This is London's New Mosquito Species

This image is based on a particular type of mosquito found in the London Underground (Tube), and the claim is that they are evolving into a new species. This is partly true and scientifically interesting, but what is the real truth?

The mosquitoes found in the London Underground are different from ordinary mosquitoes. They are usually called Culex pipiens molestus. How are these mosquitoes different from ordinary mosquitoes?

They live underground (in a dark, warm, and closed environment) - they do not hibernate in winter - they bite more humans than ordinary mosquitoes, and they cannot interbreed with ordinary mosquitoes - their behavior, genetics, and life cycle have changed - are they really a new species?

Scientists say that they are not yet a completely new species, but they are at a clear stage of evolution, meaning that they could become a completely separate species in the next hundreds of years.

What does this teach us?

This example proves that: evolution is not a fantasy, but an ongoing process - organisms change themselves as the environment changes, even in man-made environments (such as underground trains).