{"id":71573,"date":"2026-03-22T13:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T13:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-inaturalist-app-users-have-fun-while-aiding-science\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T13:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T13:31:10","slug":"how-inaturalist-app-users-have-fun-while-aiding-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-inaturalist-app-users-have-fun-while-aiding-science\/","title":{"rendered":"How iNaturalist app users have fun while aiding science"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help identify them, millions of people are using a free phone app. &#8220;Currently we have about six million people using the platform every month,&#8221; said Scott Loarie, the executive director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaturalist.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">iNaturalist<\/a>, a nonprofit.<\/p>\n<p>Has anyone made a cool discovery using the app? &#8220;It happens all the time,&#8221; Loarie said. &#8220;Almost every month we get a new species described. <\/p>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-left embed--size-small\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/8f2f70a7-c117-4033-93fa-3a35f5335b71\/thumbnail\/620x465\/d98e4d9710ee4b650cd03b283e211874\/inaturalist-app-1280.jpg#\" alt=\"inaturalist-app-1280.jpg \" height=\"465\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/8f2f70a7-c117-4033-93fa-3a35f5335b71\/thumbnail\/620x465\/d98e4d9710ee4b650cd03b283e211874\/inaturalist-app-1280.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/8f2f70a7-c117-4033-93fa-3a35f5335b71\/thumbnail\/1240x930\/65521c5eb66ae6242fdfdcf9a8ad7723\/inaturalist-app-1280.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Using the iNaturalist app.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                CBS News<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One of his favorites stories involved someone in the Andes whose cabin was invaded by a weasel: &#8220;He grabs his camera. The first-ever photographs of these species, and they happen to be sitting on a toilet in this cabin. I&#8217;m very proud to say that #ToiletWeasel was trending on Twitter after that!&#8221;<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But it turns out that this app has a stealth function: It can share your photos with scientists. &#8220;It&#8217;s not just a photo. It has a date, it has a location,&#8221; said Loarie. &#8220;It turns out that most data for most species on the planet now is coming from this little app.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So far, iNaturalist fans have made 300 million sightings in all 197 countries, providing data on hundreds of thousands of species a year. They let scientists see what&#8217;s happening to life on Earth. <\/p>\n<p>The data can track the movements of invasive species over time, like the lanternfly, which came from China and is now taking over the U.S. East Coast. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-large\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/a1391bed-d87b-4747-b9a8-ffa64f7e2b60\/thumbnail\/620x287\/854925a9366950dc7789a7039fb9b32a\/spotted-lanternfly-migration.jpg#\" alt=\"spotted-lanternfly-migration.jpg \" height=\"287\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/a1391bed-d87b-4747-b9a8-ffa64f7e2b60\/thumbnail\/620x287\/854925a9366950dc7789a7039fb9b32a\/spotted-lanternfly-migration.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/a1391bed-d87b-4747-b9a8-ffa64f7e2b60\/thumbnail\/1240x574\/5daf7fffc247ee2bc9040afc96819d73\/spotted-lanternfly-migration.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Data from iNaturalist users helps track the migration of invasive species, like the spotted lanternfly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                CBS News<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But it&#8217;s not just about species moving. It&#8217;s also about species <em>disappearing<\/em>. &#8220;The best predictions now are that we&#8217;re going to lose about one in three by the end of the century,&#8221; Loarie said.<\/p>\n<p>But should we care about obscure species that we&#8217;ve never heard about in the first place?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;An analogy I like is that the Earth is this plane, that we&#8217;re in mid-flight,&#8221; Loarie replied. &#8220;Every time a species goes extinct, that&#8217;s like us popping a rivet off. So, at some point the whole wing is gonna fall off. But we don&#8217;t exactly know which rivet, which species extinction is gonna drive that. So, the first thing we need to do is stop popping rivets off.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This app is especially fun to use with other people.