Researchers studied how different heavy metals affect the DNA of microbes in soil. They used %G+C profiling and community hybridisation techniques to compare DNA from soils contaminated with Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, or Zn. The results showed that microbial communities in metal-polluted soils were different from those in clean soil. They also found that the microbial community in Cu-contaminated soil was unique compared to other metal-contaminated soils. Additionally, the DNA analysis revealed that the microbial communities in Pb and Ni contaminated soils were very similar to each other.