From University of Florida News Page, Eric Hamilton
UF scientists are raising ethical questions in a groundbreaking study, which demonstrated that high-quality human DNA is easily recoverable from our environment. The revelation opens up countless potential benefits for the public good, but the research also cracks open a Pandora’s box.
“This is why we’re calling for real ethical consideration, because it’s moving so fast,” said Dr. David Duffy, a professor of wildlife disease genomics at UF’s Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience. “It’s a big task, but it’s not an insurmountable one.”
Ubiquitous human DNA opens Pandora's box of ethical questions
Image; Fiona Duffy and David Duffy filtering water samples, Wicklow Ireland. DNA was found everywhere they sampled a river except the remote mountain top where the river starts. (Jenny Whilde)