Thawing Arctic soil awakens only half of soil microbes, new study reveals

Queen Mary University of London

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DSC01338a - Field team drilling to extract soil and permafrost samples from the tundra in Svalbard, during winter. 

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Credit: Credit: James Bradley

A partially awakened Arctic landscape 

As the Arctic warms at an unprecedented rate, frozen soils that have remained locked in ice for most of the year are now thawing for longer periods. Yet new research led by an international team including scientists from Queen Mary University of London has found that these seasonal thaws only partially revive the hidden ecosystem beneath the surface. 

The study, published in mSystems, shows that even after months of thawing, around half of the microorganisms in High Arctic soils remain dormant. This challenges the assumption that warming uniformly boosts microbial activity and carbon release from thawing permafrost. 

Tracking life as frozen soils thaw 

Despite their barren appearance, Arctic soils host diverse microbial communities that play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. When ice melts, liquid water becomes available, allowing some microbes to resume activity and begin breaking down organic matter – a process that releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. 

To understand which microbes “wake up” after thaw, researchers incubated soil samples from Svalbard, a remote archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole, and used DNA stable isotope probing to directly track microbial growth. This advanced method enabled the team to distinguish active organisms from those remaining dormant. 

The results revealed striking differences: 

• Some microbes grew rapidly within days, 

• Others only began to grow after several weeks, 

• And a large proportion stayed inactive throughout the 98‑day experiment. 

More than just decomposition 

Unexpectedly, the team also identified predatory and epibiotic bacteria, microbes that feed on or grow attached to other microorganisms, as part of the active community. Their presence indicates that thawing soil triggers not only decomposition but also complex microbial food webs. 

The researchers also detected methane‑oxidising microbes that became active only after prolonged thaw, suggesting that the later stages of the thaw season may play a bigger role in regulating methane fluxes than previously recognised. 

 

Implications for climate change 

Arctic soils store nearly one‑third of the world’s soil carbon. As thaw seasons lengthen, understanding the timing and identity of active microbes becomes critical for predicting the release, or consumption, of greenhouse gases. 

The study shows that carbon release from thawing soils is not simply controlled by temperature, but by the complex dynamics of which microbial groups switch on, and when. Current climate models often assume uniform microbial responses to warming, but these new findings suggest a need for greater nuance to accurately project future carbon emissions from the Arctic. 

Dr James Bradley, Honorary Reader at Queen Mary University of London and CNRS researcher at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, said: 

“The thawing of soils in the Arctic doesn’t simply switch on microbial activity. We found that only part of the community responds, and that response develops over time. This has important implications for how we predict carbon release in a warming Arctic.” 

Dr Margaret Cramm, lead author of the study, who completed her PhD and postdoctoral research at Queen Mary and is now a Research Fellow at University College London, said: 

“We found that some methane‑consuming microbes only become active after longer periods of thaw. This suggests that the impact of Arctic soils on greenhouse gas fluxes may increase over time as thaw seasons lengthen.” 

 

About the study 

The research was carried out by an international team from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the USA. Soil samples were collected near the Bayelva Permafrost Observatory in Svalbard and incubated under controlled conditions to mimic seasonal thaw. DNA‑based stable isotope analysis enabled the team to track the growth of hundreds of microbial taxa simultaneously. 

DSC07049a - Field team working on instruments installed in the tundra soils to continuously monitor soil temperature and water content, in Svalbard, during winter. 

Senior author Dr James Bradley (right) measuring greenhouse gas fluxes from the tundra soils in Svalbard, during summer. 

