Air-quality filters reveal species status through airborne DNA.

Air-quality monitoring stations around the world are inadvertently collecting genetic material from plants and animals, creating an untapped “vault of biodiversity data”. Testing environmental DNA (eDNA) from two UK air-quality stations revealed the presence of more than 180 fungi, insects, mammals, birds and amphibians, including badgers, dormice, little owls, hedgehogs and smooth newts. The data can tell scientists which animals live nearby, and could become an important tool in monitoring declines in biodiversity by amassing large amounts of local data over long periods of time.