This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: According to two new UNSW studies, researchers often choose research topics based on personal preferences and cultural attitudes, including exposure to films, TV shows and even zoos, rather than attempting to fill the most pressing gaps in knowledge. The studies are published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
The result is a scientific blind spot that extends across most living things, with bird and mammal species dominating research despite making up a tiny fraction of overall biodiversity. "'Finding Nemo' may have inspired many people to become marine biologists," says lead author Dr. Pietro Pollo, from UNSW Science.
"In nature documentaries, the focus is usually on polar bears, lions, elephants and other mammals, and that is where most research interest and funding ends up." Less popular animals like insects, spiders, slugs and worms receive far less attention, leaving big gaps in our understanding of nature. The researchers say this blind spot manifests in unpredictable ways because it's impossible to predict the long-term outcomes of basic research. "We don't know what we don't know," says Pollo.
Research into lizard saliva helped lead to drugs such as Ozempic, while fluorescent proteins discovered in jellyfish transformed the study of individual cells, highlighting the importance of studying a broad range of things. "The next major discovery could be in an organism we currently ignore because we don't find it cute or exciting." The researchers analyzed more than 1 million ecology and evolution papers and found that vertebrates appeared in more than half of papers involving animals, despite making up just 4.7% of described animal species. Further, studies of vertebrates attract more citations and media attention than studies of invertebrates published in the same journals.
The researchers say science should broaden training, outreach and research opportunities to include a more representative sample of life on Earth. "We have millions of species and limited time and funding, so we need to diversify our research as much as we can." Pietro Pollo et al., Drivers of Taxonomic Bias in Ecology and Evolution: Insights From Ethologists and Behavioural Ecologists, Ecology and Evolution (2026). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.74460 Pietro Pollo et al., Taxonomic Bias Persists in Ecology and Evolution Research Despite Decades of Concern, Ecology and Evolution (2026).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.74450 Journal information: Ecology and Evolution Provided by University of New South Wales BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile → Master's in physics with research experience.
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