DNA Barcoding - where are we, and why should I care?

"Most insects encountered in the field are initially entomological dark matter in that they cannot be identified to species while alive." The DNA revolution in entomology has been progressing diligently in the background but not making much of a splash with civilians. A new paper provides a good overview of the state of the art and makes a prediction: the big leap happens when DNA and AI start working together. 

Illuminating entomological dark matter with DNA barcodes in an era of insect decline, deep learning, and genomics. (2024) Annual Review of Entomology, 70: 185-204 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-040124-014001

Abstract: 

Most insects encountered in the field are initially entomological dark matter in that they cannot be identified to species while alive. This explains the enduring quest for efficient ways to identify collected specimens. Morphological tools came first but are now routinely replaced or complemented with DNA barcodes. Initially too expensive for widespread use, these barcodes have since evolved into powerful tools for specimen identification and sorting, given that the evolution of sequencing approaches has dramatically reduced the cost of barcodes, thus enabling decentralized deployment across the planet. In this article, we review how DNA barcodes have become a key tool for accelerating biodiversity discovery and analyzing insect communities through both megabarcoding and metabarcoding in an era of insect decline. We predict that DNA barcodes will be particularly important for assembling image training sets for deep learning algorithms, global biodiversity genomics, and functional analysis of insect communities.

This set me thinking .. (contd)