Plot twist: We're probably way undercounting insects on Earth

2026-07-10 · 9 min · 14 entities

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mentioned Life Sciences concept

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Feed category: Life Sciences
mentioned Daily News concept

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mentioned Nature concept

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mentioned Astronomy concept

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mentioned We're probably way undercounting insects on Earth concept

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Plot twist: We're probably way undercounting insects on Earth
discusses News concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: News
discusses Science concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Science
discusses Life Sciences concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Life Sciences
discusses Daily News concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Daily News
discusses Nature concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Nature
discusses Astronomy concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Astronomy

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Episode description as stored

Maybe you’ve wondered about it late at night as a mosquito buzzes in your ear. Or when you kick over a rock and watch dozens of little critters crawl away: How many types of insects are there in the world? Scientists have been interested in answering this question for years. A new study — based on a census of tiny and, frankly terrifying, parasitoid wasps — suggests there’s way more than previously thought. Like, millions more that are just waiting to be discovered. Interested in more bug science in the news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org . Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. It includes perks like bonus episodes, early access, archive access, curated playlists and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy