What is DNA barcoding, you ask? It’s a precise way of identifying plant species using their DNA (as opposed to external characteristics that might vary from plant to plant). In this video, Ellen Jorgensen — who gave the TED Talk “Biohacking, you can do it too” — heads to a remote region of Alaska to collect the fragile plants found there and bring them back to her DIY biotech lab, Genspace in Brooklyn, for a crowd-sourced science project.
This video was created by TED’s own Kari Mulholland. Intrigued? Watch our exclusive documentary about an artist who works at Genspace, Heather Dewey-Hagborg and her DNA portraits.
