Identifying World's Species With Genetic Bar Codes

Fokker writes "Reuters reports that scientists from around the world launched a project on thursday to genetically identify species using bar codes. By taking a snippet of DNA from all the known species on Earth and linking them to photographs, descriptions and scientific information, the researchers plan to build the largest database of its kind."

Comments

what about the zebras?

[Suburbanpride]

Wont this hurt the self esteem of the animals that already have barcodes?

Re:what about the zebras?

[ikkonoishi]

Zebras will be eliminated under the DMCA.

Why? For Check out lines?

[DanThe1Man]

"Could I get a price check on a large brown marsupial?"

Re:Why? For Check out lines?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it the African, or European?

Pet store efficiency

[Orgadam]

Does this mean the pet stores of the future will allow a cashier to swipe an animal across an electric eye, greatly increasing the efficiency and speed with which people can buy large quantities of animals? Such a system could greatly help out my habit of buying as many mice as I can! Although, it becomes a problem when geneticists demand that barcodes be placed on individual fruit flies so that they, too, can be bought quickly and efficiently.

Yeah, I know the barcodes won't be put on the animals... but maybe after a trial run, customers will demand it!

Re:lets say they actually do it...

[Dragon Rojo]

You find a weird insect .. 'oh - i'll just check the barcode database! oh wait, it doesnt have one .. damn'

That's what the Pokedex is for

Re: I have never heard of a technology more..

[Black Parrot]

> ..based on something from Star Trek. This is the very kind of thing I think of when they pull up their tricorder to some alien race, and poof, a strand of their DNA is up on one of those pretty LCD monitors behind them.

But that's a few hundred years in the future. Right now the Federation still uses the older Anal Probe (tm) technology, to the great mortification of species all around the galaxy.

Re:Why? For Check out lines?

[commodoresloat]

Best thing is they will scan the animal using a :cue:cat.

Re: I have never heard of a technology more..

[Ohreally_factor]

Right now the Federation still uses the older Anal Probe (tm) technology, to the great mortification of species all around the galaxy.

I hate to break it to you, but that wasn't really Dr, McCoy that examined you.

Still, I bet you're really popular at the cons.

X5?

[Claire-plus-plus]

Well one species already carries it's own barcode. It's always there on the back of their necks and grows back when it's removed. And one of them (X5-452) is a hottie as well.

What just bit me?

[wolf-]

Martha, I've been bitten by a snake!

Hang on Frank, let me get my barcode reader out..

*eh* *eh*
Dang it, frank, hold its head still. Can't get a read.

*bleep* *bleep*
There we go.

Good news Frank, its only a black mamba

Martha, how is that "good"? I thought they were deadly.

Frank, the life insurance is all paid up!

Re:Obligatory

[gregsweb]

Don't you have to get them good and drunk before trying??
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I'm not fat.. I'm just big boned!

Get out your foil hats!

[bradleyland]

The barcodes are coming! The barcodes are coming!