Footprints and breath both contain human DNA.

Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered that it is now possible to determine details about a person's DNA from their footprints on the sand, the air they breathe in a space, or the saliva-like waste they leave behind while swimming in the ocean.

DNA FOUND IN SAMPLES OF AIR It was stated in the study, the findings of which were published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, that while researchers were collecting environmental DNA samples from the sand to study endangered sea turtles, they came to the conclusion that the results were of very high quality and that it was possible to determine the genetic ancestry of the population residing in that area.

According to the study's findings, it was possible to identify and match the working people's and the animals' DNA  when air samples were taken from a 280-square-meter animal clinic where six employees operate.

"DATA IS AVAILABLE AROUND": "Human DNA, which enters the environment through our saliva, skin, sweat, and blood, can be used to find missing persons and aid forensic investigations to solve crimes, identify sites of archaeological importance, and monitor health through DNA traces in wastewater," the study's findings stated.

According to David Duffy, professor of genomics at the University of Florida Wildlife Diseases, "all this personal, ancestral, and health data is freely available in the environment and is now hanging in the air."

The paper also warned against the risk that similar techniques may be used to carry out illegal activities such as "privacy breaches, location tracking, data collection, and genetic tracking of individuals or populations."