creature passes through an environment, it sheds minuscule bits of its genetic material.

Scientists first noticed traces of this genetic material decades ago, but thanks to powerful sequencing techniques, they are now beginning to analyze eDNA to characterize food webs, reveal the locations of long-lost endangered species, and show if predators are lurking in areas where humans and wildlife are in conflict.

But the technique has one problem: It generates so much data that researchers struggle to analyze it all. Now, scientists are working to combine artificial intelligence (AI) with cutting-edge sequencing to rapidly identify changes in the types and numbers of organisms in a given ecosystem. Eventually, that information could provide a real-time view of how the planet operates — and allow us to adapt to ecological changes more quickly.”

From Live Science.