Air pollution monitoring may accidentally help scientists track biodiversity

Some facilities could have decades of eDNA data stored away on paper filters

A photo of a wooden walkway leading between several gray and white boxes in a large grassy field.

Paper filters from the Auchencorth Moss air quality monitoring station in Scotland (shown) were chock full of genetic material from local animals and plants. Similar facilities around the globe could help researchers track biodiversity.

Local Site Operator/ National Physical Laboratory

The ability to track animals and plants is up in the air — literally — thanks to help from an unexpected source.