#FunFact To understand biodiversity today, researchers looked far into the past: their analyses included climate conditions from around 130,000 years ago, long before the last Ice Age reached its peak.

Species sharing the same environment don't necessarily adapt in the same way. Understanding these differences is essential for predicting responses to climate change and developing conservation strategies that account for species-specific needs.

→ doi.org/10.1111/mec....

Same forest, different evolutionary responses. Researchers compared 27 taxa in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and found that genetic associations with past & present climate vary widely across species: from frogs and birds to butterflies and plants. #LIBresearch

© Adobe Stock, Edilaine Barros

#FunFact Hoverflies aren’t all flower visitors throughout their lives. Ferdinandea larvae are saproxylic, developing in sap runs on old or damaged trees, making their lives closely connected to woodland microhabitats.

Taxonomic revisions bring scattered knowledge together, clarify species identities & reveal overlooked diversity. Reliable identification is essential for mapping distributions, studying ecology and monitoring biodiversity.

→ doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.10.210478

A new hoverfly from Japan! Researchers revised the genus Ferdinandea across the Palaearctic and discovered a species new to science: Ferdinandea harusawai, adding another piece to our knowledge of hoverfly diversity. #LIBresearch

© Mengual & Ichige, CC BY

#FunFact Losing the ability to fly wasn’t a one-time event: reduced wings & reduced eyes evolved repeatedly in different Lathrobium lineages, linked to life in montane & subterranean habitats.

Museum collections can provide genetic data for species difficult to sample today. Here, they helped reveal an evolutionary history shaped by dispersal, isolation & repeated adaptation.

→ doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...

@dagmarazyla.bsky.social
@aslakkh.bsky.social

What can museum beetles reveal about millions of years of evolution? Using DNA from historical specimens, researchers reconstructed the evolutionary history of Lathrobium, a diverse rove beetle genus with nearly 800 described species. #LIBresearch

© Tokareva et al., CC BY

#FunFact Lypeticus was more widespread than we knew: the revision documents the genus for the first time in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico & Paraguay; substantially expanding its known range across the Neotropics.

Taxonomic revisions do more than name new species. By re-examining museum specimens, species boundaries & classifications, they provide the foundation for understanding where species occur and how diverse a group really is.

→ doi.org/10.3897/evol...

@dagmarazyla.bsky.social

Three new species and a new look at an entire beetle genus. Researchers revised the Neotropical rove beetle genus Lypeticus, describing three species new to science & considerably expanding its known distribution. #LIBresearch

© Guzman Sarmiento & Żyła, CC BY

#FunFact The meeting brought together biodiversity, environmental & biomedical biobanking communities from 38 countries. Fields that preserve very different samples but face surprisingly similar challenges.

From biodiversity loss to pandemics & food security, biobanks preserve samples that research depends on. Shared standards, equitable governance, connected data & resilient infrastructure can make these resources more useful across disciplines and borders.

→ doi.org/10.1177/1947...

What do biodiversity, environmental & human biobanks have in common? More than you might think. A new perspective from the joint GGBN–ISBER conference explores how these communities can learn from each other to tackle global challenges. #LIBresearch

©Astrin et al., CC BY

@ggbnoutreach.bsky.social

What lives more than 5 km beneath the ocean surface?Nephasoma constricticervix is a peanut worm adapted to life in the deep sea. New records like these help fill the many gaps in our knowledge of biodiversity at some of Earth’s least explored habitats. #LIBresearch

@smnstuttgart.bsky.social @mfnberlin.bsky.social @sgn.one @leibnizlib.bsky.social & Staatlichen Naturwissenschaftlichen Sammlungen Bayerns

@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de

Ahead of #COP17 in Armenia, research museums are calling on policymakers: international biodiversity targets must lead to measurable progress. This requires strong science, reliable funding and effective protection.

→ leibniz-lib.de/en/news/rese...

#FunFact How different can the two copies of an oyster’s genome be? In some individuals, up to 14% of the genome was affected by heterozygous insertions & deletions - meaning the two chromosome sets differed structurally across a remarkable share of their DNA.

Structural changes can create genetic variation for evolution to act on. Some variants differed among oyster populations living under different temperature & salinity conditions - suggesting they may contribute to local adaptation.

→ doi.org/10.1186/s131...