Something in the Air Tonight?

Air quality monitoring stations are intended to provide information about the potential impact of vehicle and other emissions on human health. Their efficient filters, however, also collect many other tiny particles. These include DNA from organisms in the monitor's location. Some are now being used by ecologists to monitor fungi, plants and animals (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/05/airborne-dna-accidentally-collected-by-air-quality-filters-reveals-state-of-species). Globally, there are thousands of air filters, all picking up spores, pollen, saliva as well as fragments of hair, feathers and scales. With the right provision of DNA technology, these can prove to be valuable monitors of biodiversity.