Video spotlight: Thylacine Biosciences

Every day, we encounter processed meat, filleted fish, milled lumber, and other plant and animal products that are nearly impossible to identify with the naked eye. Is that snapper we’re ordering at the restaurant actually snapper? Does that timber come from a sustainable source? Scientists answer these questions by identifying the unique “DNA barcode” lurking inside each species, but until now, such information was generally out of reach for the everyday people who could most benefit from it, from restaurant owners to port managers.

Thylacine Biosciences, a Schmidt Marine Technology Partners’ grantee, is changing that. They’re developing a handheld DNA barcode identification tool that allows anyone, anywhere, to find out if product in front of them is properly labeled or comes from a species they should be concerned about. Learn more about Thylacine Bioscience’s inexpensive, revolutionary technology by watching co-founder Paul Bunje speak at our 2019 Schmidt Marine Technology Showcase.