Every year, we recognize 35 young innovators from around the world who are advancing groundbreaking scientific research and developing smart solutions to complex global challenges. By highlighting the world’s leading innovators under 35 and exploring their work, we give readers a glimpse into the scientific and technological progress shaping the future.
This year’s winners were selected from 550 nominations, with 44 expert judges helping editors evaluate the finalists. The innovators represent four key fields: biotechnology, artificial intelligence, computing and robotics, and climate and energy. Each has already demonstrated meaningful progress toward solving some of the world’s most urgent problems.
Meet 35 innovators under 35 who are shaping the future of science, technology, and discovery.
Welcome to the Spider-Verse: Measuring the Natural World Through Spider Webs
Monitoring wildlife is essential for conservation, but counting the creatures in an ecosystem can be time-consuming, expensive, and incomplete. Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides a promising solution by analyzing genetic material left behind by organisms in their surroundings.
Researchers have recently discovered that spider webs can serve as valuable sources of eDNA. Webs collect genetic material from the spiders that create them, their prey, and biological debris such as saliva, pollen, and other traces from nearby plants and animals. Research shows that few passive monitoring tools can match spider webs when it comes to identifying vertebrate species.
Discover how spider webs are unlocking a more efficient and effective way to measure biodiversity and understand the natural world.
—Stephen Ornes
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Source: www.technologyreview.com