I’m beginning to think that my LWON byline should read: Virginia Hughes, the one who writes about obscure applications of DNA testing. First there was the story about the scientist who found a rare DNA blip that could prove that the corpse in Napoleon’s tomb really is Napoleon. Then there was the team that screened DNA from a mouse’s tail to solve an international insurance dispute. And now I’ve learned that DNA tests could help save two wood grouse species from extinction.

The wood grouse, or capercaillie, is a 12-pound bird that was once found all over Europe and Asia. People have hunted them since the Middle Ages, for fun and and for food. Apparently,