This document discusses DNA barcoding, which is a technique for species identification using short DNA sequences. DNA barcoding uses a standard fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to identify species. The technique was formally proposed in 2003 and has since been developed by organizations like the International Barcode of Life project to create a global reference library. DNA barcoding is now used for applications like conservation, pest identification, food safety, and forensics.