Scientists Are Discovering New Species Faster Than Ever—Over 16,000 a Year
Earth may harbor billions of unknown species, and new tools are about to find them
A major new study finds the pace of biological discovery is accelerating, not slowing down, and estimates Earth may harbor tens of millions or even billions of species still unknown to science.
For years, some scientists assumed the era of great biological discovery was winding down—that most species had already been found and formally described. New research led by the University of Arizona challenges that assumption directly.
The study, published in Science Advances, analyzed the taxonomic histories of roughly 2 million species across all groups of living organisms. Between 2015 and 2020, researchers documented an average of more than 16,000 new species per year.
That enormous annual tally included over 10,000 animals—dominated by arthropods and insects—along with 2,500 plants and 2,000 fungi.
Discovery is outpacing extinction
John Wiens, a professor in the University of Arizona Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and senior author of the study, said the findings contradict a common assumption in the field.
“Some scientists have suggested that the pace of new species descriptions has slowed down and that this indicates that we are running out of new species to discover, but our results show the opposite. In fact, we’re finding new species at a faster rate than ever before,” Wiens said.
These are not just obscure, microscopic organisms. Wiens noted that the rate of discovery far outpaces extinctions, which his team calculated at approximately 10 species per year.
“These thousands of newly found species each year are not just microscopic organisms, but include insects, plants, fungi and even hundreds of new vertebrates,” he said.
The scale of what remains unknown
Perhaps the most striking element of the study is its projections of how much life remains undiscovered. The research projects that there may be as many as 115,000 fish species and 41,000 amphibian species, despite only about 42,000 fish and 9,000 amphibians currently described. The researchers also suggested that the final number of plant species could exceed half a million.
“Right now, we know of about 2.5 million species, but the true number may be in the tens or hundreds of millions or even the low billions,” Wiens explained.
Insects offer one of the most dramatic examples of this gap. Scientists have identified around 1.1 million insect species, though estimates suggest the true number could be up to 6 million or even 20 million, according to Wiens.
The tools available to researchers are improving as well. “Right now, most new species are identified by visible traits. But as molecular tools improve, we will uncover even more cryptic species–organisms distinguishable only on a genetic level. This is especially promising for revealing more unique bacteria and fungi,” Wiens added.
That means entire categories of life—species that look identical to the naked eye but are genetically distinct—are waiting to be identified as technology advances.
Why this matters for conservation
The researchers argue that cataloging new species carries real-world consequences, particularly for conservation.
“Discovering new species is important because these species can’t be protected until they’re scientifically described. Documentation is the first step in conservation–we can’t safeguard a species from extinction if we don’t know it exists,” Wiens said.
A species that hasn’t been formally identified cannot be placed on endangered species lists, factored into habitat protection plans, or considered when environmental policies are being crafted. Each new discovery opens the door to protecting another piece of Earth’s biodiversity.
Benefits for medicine and technology
The discovery of new species also benefits humanity through potential medicinal and technological applications. The study highlights that natural products inspired by organisms include GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss, spider and snake venoms, and compounds from plants and fungi with potential uses in pain relief and cancer treatment.
“Many species have adaptations that can inspire human inventions, such as materials mimicking the ‘super-clinging’ feet that allow geckos to climb up vertical surfaces,” Wiens noted.
Each newly identified species represents not just a line in a scientific database but a potential source of breakthroughs for human health or technology.
Wiens offered a striking statistic to underscore the pace of recent progress: “Even though Linnaeus’ quest to identify species began 300 years ago, 15% of all known species have been discovered in just the past 20 years. So much remains unknown, and each new discovery brings us closer to understanding and protecting the incredible biodiversity of life on our planet.”
Conversation
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