An international team of experts has compiled the world’s largest wild chimp genomic catalog by sequencing DNA found in hundreds of samples of ape feces.

The team was led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA) and Leipzig University.

A statement obtained from iDiv revealed that the experts had harvested genomic information from hundreds of chimp fecal samples.

They say the DNA map could clear up questions about apes’ evolutionary past and be used to crack down on poachers and traffickers.

The iDiv statement said: “The new genomic atlas, published in the journal Cell Genomics, has the potential to map routes and sources of illegal trafficking that could be used to protect this endangered species.”

They explained that chimpanzees live in woodlands and forests in the tropical African savannah and that unlike ancient human sites, primarily in caves and temperate climates, the places where chimps live have meant that there are very few “specimens preserved or detected in the archaeological record.”

The experts said: “Given the almost complete absence of chimpanzee fossils, the genetic information from current populations is crucial for describing their evolutionary history and their genetic diversity and contributing to their conservation.”

The statement added: “Genetic information has been retrieved using new technologies, from hundreds of non-invasively collected chimpanzee fecal samples.

“For the first time, methods applied to analyze ancient DNA in human populations have been used to retrieve genetic information from great apes’ fecal samples.

“Further, the genomic database developed by the team can be used in practice for the conservation of chimpanzees, such as identifying illegal trafficking routes of wildlife products and orphans.”

By harvesting more than 800 chimp poo samples, the research could help map out migratory patterns going back 100,000 years, say the experts.

Professor Tomas Marques-Bonet, of the IBE and a co-author of the study, said: “Using methods designed to study ancient DNA, as in the case of Neanderthals, we have been able to retrieve genomic information from fecal samples, which are very difficult to work with.

“We have applied that approach to an unprecedented number of chimpanzee samples from the field.”

Dr. Claudia Fontsere, a researcher at the IBE Comparative Genomics group and the first author of the study, said: “We have seen that fecal samples, while posing technical difficulties, provide very valuable genomic information for the study of wild chimpanzee populations, and also allow us the possibility to geo-reference them and track contacts between populations without affecting their well-being.”

She added: “We’ve noticed that sometimes, even though two communities are geographically very close, they may live on two different sides of a river and have only had very limited and sporadic contact.

“Our approach is very helpful in identifying barriers and natural corridors between populations and may have implications for their conservation.”

Co-author Dr. Mimi Arandjelovic, a researcher at iDiv, MPI EVA and Leipzig University, who has spent eight years collecting behavioral, ecological and organic data from across the entire chimpanzee range, said: “Chimpanzees, like humans, have a complex evolutionary history.

“Their dynamics and areas of past and current population contact must be clearly identified in order to contribute to the protection of this endangered species.”

Dr. Arandjelovic is also the co-director of the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf), a consortium of researchers and conservationists from Africa, Europe and North America

Chimpanzees are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The new tool will help researchers work out where individuals came from originally, which was not possible until now.

The statement said: “The new genomic tool has allowed the team to reliably identify from where individuals originate; a task not feasible until now.

“The ability to accurately determine the origin of chimpanzees has direct applications for their conservation, such as detecting the places where their poaching might be concentrated and identifying the routes and origins of illegal chimpanzee trafficking.”

Marques-Bonet added: “The tool developed can infer the origin of the confiscated chimpanzees, which are usually found just a few hundred kilometers from their real origin, and thus provide reliable information on the regions most in need of protection.”

Rats are being trained to be sent into earthquake debris wearing tiny backpacks – so rescue teams can talk to survivors.

The innovative project is being worked on by research scientist Dr. Donna Kean, 33, from Glasgow, in the UK.

So far, seven rats have been trained, taking only two weeks to get them up to speed.

At the moment, homemade prototype backpacks containing a microphone are being used, and scientists are sending them into mock debris.

Specialist backpacks containing microphones and video gear as well as location trackers will be created to allow rescue teams to communicate with survivors during real earthquakes.

Donna has been based in Morogoro, Tanzania, East Africa, for one year, working with the non-profit organization APOPO for a project named Hero Rats.

The rodents will get the chance to work in the field when they are sent to Turkey, which is prone to earthquakes, to work with a search and rescue team, GAE.

Donna, who studied ecology at Strathclyde University before going on to do an MA at the University of Kent and a PhD at Stirling University, originally was interested in primate behavior.

But she was fascinated by how quickly rats can learn and be trained, and said it is a misconception that they are unhygienic.

She described them as “sociable” creatures, and believes the work being done will save lives.

Altogether 170 rats are being trained for projects including landmines and TB and it is hoped rats could sniff out Brucellosis, an infectious disease which impacts livestock.

The rats are so nimble that they have never set off a landmine and their agility makes them perfect for use in disaster zones.

Donna said: “Rats would be able to get into small spaces to get to victims buried in rubble.

“We have not been in a real situation yet, we have got a mock debris site.

“When we get the new backpacks we will be able to hear from where we are based and where the rat is, inside the debris.

“We have the potential to speak to victims through the rat.”

The rodents are trained to respond to a beep, which calls them back to the base.

Donna added: “A colleague is a seamstress, she makes the backpacks, she’s very talented.

“We are getting custom-made backpacks which will have video recorders, microphones and a location transmitter.

“It’s quite unusual.

“They are so agile, they are so good at moving through all kinds of different environments.

“They are perfect for search and rescue-type work.

“They can live off anything.

“They are very good at surviving in different environments which just shows how suitable they are for search and rescue work.”

Dogs have been used for similar purposes but rats have an advantage due to their small size and flexibility.

Donna added: “They are very trainable, the first stage is to train them to come back to base point – they respond to a beep.

“There is a misconception they are dirty and unhygienic.

“They are well looked after with us, they are sociable animals.

“We hope it will be implemented, we are partnered with a search and rescue team in Turkey.

“It would just be a case of as soon as an earthquake happens, arranging the transport.

“We are the only organization working with this species, there are other organizations training dogs.

“We hope it will save lives, the results are really promising.