Credit

James Bradley

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Journal

mSystems

DOI

10.1128/msystems.00738-25 

Article Title

Seasonal thawing of high Arctic soils triggers selective microbial growth and predation

Article Publication Date

7-May-2026

 

The cost of metamorphosis in amphibians

Findings that shed new light on the evolutionary mechanisms governing the persistence or loss of metamorphosis, particularly in the context of climate change

University of Liège

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Paedomorphic palmate newt

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Credit: University of Liège / M.Denoël / BMC Biology

Metamorphosis, that profound transformation enabling certain animals to shift between habitats such as from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment, is generally viewed in terms of its benefits. A team of researchers from the University of Liège has now demonstrated that it also entails a direct and immediate cost for the individuals undergoing it, a cost that varies by sex and could influence long-term evolutionary trade-offs.

In many amphibian species, some individuals retain their gills and aquatic lifestyle into adulthood without ever undergoing metamorphosis; this is known as paedomorphosis. In the palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus), this process is optional: depending on environmental conditions, a single individual may remain in a paedomorphic state or undergo metamorphosis. This plasticity makes it an ideal model for studying the direct consequences of metamorphosis, as it is possible to compare individuals at the same stage of their life cycle (reproductive adults) depending on whether or not they undergo this transition.

The team led by Prof. Mathieu Denoël, Director of the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians (LECA) at the University of Liège, has taken benefits of the exceptional properties of the palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus). "In this species, paedomorphic adults, which have gills and are capable of reproduction, can still, under certain conditions, undergo metamorphosis," explains Mathieu Denoël. "This unique trait allows us to compare individuals at the same biological stage depending on whether or not they undergo metamorphosis, while avoiding the confounding effects associated with reproductive development that would arise when studying larval forms. Here, the individuals are already adults and capable of reproduction, which allows us to isolate the direct cost of metamorphosis."

Eighty adult pedomorphic newts were placed in experimental conditions varying in water level and temperature, in order to induce or prevent metamorphosis and thus replicate the variations in conditions observed in the natural environment. Their weight was monitored individually over 85 days. "The results are quite clear," the researcher continues, "all individuals that completed metamorphosis lost a significant amount of weight, whereas those that remained paedomorphic did not experience any net weight loss." This loss of mass cannot be explained solely by internal physiological changes; newts approaching metamorphosis also reduce their food intake, even when food is available in abundance. The transformation process therefore involves both a costly bodily reorganisation and a reduction in energy intake.

The study also highlighted significant differences between males and females. Females begin to lose weight earlier, lose more weight and complete their metamorphosis later. These results shed further light on the ‘male escape’ hypothesis. “If males are more frequently observed undergoing metamorphosis in natural populations, it is likely partly because this transition costs them proportionally less. Taking the sex of individuals into account is essential for understanding their developmental trajectories and population ecology,” explains the researcher.

These findings take on added significance in the face of current climate disturbances. The gradual drying up of shallow wetlands, exacerbated by droughts, is driving more and more individuals to metamorphose. However, in doing so, they lose their energy reserves, which could compromise their reproductive success in the following season. The study therefore calls for the cost of the transition itself to be incorporated into evolutionary models that assess the trade-offs between aquatic and terrestrial life, and more broadly into analyses of the impact of global change on amphibian populations.

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Journal

BMC Biology

DOI

10.1186/s12915-026-02608-5 

Article Title

The direct cost of amphibian metamorphosis: insights from body weight loss in facultative paedomorphs

Article Publication Date

4-May-2026

 

Mid-domain effect and wooded habitats jointly shape Mediterranean reptile communities

South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Analyzing a large number of reptiles observed across protected areas in Central Italy, we tested whether the mid-domain effect explains hump-shaped richness–elevation patterns. Species richness was best predicted by the combined influence of geometric constraints and woodland cover, revealing two contrasting species clusters and offering a robust framework for regional conservation planning.

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Credit: Daniele Dendi, Lauren De Nardi, Giovanni Amori, and Luca Luiselli.

Date: May 8, 2026

Rome, Italy: A recent research published in Biological Diversity provides robust evidence that the mid-domain effect (MDE)—a geometric model predicting peak species richness at intermediate elevations—and wooded habitat structure together determine the composition, abundance, and biomass of reptile communities in Mediterranean protected areas. The study was conducted in 26 protected sites across Tuscany, Central Italy, covering coastal plains, hilly woodlands, and mountain zones up to 1,000 m above sea level.

