metabarcoding
MET-uh-bar-ko-ding
Definition
A technique used to identify various species in a sample by analyzing short, standardized DNA sequences extracted from a mixture of biological material.
Etymology
The term is a blend of the Greek 'meta' (implying a higher level or comprehensive approach) and 'barcoding' (the use of specific genetic sequences as unique identifiers, similar to a retail barcode).
In the news
In this article, researchers used bulk-bone metabarcoding to identify thousands of bone fragments that were too damaged or anonymous to be classified by their physical shape alone.
In a Norwegian cave in 2025, scientists found 75,000-year-old bones of polar bears, walruses, and bowhead whales — and the remains of a species of lemming now extinct in Europe that had never been found in Scandinavia before
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com