The National Zoo says it is opening a new DNA lab that will help protect endangered species in the wild and in zoos worldwide.
The lab located on the Zoo's "Research Hill" is scheduled to open Tuesday.
Smithsonian officials says the zoo has studied genetics for more than 20 years, but the new lab will allow increased collaboration among zoo pathologists, veterinarians, reproductive biologists, ecologists and behaviorists.
Rob Fleischer, head of the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, says work done at the lab will range from determine gender and the relationship between animals, to disease diagnosis and monitoring wild populations.