Between June and September 2020, researchers conducted standardized Visual Encounter Surveys (VES) along random transects, accumulating more than 540 field-hours. They recorded 13,045 individual reptiles, including 8 lizard species, 8 snake species, and 2 chelonian species. Results showed a clear hump-shaped elevational pattern: species richness peaked at approximately 600 m, strongly supporting the mid-domain effect.

Community structure was strongly differentiated by body size and biomass. Although lizards represented 97.05% of individuals, they contributed only 66.17% of total biomass. In contrast, snakes and chelonians accounted for a disproportionately high biomass (25.69% and 8.15%, respectively), revealing a decoupling between numerical abundance and functional ecological importance.

Woodland cover exerted contrasting effects: lizard abundance increased with forest cover, while snakes and chelonians preferred more open, non-wooded habitats. Species-specific responses were equally distinct: Lacerta bilineata and Podarcis muralis favored forested uplands, whereas Hierophis viridiflavus and Testudo hermanni preferred open habitats. Wetland-associated species such as Natrix helvetica and Natrix tessellata were closely linked to riparian zones.

Statistical analyses included species diversity indices (Shannon, Margalef, Pielou Evenness, Dominance), polynomial regression for elevational richness patterns, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for habitat grouping, and Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to quantify environmental drivers. The combined framework of MDE plus woodland presence/absence outperformed other environmental predictors, offering a reliable model for reptile biodiversity conservation.

These findings highlight the importance of habitat heterogeneity—a mosaic of woodlands, clearings, shrublands, and wetlands—in sustaining diverse reptile communities. The authors emphasize that conservation planning in Mediterranean regions should preserve mid-elevation zones and maintain landscape complexity to support both open-habitat and forest-dependent reptiles.

This study enhances understanding of large-scale biodiversity patterns and provides practical guidance for protected area management, habitat restoration, and long-term reptile conservation.

 

Original Source

Dendi, Daniele, Lauren De Nardi, Giovanni Amori, and Luca Luiselli. 2026. “Mid-Domain Effect and Wooded Habitat Shape Mediterranean Reptile Communities,” Biological Diversity: 1–18.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.70024

 

Keywords

Biodiversity, conservation, diversity, elevational gradient, management, richness

  

About the Author

Daniele Dendi (First Author), researcher at the Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, focuses on sustainable development, ecological economy, biodiversity and wildlife conservation. Adopting a holistic approach, he explores interactions between natural environments and human activities, including ecological, agroforestry and economic links to Ebola virus correlates. His research focuses on West Africa, covering Togo, Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, with interests in forest ecosystems and cocoa, oil palm plantations.

Luca Luiselli (Corresponding Author), tropical community ecologist and professor of ecology at the Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, focuses on snake and chelonian conservation across West Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and Vietnam. He adopts an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to study population dynamics, community ecology, species interactions, Ebola ecology, bushmeat trade, and rodent macroecology.

 

About the Journal

Biological Diversity (ISSN: 2994-4139) is a new open-access, high-impact, English-language journal, devoted to advancing biodiversity conservation, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting the sustainable use of resources under global change. It features innovative research addressing the global biodiversity crisis.

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Journal

Biological Diversity

DOI

10.1002/bod2.70024 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Mid‐Domain Effect and Wooded Habitat Shape Mediterranean Reptile Communities

Article Publication Date

11-May-2026

 

How do climate extremes alter the behaviors of animal societies?

One of the world’s longest-running studies of white-faced capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica, led by UCLA, offers valuable data.

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Key takeaways

• A new study of capuchin monkeys, co-authored by researchers at UCLA and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, reveals how changes in climatic conditions impact group decisions about foraging strategies, competition with neighbors and use of the landscape.

