Someone Posted an Instagram Selfie. Scientists Spotted a Giant New Species in the Background

In research out this week, scientists describe having found a new species of giant waterlily that was initially spotted in an Instagram post. That post eventually set the researchers out on a journey through Columbia, where they were able to confirm the plant’s existence at the last possible second. Unfortunately, though, the waterlily may already be critically endangered.

“We live in a wonderful world where there are many extraordinary forms of life, all of them unique and many which are…