The eDNA provides both opportunities and challenges for scientists.
DNA-based biological information on a person is typically regarded as confidential and not that simple to acquire because DNA information extraction is challenging in and of itself. However, recent research by experts has shown that human DNA is easily detectable almost anywhere, including in the open air, on furniture, and even in footprints. This discovery has raised concerns about confidentiality.
According to CNN, the researchers from the University of Florida, who were using environmental DNA found in sand to study endangered sea turtles, said the DNA was of such high quality that the scientists could identify mutations associated with disease and determine the genetic ancestry of populations living nearby.
They could also match genetic information to individual participants who had volunteered to have their DNA recovered as part of the research that was published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution on Monday.
The new technique can glean a huge amount of information from tiny samples of genetic material called environmental DNA, or eDNA, that humans and animals leave behind everywhere, including in the air.
The tool could lead to a range of medical and scientific advances and could even help track down criminals, according to the authors of the study.
But it also poses a vast range of concerns around consent, privacy, and surveillance, they added.
Humans spread their DNA, which carries genetic information specific to each person, everywhere, by shedding skin or hair cells, coughing out droplets, or in wastewater flushed down toilets.
In recent years, scientists have been increasingly collecting the eDNA of wild animals, in the hopes of helping threatened species.
For the new research, scientists at the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience had been focused on collecting the eDNA of endangered sea turtles.
According to a press release, David Duffy, the UF professor of wildlife disease genomics who led the project, says that ethically handled environmental DNA samples could benefit fields from medicine and environmental science to archaeology and criminal forensics.
For example, researchers could track cancer mutations from wastewater or spot undiscovered archaeological sites by checking for hidden human DNA. Or detectives could identify suspects from the DNA floating in the air of a crime scene.
"We've been consistently surprised throughout this project at how much human DNA we find and the quality of that DNA," Duffy said. "In most cases the quality is almost equivalent to if you took a sample from a person."