• The findings are backed by data collected over 33 years by UCLA anthropologist Susan Perry and other researchers on 12 groups of white-faced capuchin monkeys at the Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

• Long-term studies such as this one are essential for providing data on how populations respond to a wide range of ecological conditions and can help us predict their responses to climate extremes that will be more prevalent in the future.

Many animals benefit from living together, and bigger groups can yield bigger benefits, including more allies to help them defeat predators and compete with rival groups for resources. Big groups, though, come with a cost: more mouths to feed, and more competition among members of the same social group. White-faced capuchin monkeys are constantly balancing the costs and benefits of group size, and may find this balancing act more challenging as they encounter climate conditions more extreme than those they have typically experienced in their evolutionary history.

How a population of white-faced capuchin monkeys has tackled these challenges over time forms the basis for the new study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution and co-authored by UCLA anthropologist Susan Perry, who leads the Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project (LBMP) in Costa Rica. 

The group of researchers, including Perry and co-authors from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI), found lower feeding rates among larger groups, especially during times of extreme climate conditions. They also discovered that home range size expands as group size increases. While those findings were expected, what surprised the team was that the length of the group’s daily travel did not change as the group’s size increased.

“It seems that larger groups compensate for the larger number of mouths to feed not by traveling further each day, but by having a larger variety of resources they can visit, which allows them to visit less depleted food patches,” Perry said.

White-faced capuchin monkeys are small, highly social primates native to Central America. They live in multi-male, multi-female groups of 5-40 individuals. Females typically remain in their birth group for life, while males disperse to join other groups. Capuchins have one of the largest brain-to-body ratios of any primate and are known for their problem-solving abilities, social traditions and diverse diet of fruits, insects, and small animals. 

The new study combines detailed behavioral observations of feeding rates and travel routes of 335 white capuchin monkeys in 12 neighboring groups with climatological data and decades of satellite imagery measuring the density of the surrounding forest, allowing the team to track how habitat conditions shifted across seasons and climate cycles.

“The combined approach allowed us to disentangle how group size, neighbor interactions and climate variability jointly shape space use and competition,” Perry said.

Perry, a field primatologist who has led research and training at the site in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, for 35 years, making it one of the most comprehensive, longest-running primate field studies in the world, designed long-term protocols that would facilitate investigations of questions about the costs and benefits of group living.

“But when I started observing a single capuchin group back in 1990, I had no idea three decades later that the study would have expanded to this size, or that the monkeys would experience such extreme climate disruption, or that there would be such dramatic within-group variation in size over time,” Perry said.

The longitudinal approach of the newly published study allowed for a variety of factors to be considered, including fluctuating group sizes, a wide range of climate extremes and the annual transitions between rainy and dry seasons.  

Unlike many group-movement studies, which rely on radio-collared or tagged individuals, this study was completely non-invasive. In order to gain sufficient trust among the monkeys to enable the kinds of close-range observation of feeding tactics and social interactions that their core protocol requires, Perry’s data collection team does not catch or otherwise interfere with the animals. This means that group movement data are collected by humans following these monkeys with a GPS device to record travel routes and mark their sleep sites. This is extremely laborious, as it requires 12-13-hour workdays in difficult terrain for the observers, day after day and year after year. 

“Long-term data sets such as this one are so valuable scientifically that they make the hardships seem worthwhile,” Perry said.

Strength in numbers

The capuchins in the study live in one of Costa Rica’s last remaining fragments of tropical dry forest, which encompasses government-protected forest, cattle ranches and privately owned farms. They feed on a wide range of fruits, insects and occasionally small vertebrates. For most of the year, food is abundant and widely distributed.

By following capuchins and recording how much food they ate, the scientists found that capuchins living in larger groups generally consumed fruit at a slower rate, and that this cost to large groups was most extreme in the most extreme climatic conditions. “This was a clear sign that the group members were competing with each other, which is what we expected for large groups,” said lead author Odd Jacobson from MPI.

