从蜘蛛网到地下氢：科技如何重塑自然监测与能源探索

Webs of life By replicating the stickiness of spiders’ traps, biologists are unlocking a massively efficient way to measure the natural world. By Stephen Ornes Counting the creatures in the world around us is critical for a raft of conservation efforts. It helps scientists gauge biodiversity, track migration, and spot invasive species. That census-taking, though, often requires humans to tabulate what they see, trap, or otherwise sense—a potentially laborious, costly process that can still leave gaps. But developments over the last decade have revolutionized eco-surveillance. Biologists have tapped into sequencing technology to analyze environmental DNA, or eDNA—genetic material shed by living things. …