I discovered a way to identify the millions of species on Earth after a lightbulb moment in the supermarket

I developed DNA barcoding in my back yard using a UV light and a white sheet to collect the moths of my childhood. I believe it could help discover all life on the planet

As a child, I used to roam the countryside collecting moths and butterflies on the edge of the Great Lakes in Canada. It was as idyllic as it sounds: by day, I would scour the fields and forests for butterflies. At night, I would leave a white sheet and UV light in my back yard, rising at 5am to inspect the harvest of moths.

By the time I was an adult, I could identify about 700 butterfly and moth species by sight, deciphering the stripes, dots and colours on their wings and bodies.