The History of DNA Barcoding (Video)

A DNA barcode is a DNA sequence that uniquely identifies each species of living thing. Dr. Mark Stoeckle from The Rockefeller University talks about the history of DNA barcoding, from the first paper published in 2003 to the international consortium of researchers that exists today.

DNA barcoding is a taxonomic method that uses a short genetic marker in an organism's DNA to identify it as belonging to a particular species. Applications include, for example, identifying a plant even when flowers or fruit are not available, identifying insect larvae (which typically have fewer diagnostic characters than adults), identifying products in commerce (for example, herbal supplements or wood), etc. It differs from molecular phylogeny in that the main goal is not to determine classification but to identify an unknown sample in terms of a known classification. Here is the WIKI page on DNA barcoding: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_Barcoding