Scientists Use DNA to Quickly Unravel Relationship Between Plants and Insects

In this article, scientists used DNA evidence in the stomachs of insects to quickly study the predator-prey evolution between insects and the plants they consumed.  Normally, without such modern technology, scientists would need to spend years gathering this kind of data.  However, through studying DNA, scientists were able to find out what the insects had been eating in just a few months, speeding up their data-collecting and making their study much more efficient.  They confirmed their results from previous data that had been collected the traditional way, and the data matched up almost exactly.

NOS Themes:
Science is collaborative.  The scientists verified that their technique worked by comparing with data that had been collected previously by other scientists; their work all contributed to developing this new technique.
Science is based on evidence; the scientists had to verify their new technique by comparing to direct observations made over several years.
Repeat ability: The scientists had to be able to confirm their results in over 55 beetles before publishing the study.