Despite the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Natural History Museum team in London were able to identify a total of 503 new species in 2020. In the midst of the climate crisis that is rapidly endangering millions of species, the museum manages to document species from the various animal kingdom.
The recent discoveries include species from wasps, barnacles, tarantulas, monkeys, lichens, and more.
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Museums in the Time of the Pandemic
In 2020, mostly due to the ravaging pandemic, museums didn't have much activity. This is true even for London's Natural History Museum that has closed its doors to the public for the longest time since the Second World War 139-years ago.
Despite all the challenges that COVID-19 has set, the museum could continue doing crucial work whenever it can. While fieldwork and international trips were canceled, many continued their research from the comforts of their homes.
Over the past months, many persevered to publish their work. Museum scientists, curators, scientific associates, and researchers managed to describe 503 new species.
How are New Species Discovered?
The list included tine copepods, armored beetles, praying mantis, giant wombat-like marsupials, and an emerald-green moth.
Before an animal can be categorized as a new species, researchers and scientists have to go through a grueling process.
This means extensive information and research must be gathered, and the structure of the organism must be indexed.
Research papers regarding each species are subject to peer review by the scientific community, says Ken Norris, the head of life sciences at the Natural History Museum, in an interview with CNN.
Among the recently discovered is the Popa Langur (Trachypethecus popa), a monkey that resided on an extinct Myanmar Volcano slopes. Upon discovery, the monkey is already labeled as critically endangered, with only 200-260 specimens living in the wild.
The Popa Langur is the highlight of this year's haul. With samples of its bones residing in the museum's archives for a hundred years.
However, scientists are hopeful that naming the monkey would be a step towards conservation efforts.
What Does Diversity Mean for Science?
Dr. Tim Littlewood, the Executive Director of Science at London's Natural History Museum, explains, "Once again, an end of year tally of new species has revealed a remarkable diversity of life forms and minerals hitherto undescribed."
He further states that the collection of specimens provides the museum and other members of the scientific community with the resource to find even more species and recognize new specimens.
The discovery of 503 new species in 2020 alone sustains our amazement at the natural world. It reveals how much of the world is unknown and that the inevitable climate crisis might leave humans unaware of other species.
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