Logan Airport has begun testing the wastewater drained from arriving planes for viruses.
What's happening: Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks and XWELL, Inc. have teamed with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor for pathogens like the flu, RSV and COVID-19.
What they're saying: "Persistent monitoring can give officials an early warning by offering a view into how pathogens spread across the globe," said Matt McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks, according to a release.
Zoom in: The organizations use triturators to spin samples from the bathroom waste pumped off arriving planes, then track the presence of viruses.
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