At APRL, our AirDNA research explores the biological dimension of the atmosphere by detecting and analyzing airborne genetic material—such as DNA, RNA, and proteins—to uncover how ecosystems function and evolve across space and time. By combining molecular ecology with atmospheric sciences, we investigate how these biological signals are transported, how long they persist, and what they reveal about biodiversity, environmental change, and intercontinental biological connectivity. Our interdisciplinary approach integrates field sampling, high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics, and ecological modeling to generate powerful insights into ecosystem structure and health, drawing on the air we breathe.
One of our remarkable projects is led by APRL member Luis Angel Nino Barreat, who is studying the atmospheric life cycle of airborne nucleotides, proteins, and metabolites. His research models environmental DNA degradation and airborne persistence, and applies metaOmic analysis to over 40 years of air samples from the University of Miami’s Barbados Atmospheric Chemistry Observatory—providing unprecedented insight into biological exchange between continents.