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-large\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/b98f674f-e6d9-4e2a-b1b0-b58e02be1ea7\/thumbnail\/620x349\/cb72ca89e3fc055fd577df758c833ed6\/bioblitz.jpg#\" alt=\"bioblitz.jpg \" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/b98f674f-e6d9-4e2a-b1b0-b58e02be1ea7\/thumbnail\/620x349\/cb72ca89e3fc055fd577df758c833ed6\/bioblitz.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/b98f674f-e6d9-4e2a-b1b0-b58e02be1ea7\/thumbnail\/1240x698\/f2d6250145c756fdee866663521335a4\/bioblitz.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Photos and data collected by app users all over the world are aiding scientists studying the health of species. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                CBS News<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We attended a &#8220;BioBlitz,&#8221; a friendly timed competition, where teams set out to see who could find the most species in the span of one hour. This one was being hosted by someone who knows a lot about nature: Martha Stewart, at her home in Bedford, New York.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-large\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/b17a9464-4545-4bf5-a986-2a45eaded971\/thumbnail\/620x210\/23ec58cba8397f1357b12b886e563ac9\/martha-stewart-using-inaturalist-app.jpg#\" alt=\"martha-stewart-using-inaturalist-app.jpg \" height=\"210\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/b17a9464-4545-4bf5-a986-2a45eaded971\/thumbnail\/620x210\/23ec58cba8397f1357b12b886e563ac9\/martha-stewart-using-inaturalist-app.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/b17a9464-4545-4bf5-a986-2a45eaded971\/thumbnail\/1240x420\/722f3084ae08fd5eecbe7df5878c66bf\/martha-stewart-using-inaturalist-app.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Martha Stewart joins a &#8220;BioBlitz,&#8221; to identify species at her New York farm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                CBS News<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In one hour, our little group had identified 458 different species. Loarie reviewed some of the findings with Stewart: &#8220;Beautiful little moth right here. This little assassin bug. Different kinds of snails and butterflies. Each one of these observations will give us a snapshot of all the different plants and animals that are here, and the kind of habitat that you&#8217;ve provided for all these species on your farm.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Loarie, it never gets old. &#8220;People go like, &#8216;Wow, I&#8217;m actually part of the solution. By me taking this photo, I&#8217;m helping science. I&#8217;m helping us protect these species that I share the planet with.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-large\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/76b4c932-6852-4073-9442-e5cb7aa58cf1\/thumbnail\/620x349\/b11884482fbbc6bfe80b677588f2d927\/bioblitz-review-with-martha-stewart.jpg#\" alt=\"bioblitz-review-with-martha-stewart.jpg \" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/76b4c932-6852-4073-9442-e5cb7aa58cf1\/thumbnail\/620x349\/b11884482fbbc6bfe80b677588f2d927\/bioblitz-review-with-martha-stewart.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/03\/21\/76b4c932-6852-4073-9442-e5cb7aa58cf1\/thumbnail\/1240x698\/0b8bc00ca3c2376d9b03bcbac643ef51\/bioblitz-review-with-martha-stewart.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Scott Loarie of iNaturalist reviews some of the 458 different species found on Martha Stewart&#8217;s farm. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                CBS News<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Martha Stewart would agree \u2013 though maybe she didn&#8217;t need the app, because she knew every bug and leaf. &#8220;But that&#8217;s because I&#8217;ve lived here now for more than 20 years,&#8221; she laughed. &#8220;And yet, the app really teaches me the botanical names, the biological names of the bugs and the butterflies. I learn something new every day!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<br \/>For more info:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<br \/>Story produced by Robbyn McFadden. Editor: Chad Cardin. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  \">\n        <\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><br \/>\n    <\/section>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/how-inaturalist-app-users-have-fun-while-aiding-science\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How iNaturalist app users have fun while aiding science - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The iNaturalist cellphone app not only helps users identify plant, animal and insect species; it also provides invaluable data to scientists studying biodiversity, species decline, and habitat loss.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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