Capuchins, however, had a solution in large groups. By expanding their range and claiming areas from smaller groups, they gained access to more foraging options and less-depleted food patches. “In doing so, large groups could offset the costs of internal competition,” Jacobson said.

Dry season: when the stakes rise

Tropical dry forests experience far more extreme seasonal swings than a typical rainforest. Around January, the harsh dry season begins. Over the following months, the researchers observed that critical resources such as water, food and shade became concentrated along rivers, forcing groups into closer contact.

The researchers also observed a shift among the capuchins: groups overlapped less in space but encountered one another more frequently, suggesting that they were competing more intensely with their neighbors and actively defending the scarce remaining resources. Larger groups dominated the highest-quality areas, while smaller groups were pushed into less productive parts of the forest.

In both seasons, larger groups found ways to offset the costs of their size by leveraging their dominance over smaller groups. But this depended on typical seasonal patterns, and the study revealed what happens when conditions deviate from the norm.

Climate extremes may disrupt social structures

El Niño events brought severe drought, while La Niña events brought unusually heavy rainfall. Both extremes amplified foraging costs for large groups, intensifying competition for food and eroding the advantages of larger group size.

Life in a big group has costs, and normally these can be buffered by out-competing other groups for the better foraging spots, Perry said. “But under climatic extremes, that buffer reaches its limits, and monkeys may adjust by making changes to group size, for example, by dispersing to other groups.”

El Niño and La Niña are natural climate cycles, not a direct consequence of climate change. However, climate change is expected to make such extremes more frequent and intense, making it all the more important to understand how animal societies respond to them.

In addition to Perry and Jacobson, Margaret Crofoot, Brendan Barrett and Genevieve Finerty were co-authors of the study. Jacobson and Barrett were previously research assistants at LBMP under Perry’s supervision, and later did Ph.D. work at the site under her co-supervision. 

Funding for Perry’s data collection at LBMP has come from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Leakey Foundation, Wenner-Gren, Templeton World Charity Foundation, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, UCLA and the University of Michigan. Salary support for the MPI collaborators was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung funds awarded to the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change.

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Journal

Nature Ecology & Evolution

 

Taylor & Francis reports 35% reduction in supply chain emissions and training of 70,000+ researchers in low-income region

Publisher’s first sustainable impact report showcases positive impact on society and the environment

Taylor & Francis has announced the release of its first sustainable impact report, Publishing with purpose, highlighting its commitment to sustainability, equity, and accessibility in scholarly publishing.

The report showcases the international publisher’s progress in reducing its environmental footprint, advancing equitable access to knowledge, supporting the global journey toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and creating a positive impact on local communities.

The path to net zero

Reaffirming its commitment to decarbonization and waste reduction, Taylor & Francis outlines significant progress in sustainable digital publishing, plastic-free packaging, and optimizing its book supply chain. Key achievements include:

• 35% reduction in print supply chain emissions since 2019.
• Transitioning over 90% of journal titles to plastic-free mailing, up from 60% in 2021.
• Printing 80% of book titles on demand, reducing overproduction and eliminating 100,000 book returns annually.

Championing sustainable development

The report underscores Taylor & Francis’ role in fostering human progress through knowledge by publishing research and ideas that can improve lives. In every publishing portfolio, from education and social justice to science and medicine, a vast range of specialist resources are helping to advance the SDGs and tackle today’s greatest challenges, including:

• Over 300,000 articles and 16,000 books since 2020 focused on the themes of the SDGs, with over 33% of content published each year addressing at least one SDG.
• 28,930 Taylor & Francis articles cited in policy documents by organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, directly influencing strategies to address poverty, health, and climate change.
• 35% of SDG research is now published open access, up from 19% in 2019.

Equity and participation in publishing

With the goal of enhancing access to research, Taylor & Francis outlines a range of initiatives that are bringing down barriers to knowledge, such as income or visual impairment. Since 2020, the publisher has delivered £17 million in value through access initiatives, including:

• Providing free eBook access to over 90,000 visually impaired students.
• Offering low-cost subscriptions to institutions in 120 countries via Research4Life.
• Supporting independent researchers and professionals in low-income countries through 15 years of the STAR program, offering free access to journal articles.

