Earth's hidden insects: Scientists estimate there could be 20 million species, triple what was thought

https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-06-30/earths-hidden-insects-scientists-estimate-there-could-be-20-million-species-triple-what-was-thought.html

Earth’s hidden insects: Scientists estimate there could be 20 million species, triple what was thought

The authors of the new study sequenced the DNA of 1.6 million specimens captured over four decades

ESTHER SÁNCHEZ
Madrid - JUN 30, 2026 - 00:05 EDT

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A new scientific study challenges that figure and raises the estimate to between 14 million and 20 million species, more than double and more than triple the currently accepted number. The authors caution that their assumptions are also “conservative,” meaning the true number could be even higher. The research was published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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The study comes at a time when numerous investigations are warning of global insect declines, a phenomenon often referred to as the “insect apocalypse.” The main drivers include habitat loss, agricultural intensification, pesticide use and climate change. At first glance, the discovery that there may be millions more insect species than previously thought might seem to lessen the concern. In reality, however, many of these still-undiscovered species could also be in decline.

Guzmán is unequivocal on this point, warning that it is “impossible to protect species if you don’t know they exist,” hence the importance of bringing them to light.

Colwell, one of the study’s 15 authors, adds that the work left him with a sense of “humility” at “how little we know about our planet.”

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