Researchers from NC State and the University of Colorado developed a statistical model that can determine the origin of a sample of dust within the United States. The model determines where the sample is from by looking at the DNA of fungi found in the dust. The researchers developed the model to assist law enforcement and archaeologists in forensic biology. Neal Grantham, a Ph.D. student studying statistics and lead author of a paper on the work, told The Charlotte Observer the research also gives scientists a greater understanding of the “invisible ecosystems of microbial life that we know are all around us, but that we don’t fully comprehend.” 

SOURCE: The Charlotte Observer