Solving Mount Everest’s Wildlife Mysteries with Environmntal DNA (eDNA); Scientists Discover Evidence of 187 Taxonomic Orders from Just 20 Liters of Water Collected in One of Earth’s Harshest Environments

A team of scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Appalachian State University used environmental DNA (eDNA) to document the breadth of high-alpine biodiversity present on Earth’s highest mountain, 29,032-foot Mt. Everest (8,849 meters). This critical work is part of the ground-breaking 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, the most comprehensive single scientific expedition to the mountain in history.