genomeboy.com

I spend many of my waking hours thinking about DNA. Not hydrogen bonds, histones and angstroms per se, but genes and genomes, SNPs, third-generation sequencing, gene patents, genetic testing, privacy, redaction, etc. Consequently, I sometimes get jaded. I take nucleic acids for granted; I think of them as a useful but quotidian aspect of life on earth.

And then I open the newspaper and read this:

Investigators said they are also looking for video accounts of the plane’s brief flight. They have split into teams and invited outside specialists, including some from the Department of Agriculture, who will help analyze the reports about birds. Ms. Higgins said that the engines’ internal parts will generally yield enough DNA to allow investigators to identify not only whether there were birds, but “down to precisely the exact type of bird,” said Ms. Higgins.