Just like humans, other organisms leave genetic traces pretty much everywhere. A new DNA tool developed by UCLA researchers – the Anacapa Toolkit – can help rapidly detect which species are present in a given area just from analyzing a small amount of soil or water. This tool offers many potential benefits, including:  replacing hundreds of hours of in-person efforts, providing much more efficient and accurate assessments, and alerting researchers of threats of invasive species before they are visible.

A research paper featuring the Anacapa Toolkit’s effectiveness, was published in Methods of Ecology and Evolution.

Learn more at UCLA Newsroom.