Taylor & Francis also supports researchers in resource-constrained regions to publish their own work, with initiatives such as:

• Training 70,000 researchers in publishing and peer review since 2020.
• Waiving or discounting 18,000 open access article publishing charges for researchers in low-income countries since 2020.
• Achieving a 33% increase in articles by researchers from low-income countries between 2020 and 2025.

Supporting communities

The final section of the impact report illustrates the direct involvement of Taylor & Francis staff in their local communities through fundraising, charity partnerships, donations, and volunteering. Examples highlighted include:

• Collaborating with the National Federation of the Blind of India to provide accessible learning materials for 20,000 visually impaired students.
• Delivering 1,300+ hours of Chapter One reading sessions for children in the UK and USA, improving literacy and confidence.
• Planting 3,000 saplings in Bengaluru through the Green Prints program, fostering environmental stewardship.
• Raising over £200,000 for local charities through the annual Walk the World initiative.

Stuart Blackley, Executive Vice President of Operations at Taylor & Francis, said: “This new report highlights the remarkable progress achieved by colleagues across the organization with a shared commitment to building a sustainable and inclusive future. By reducing our environmental footprint, championing equitable access to knowledge, and supporting the global journey toward the SDGs, we are proud to play a meaningful role in addressing the urgent challenges of our time.”

 

How a strange fruit fly became a bloodthirsty underwater hunter

Lund University

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A carnivorous fruit fly living in bubbling African streams may sound like a fever dream. However, with the help of DNA analysis of a pinned insect from a museum in Zurich, researchers have managed to draw an evolutionary map of a mysterious species that has not been seen since 1981.

Researchers at Lund University have successfully mapped the genome of one of the world’s most unusual fruit flies - Drosophila enhydrobia. Unlike its well-known relatives in the kitchen, its larvae live entirely underwater, in flowing streams where they actively hunt other insects.

“We’re talking about a fruit fly that has completely turned its lifestyle upside down. From feeding on yeast and rotting fruit, it has become a specialised predator in running water,” says Marcus Stensmyr, biology researcher at Lund University, who led the study.

Since the aquatic predator has not been observed in the wild since 1981, the researchers had to turn to a natural history museum in Switzerland to track down the fruit fly. Using modern DNA techniques, the research team managed to extract and analyse an almost complete genome from an old, pinned specimen - without destroying it. The results show that Drosophila enhydrobia is not an “evolutionary loner” but belongs to a group of flies associated with water-adjacent environments, mainly in South Asia.

“What at first looked like an evolutionary mystery turned out to be an extreme elaboration of something that already existed. That makes the story both more understandable and, in a way, even more fascinating,” says Marcus Stensmyr.

The study reveals clear genetic adaptations to the fly’s unusual lifestyle. Its genome has been “trimmed” of several gene families linked to smell, taste, and metabolism. At the same time, the results suggest that the remaining sensory genes have become more specialised.

“It’s as if it has fewer tools in the toolbox, but the tools that remain are all the more finely tuned for this particular environment,” says Hamid Ghanavi, biology researcher at Lund University.

Beyond the evolutionary insights, the research also highlights the value of natural history museums. Collections of old, seemingly insignificant specimens can, with today’s technology, yield entirely new knowledge about biodiversity and the evolution of life. The study also shows that species not seen for decades can still contribute to research - and to our understanding of how organisms change over time.

“We have only just begun to scratch the surface of what is hidden in museum collections. With continued technological advances, they may become important for understanding both evolution and how species are affected by future environmental changes,” concludes Marcus Stensmyr.

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Journal

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.024 

Article Title

Chemosensory evolution in the aquatic predator Drosophila enhydrobia

Article Publication Date

5-May-2026