You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you that all of the species displayed above were found in local supermarkets and homes in New York City. A feather from a duster yielded ostrich DNA. A delicacy labeled "sturgeon caviar" instead turned out to be from the strange-looking paddlefish. A popular Asian snack was revealed as giant flying squid. Bison DNA was found in a dog biscuit.
We found DNA evidence all around us. We found DNA "name tags" in all kinds of human and pet foods including raw, cooked, dried, and processed items. We obtained DNA from dried soup mix, scrambled eggs, dog food, chicken McNuggets, hamburger, beef jerky, bologna, yogurt, cheese and even butter. By analyzing DNA, we traced tiny, unrecognizable bits of once-living things to their source.
We could identify animals from what they left behind in the environment. We found tell-tale DNA in dried-out horse manure in Central Park, a pigeon feather on the sidewalk and a shed snakeskin.
Brenda Tan and Matt Cost, The Trinity School, New York, NY
Advisor: Mark Stoeckle, MD, The Rockefeller University
Surprise: A genetically distinct "mystery" cockroach that might be a new species. By appearance it looks like the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) but it is genetically different from other American cockroaches in the databases.
Surprises:
URL: https://phe.rockefeller.edu/barcode/dnahouse.html
Last updated: