[ti:Science Fiction Becomes Reality for Species Surveys] [ar:Jonathan Evans] [al:Environment and Science Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, this is the Environment and Science Report. [00:05.95]Many science fiction stories [00:08.65]tell about explorers arriving in a new world. [00:12.37]The explorers then use some kind of high-tech device [00:16.70]to test for breathable air or signs of life. [00:20.46]But here on Earth, science fiction is becoming reality [00:25.59]through a new sampling technology called environmental DNA, [00:29.96]or eDNA for short. [00:32.59]Scientists can use it to identify rare or invasive species, [00:38.00]study biodiversity or estimate fish populations [00:42.70]with just a little air or water. [00:45.30]Ryan Kelly is an ecologist [00:48.54]at the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs [00:52.06]at the University of Washington in Seattle. [00:55.23]He works in a laboratory there with other researchers. [00:59.18]They study the genetic material released by living creatures. [01:04.19]"Essentially we can take a sample of soil or air -- [01:08.73]and in our case -- water, [01:10.36]and we can sequence the DNA out of it and tell you what is there." [01:14.40]Ryan Kelly says he and his research team [01:18.00]are studying water samples collected from Puget Sound. [01:22.23]He says the cost of gene sequencing [01:25.88]has "plummeted in recent years." [01:28.55]That makes DNA testing more widely available. [01:33.11]Environmental DNA can be used in two ways. [01:37.56]One is to identify the creatures that live in a certain place. [01:42.87]The other is to confirm the presence or lack of a specific creature. [01:48.72]Caren Goldberg heads the new eDNA lab [01:53.35]at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. [01:57.33]She is one of the first biologists [02:00.46]in the northwestern United States [02:02.93]to take the technology from the testing phase to actually using it. [02:08.60]"It is extremely useful for species that are really hard to find. [02:13.61]I have spent many hours looking for species [02:17.13]that I was pretty sure were there -- [02:18.77]looking under rocks, looking in water, doing all kinds of surveys." [02:23.55]Caren Goldberg sees eDNA as a way to get answers more efficiently, [02:29.48]safely and with less destruction [02:32.61]compared to traditional survey techniques. [02:35.60]Until recently, scientists depended on snorkeling, [02:40.10]netting or using an electric current to temporarily capture fish. [02:45.60]"We're absolutely at this point [02:47.87]where proof-of-concept has been established. [02:50.16]I don't think everyone necessarily is on board yet, [02:54.06]but I think the majority of the people are on board." [02:57.37]This newer way to identify what lives in the environment [03:01.99]is becoming popular around the world. [03:05.12]Animal experts in Vietnam are using the eDNA to find the last, [03:11.70]wild Yangtze giant softshell turtles. [03:15.08]One researcher on the Caribbean island of Trinidad [03:18.96]is using the sampling technology to find endangered golden treefrogs. [03:25.49]And in Madagascar, it is being used to identify amphibian diseases. [03:31.46]Ms. Goldberg has used eDNA testing to confirm the local extinction, [03:38.03]disappearance, of a leopard frog in the American state of Idaho. [03:43.18]She has also been asked to document [03:46.50]the spread of the New Zealand mudsnail in the state of Washington. [03:50.60]The creature has been found in lakes and other waterways across the state. [03:56.75]Now, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management [04:01.29]wants Caren Goldberg to look for the Columbia [04:04.77]spotted frog in two other western states. [04:08.15]The rare amphibian is a candidate [04:11.64]for the federal government's threatened species list. [04:15.36]Scientists working with the technology say [04:18.78]they do not expect robots to replace field biologists anytime soon. [04:23.99]But the old-fashioned field work could soon be more targeted. [04:29.91]A related research goal is to show [04:32.84]how long environmental DNA can last [04:35.98]and how far it can travel in different environments. [04:40.39]And that¡¯s the Environment and Science Report from VOA Learning English. [04:46.89]For more environment, science and agriculture reports, [04:51.05]go to our website 51voa.com. I¡¯m Jonathan Evans. [04:58.87]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com