In his famous study conducted at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and published in 1982, Terry Erwin estimated the existence of 30 million arthropod species on Earth—a factor of twenty greater than the working estimate at the time. His article on the subject is criminally short.
As of last year, scientists know of over 1.2 million eukaryotic species out of a predicted 8.7 million ± 1.3 million. Yes, these figures are the inspiration for the title of this blog, although I expect that fewer than half of my posts will have anything to do with biology. I hope to write in this blog of the wonder I find in many places, including but not limited to the talents and humor of others, the beauty of text, and the magic of stories.
For three weeks now, I have been studying with a semester abroad program at the aforementioned STRI. Panama is amazing, and I am far too lucky to be here. This will be a blog of my infatuation with Panama; I will either fall more deeply in love with this place or one day move on.
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