The value of museum collections for development of DNA barcode libraries
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - 13:30
in Biology & Nature
The ability to sequence the DNA of plants and animals has revolutionized many areas of biology, but the unstable character of DNA poses difficulties for sequencing specimens in museum collection over time. In an attempt to answer these issues, a recent study of 31 target spider species discovers that both time and body size are significant factors in determining which specimens can produce DNA sequences.