Who are we sharing the planet with? Millions less species than previously thought, new calculations suggest
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 - 14:20
in Biology & Nature
New calculations reveal that the number of species on Earth is likely to be in the order of several million rather than tens of millions. The findings, from an Australian-led study, are based on a new method of estimating tropical insect species -- the largest and one of the most difficult groups on the planet to study -- having significant implications for conservation efforts.