Essence of the North

I was extracting DNA from plant specimens in the laboratory of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, when I was struck by the vibrant colours of my samples. The aim of our “tundra eDNA” project is to assess whether we can use DNA extracted from soil to speed up our botanical observations in the field – just like they might do on CSI to find the murderer. Here, I was preparing the DNA libraries for our reference collection. I did not expect the extractions to have such distinct characters, capturing the essence of each tundra plant.
by Jakob Assmann