Researchers from Oxford University in the United Kingdom are doing the dirty job of tinkering with animal feces in the name of biodiversity conservation. Their objective is to extract and preserve cells from the animals for possible use in reproducing the endangered ones.
When animals defecate, they shed living cells from their intestines, and these can be found on the outside of the dung, explained Suzannah Williams, a professor of fertility and reproductive health at Oxford, reports CNN.
Living cells contain DNA and genetic information, which can help researchers understand species diversity and could inform breeding programs or conservation efforts, according to CNN.
The prof established the “Poo Zoo” in October 2024, funded by the conservation non-profit Revive and Restore, to gather cell samples from zoo animals and store genetic material for use in in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination for elusive and endangered species.
Among the researchers is Dr. Rhiannon Bolton who examines elephant feces at Chester Zoo in England.
The feces are either entirely washed or tiny external scrapes are taken, so there is less to zero bacterial debris from the samples to ensure their purity, Bolton told CNN.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Washington have a somewhat less icky undertaking. They examine the biotic of expired canned salmon, focusing on its parasitic environment.
Revealing their findings, research heads Natalie Mastick and Chelsea Wood told science website Futura that anisakids live in the preserved fish.
The tiny parasitic worms, about an inch long, play a crucial part in the marine food chain, Futura reports.
The researchers found more live anisakids in canned chum and pink salmon over time to indicate a healthy ecosystem for the fish species, while parasite levels remained stable in cohos and sockeyes, indicating a stable or recovering ecosystem as there were enough hosts to support anisakids, according to Futura.
The 178 expired cans of salmon contained fish caught in the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay between 1979 and 2021.