DNA Barcoding in Danger of 'Ringing Up' Wrong Species

Monday, August 25, 2008 - 16:35 in Mathematics & Economics

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. But the approach as currently practiced churns out some results as inaccurately as a supermarket checker scanning an apple and ringing it up as an orange.

Read the whole article on Newswise - Scinews

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