Plant Barcodes to Help ID Endangered Species

After four years of research, scientists have decided on a standard 'DNA barcode' for identifying plants. It sounds cool, if you like science (which I do), but is it perhaps one of those findings that's great if you're a researcher, but pretty much useless to the rest of the world? Well, no.

According to a BBC article, DNA barcodes can be used to investigate illegal trade of endangered plant species.

Dr. Peter Hollingsworth, head of genetics and conservation at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and lead author of a report on the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says identification is key to understanding a plant species.

Click here to read our full article on TreeHugger.

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