El Museo de Historia Natural ha descubierto 503 nuevas especies telecinco.es - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telecinco.es Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
With everything going on in 2020, at least there was some positive news in the science world as scientists from the Natural History Museum identified a total of 503 new species. These new species included a wide range of life such as wasps, miniature tarantulas, a monkey, large wombat-like marsupial, praying mantis, lichen, and even minerals.
Dr. Tim Littlewood, who is the Executive Director of Science at the Museum, stated, “Once again, an end of year tally of new species has revealed a remarkable diversity of life forms and minerals hitherto undescribed.” Now, let’s take a quick look at some of the species.
Parasitic worm accidentally brought to UK inside toad among new species catalogued by Natural History Museum
30 December 2020 • 12:01am
The Popa langur monkey is already thought to be critically endangered, with only 200 to 260 individuals left in the wild.
Credit: Thaung Win
A parasitic worm accidentally brought into the UK inside a toad by tourists is among 500 new species identified this year by the Natural History Museum.
The worm Pseudoacanthocephalus goodmani, previously unknown to science, was discovered after a tourist returning to Cambridge from Mauritius found a stowaway toad in their luggage.
The guttural toad, originally native to South Africa, survived a trip through a washing machine and was handed over to experts at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Amphibian and Reptile Group, who collected 27 worms from its faeces.
Bumble bee that lives 18,000ft up a mountain, parasitic worm found in toad excrement and monkey found on an extinct volcano are among 503 new species discovered by Natural History Museum staff this year
Bee, which lives in Tibetan Plateau, south-west China, was one of three new bee species found in 2020 along with 70 types of wasp
New worm found in faeces of toad which travelled in unwitting tourist s suitcase from Mauritius to Cambridge
In geological finds, an emerald-green mineral named Kernowite was uncovered in a disused mine in Cornwall
Among the other discoveries are a lungless worm salamander, red seaweed and miniature tarantulas
First published 30 December 2020
Despite an uncertain year, Natural History Museum scientists have described 503 new species to science.
This year has seen much activity at the Museum slow down and some of it come to a halt, as the Museum closed its doors to the public for the longest time since the Second World War. But through all this, researchers and scientists have been continuing their crucial work when and where they can.
Over the last 12 months, many have continued working and publishing with Museum scientists - including researchers, curators and scientific associates - managing to describe 503 new species. from almost all kingdoms of life, ranging from lichen, wasps and barnacles to minerals, miniature tarantulas and a monkey.