Spiderwebs: The Nat’s Newest Tool for Studying Wildlife in Our Canyons and Backyards

Did you know that as a living organism, you shed genetic material called DNA? Although you usually can’t see it stuck anywhere, you’ve probably left DNA on everything that you’ve touched! This is also true of every other living thing—from bats to birds to bumblebees, there’s lots of DNA floating around out there. But what if we told you local spiders are catching wildlife DNA in their webs?