Creatures unknown to science: The project in the Amazon that reveals a hidden world

The Amazon rainforest hides countless tiny and invisible creatures. Now, an innovative and unprecedented scientific project in Brazil is embarking on a comprehensive journey to count and identify all types of insects living in the forest — from the ground to the highest treetops.

To reach insects living in places that no one has ever explored in depth, the researchers set up special systems of traps installed in a vertical column: one trap on the ground, another trap at a height of about 30 meters in the treetops — the height of a 10-story building, and three more traps on the way up. These traps operated continuously for over a year. In addition, the scientists used special methods — such as scented baits and light traps — to catch insects that do not fall into regular traps.

The result was immense: the researchers collected about 5.5 million insects, and of these, about 600,000 will undergo advanced laboratory tests of genetic code to help scientists identify them quickly. The initial data is stunning and indicates that in the research area alone, there are about 40,000 different insect species. The next challenge for the scientists will be to name all those new species that will be discovered, as they are far from being known — which will require the joint work of hundreds of experts from all over the world.

The Amazon forest is one of the richest and most important places in nature, but vast areas of it — especially the high treetops — remain a mystery. The use of new technologies for genetic analysis now allows scientists to explore nature at a faster pace than ever before, and to discover new creatures that will help us better understand and preserve nature on planet Earth.