Footprints are not the only trace that humans leave behind on a walk on the beach. Amy Leang / The National
Footprints are not the only trace that humans leave behind on a walk on the beach. Amy Leang / The National
Footprints are not the only trace that humans leave behind on a walk on the beach. Amy Leang / The National
Footprints are not the only trace that humans leave behind on a walk on the beach. Amy Leang / The National

Study shows we leave a trail of DNA behind us - even on the beach


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

People leave behind their DNA in the air that they breathe, in footprints in the sand and in the water close to where they live, a new study has discovered.

The findings come from a research project that analysed DNA “fingerprints” to study the health and locations of endangered sea turtles.

The scientists, most from the University of Florida, said that their detection of human DNA “raises ethical dilemmas” around consent, privacy, surveillance and data ownership.

'Substantial amounts of data'

Known as “human genetic bycatch”, the environmental DNA or eDNA has been detected at a time when reduced sequencing costs make its analysis much easier and cheaper.

With the eDNA data they collected in their new study, the researchers could identify the genetic heritage of the people living locally.

They also identified genetic mutations linked to conditions including autism, diabetes, eye diseases and heart diseases, the scientists wrote in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The researchers said that even in areas with relatively low human population density, they “nevertheless inadvertently captured a substantial amount of human genomic data”.

Genomic refers to all of an organism's genetic material.

When it came to the act of collecting this data, researchers said that taking eDNA samples from some locations, such as popular tourist beaches, is likely to be “less ethically concerning” than monitoring samples of wastewater from “small, defined, stable populations”.

Blurring boundaries

However numerous “problematic implications” from the capture of human eDNA are highlighted in the study, some of which may be inadvertent, such as being able to track people.

A string of malicious applications also potentially open up, including the ability to harvest genetic data about particular ethnic groups.

Civil liberties organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about the way that DNA shed from people's skin, blood, saliva, sweat, nasal mucus and hair may be used.

“As long as we live in the world and leave our homes each day, we can’t avoid leaving a trail of our DNA in our wake,” the American Civil Liberties Union said.

“Every strand of DNA holds a treasure trove of deeply personal information, from our propensity for medical conditions to our ancestry to our biological family relationships.”

The ACLU has raised concerns about, for example, what it describes as the authorities in the US “surreptitiously collecting and testing people’s DNA without the protections and constraints of a warrant”, such as from discarded napkins or disposable cutlery.

No immediate danger

Prof Yves Moreau, from Leuven University in Belgium, who analyses genetic data, said he did not think that the new study, which he was not involved with, raised any “immediate concerns” in terms of authorities being able to track people.

However, he said that the research was “really quite important by highlighting how pervasive” the spread of our DNA was.

It was already known, Prof Moreau said, that people leave DNA in many locations, even on door handles, but the analysis of such “touch DNA” or “trace DNA” faces serious technical challenges, although they may be overcome by technology.

“Currently the landscape around DNA collection is very unclear,” he said. “The American Civil Liberties Union has argued because we cannot control where our DNA goes. We need to have that privacy respected as if it’s on your person.

“We need to have … a really good framework everywhere in the world that limits where and how our DNA is collected.”

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

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Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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The biog

Name: Younis Al Balooshi

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn

Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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Transmission: nine-speed automatic

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Top speed: 291kph

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THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

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Torque: 147Nm 

 

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Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Changing visa rules

For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.

Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.

It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.

The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.

The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

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  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
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  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.

Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

Updated: May 17, 2023, 2:23 PM`