BriefTea
Every story in sixty words
Get the free app no ads · no paywallExplained in plain English
How do we find new species?
Scientists often use a mix of fieldwork and museum studies to identify new species. In this story, researchers re-examined old specimens from a London museum, comparing them to living frogs in Ecuador. This careful comparison, often involving DNA analysis and physical characteristics, helps confirm if a creature is truly distinct or just a variation of a known species.
Stories that explain this
Common frog in Ecuador finally recognised as new species after a centuryRelated explainers
Why are frogs so important? Why does it take so long? What is a 'type specimen'? How do agencies find families? How does AI find flaws? How do charities find skydive centres? Who decides species names? Who is fighting invasive species?The full catalogue
Browse every card filed under W →We would like to count visits and see which links bring readers here. That means storing a random ID in your browser. No cookies, no ads, no profile. How it works.