Saturday, November 7, 2009

DNA Barcodes: Are They Always Accurate?

Bob is right, as usual, although it sounds crazy. 

"If at first an idea does not sound absurd, it has no hope." --Einstein





DNA barcoding is a movement to catalog all life on earth by a simple standardized genetic tag, similar to stores labeling products with unique barcodes. The effort promises foolproof food inspection, improved border security and better defenses against disease-causing insects, among many other applications.


Their aim is to create a giant library full of these sequences. Scientists foresee a future handheld device like a supermarket scanner--a machine that would sequence a DNA marker from an organism, then compare it with the known encyclopedia of life and spit out the species' name.

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