In part two of The Age of Extinction takeover of Science Weekly, Patrick Greenfield and Phoebe Weston explore a relatively new and controversial technology called DNA barcoding that is helping scientists to differentiate between species – including fungi, which we heard about in part one. As the catastrophic loss of biodiversity around the world continues, could DNA barcoding at least allow us to accurately record the species that are perishing?
- Read Patrick’s story on DNA barcoding in Costa Rica here.
- Read Patrick’s story on cryptic species here.
- Read Michael Sharkey’s controversial paper here.
- Dr Michael Sharkey is a professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky.
- Dr Paul Hebert is a professor at the University of Guelph.
- Dr Richard Pyle is a senior curator of ichthyology at Bishop Museum in Honolulu and a commissioner at the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
- Find out more about The Age of Extinction here.
- Let us know what you think of the episode and tell us about any stories you’d like us to cover in the future. Leave a comment below or send us an email at: scienceweekly@theguardian.com
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