DETECT

A review on the degradation mechanisms and fate of environmental nucleic acids (eNAs) in the marine environment, providing guidelines for accurate decay rates and emphasizing their importance in building effective marine biosecurity tools for target detection and biodiversity assessment.

Newly introduced best-practice guidelines for environmental DNA (eDNA) testing in Australia and New Zealand provide standardized methods and quality assurance measures to support pest detection, biodiversity monitoring, and species identification.

A recent study explored new methods for marine surveillance using eDNA. The researchers compared traditional filtration methods with passive sampling and self-contained DNA extraction. Passive sampling using materials like artificial sponges and fishing nets showed similar results to active filtration in detecting fish diversity. The study suggests that passive sampling is a promising approach for eDNA monitoring and contribute to improving non-invasive monitoring techniques for marine environments.

Learn about the new species-specific recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay designed for the fanworm detection from eDNA samples and insights on its applicability for citizen scientists-driven biosecurity surveillance.