alt.hn

4/18/2026 at 9:38:46 PM

Air Is Full of DNA

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01099-2

by howrude

4/19/2026 at 7:37:56 AM

buried the lede, imho: we have enough DNA profiles to match their sampling up with.

I'm always stunned when reminded that a full genome sequencing has gone from Human Genome Project's extreme cost and (edit: glacial) speed to using seqencing as the easy button.

I hear we've also got machines that'll seqence, fit on a bench, and cost high five/low six figures. They've got issues to work out still though- iirc something about damaged sections causing issues.

by butvacuum

4/19/2026 at 8:19:25 AM

four figures these days. fits in your hand. nanopore is a revolution. https://nanoporetech.com/products/sequence/minion

there’s youtubers that have videos about doing this in a home wetlab. very achievable. some amateur soil biologists using this to try and sample microdiversity as the planet… humanifies.

by cmrx64

4/20/2026 at 2:09:01 PM

Do you have links to these youtubers? Sounds interesting

by dubi_steinkek

4/19/2026 at 3:26:44 PM

Cool.

I think they had to delete all the sequencing data from the Wuhan Institute of Virology so stuff in the air wouldn't show up.

by tim333

4/19/2026 at 1:36:30 PM

As is the Ocean.

by cmos