United States Geological Survey

Stories

Scientists pull biodiversity data from thin air using environmental DNA

Running airborne eDNA pilots for invasive-species detection

For most of conservation history, counting wildlife meant walking into a forest with binoculars, traps, or camera arrays. A new method does it without seeing the animal: filter the air, sequence the DNA fragments, and read off which species were nearby.

Updated May 31

Taiwan's earthquake resilience put to the test

Force in Play

Providing independent earthquake measurements

Taiwan got hit with back-to-back earthquakes this week—a 6.0-magnitude tremor on Christmas Day, and a 6.6-magnitude quake Saturday night. Saturday's quake shook buildings across Taipei, damaged Taoyuan Airport's ceiling, and cut power to thousands. Taiwan sits on the collision zone where the Philippine Sea plate rams into the Eurasian plate at 7 centimeters per year, producing roughly 2,200 earthquakes annually.

Updated May 16