The Dirty Money Project is a scientific research project of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, a comprehensive study of the DNA on

banknotes A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

which aims to understand the role of banknotes in spreading diseases among

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

, especially on those who live in an

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

region. NYU's Dirty Money Project is part of a larger project looking into

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

's "MetaGenome", which seeks to examine the "

microbes A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

all around us". According to experts, the project may be able to identify potential health threats, fight

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

epidemics, and even chart the environmental impact of major

storms A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

. The studies conducted so far have revealed that a banknote is a medium of exchange for hundreds of different kinds of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

as banknotes pass from hand to hand. Scientists have also found that each banknote carries about 3,000 types of

on its surface as well as DNA from drug-resistant microbes.Leezel Tanglao (April 24, 2014)
Dirty money: Your cash is home to thousands of bacteria
''CBS News''. Retrieved November 28, 2014. And, since a banknote is home to thousands of

–

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

and

pathogens In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...

, this situation can cause such illnesses as skin infections, stomach ulcers and food poisoning etc., scientists believe. One of the goals of the study is to provide information that could help health workers to prevent disease outbreaks in urban environments like New York City before they spread very far through mediums like banknotes.

References

{{Reflist Banknotes New York University Public health Epidemiological study projects