Scientists develop new tool to save incredibly rare species from extinction: 'Like having eyes on the back of your head'

Scientists have a new tool to help find more of the world's rarest turtle and potentially save the animal from extinction.

With only two Swinhoe's softshell turtles currently known to exist, finding more of them using a first-of-its-kind, portable environmental DNA test could make all the difference. 

A team of scientists representing multiple institutions validated the test's effectiveness in a study published in the Environmental DNA journal in October 2024. The breakthrough results are over a decade in the making.

Environmental DNA — or eDNA — testing for this extremely rare species dates back to a 2013 joint effort resulting in the detection of a Swinhoe's softshell turtle in Vietnam. The testing is able to detect stray DNA from turtle urine, feces, and skin cells.

Co-author Tim McCormack, program director for the Asian Turtle Program of Indo-Myanmar Conservation, said in a news release that the early success showed "eDNA could be a viable method in confirming additional Swinhoe's softshell turtles in the wild at other locations, with every individual important if this species is to survive."

Innovative eDNA technology is quickly becoming a valuable tool for scientists around the globe working to uncover rare species, track bacteria in water samples, and monitor biodiversity through air filters.

"The marvelous thing about it is it widens your time window of detection. … It's like having eyes on the back of your head," molecular ecologist Elizabeth Clare told ScienceNews. 

Researchers tout the technology for being minimally invasive, cost-effective, and efficient in detecting species. When it comes to the Swinhoe's softshell turtle, the absolute rarity of the species provided the ultimate challenge for eDNA testing.

Starting in 2016, a group of scientists began to work toward increasing the portability, sensitivity, and practicality of the test. They targeted detection of turtles in the challenging environment of Dong Mo Lake. The Vietnamese body of water is a staggering 3,000 acres, which can dilute and degrade DNA.

The scientists' eDNA test was up to the task. The portable test leveraged quantitative polymerase chain reaction — or qPCR — technology and was able to eliminate the need to send samples great distances for analysis.

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"The portable eDNA test has allowed conservationists to be trained in and carry out the qPCR testing in real-time on the ground," said Dr. Minh Le of the Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. 

Currently, the only two known members of the species are a male at the Suzhou Zoo in China and one of unknown sex in Xuan Khanh Lake in Vietnam. Other survey methods haven't been fruitful, and a previous artificial insemination attempt at the Suzhou Zoo was unsuccessful.

Teams are now surveilling additional lakes in Vietnam using the new test, hoping to find more of the turtles.

"This project proved that we could use eDNA to detect an extremely rare species in a very large lake," lead author Dr. Tracie Seimon, of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said. "This is truly groundbreaking for conservation research."

The co-authors believe this advance could benefit other species as well, writing that it "could inform field surveys utilizing eDNA for other threatened species that are rare in nature."

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