article_snippet: Researchers studying nature have turned to a new frontier Researchers studying nature say could be more diverse than anmost anywhere else - homes.
article_snippet: Researchers studying nature say indoor spaces could be the fastest growing biome, a word used to describe the different realms of life on Earth.
article_snippet: A review paper published March 19 in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution serves as a call for research in the emerging field of indoor biome ecology and evolution.
article_snippet: A review paper published March 19 in the journal came out of a 2013 workshop that included the evolutionary biology of the built environment, which included evolutionary, microbial and plant biologists, entomologists, architects, scientists who study better building design, and others. '
article_snippet: But given the number of species found indoors, the number of species is likely there's a lot more going on that we don't know about.'
article_snippet: I've been noticing more species inside my house since I went to this working group,' Laura Martin said, referring to the 2013 workshop.
article_snippet: The radical diversity in abiotic environments, such as in water heaters, freezers and on kitchen counters, is vast and could parallel microclimates found on forest floors,' said Laura Martin.
article_snippet: The paper notes that the first human houses date back 20,000 years and that today's indoor environments most closely resemble caves.
article_snippet: The emerging field also holds potential for studying rapid evolution, as the development of human-built environments has been recent.
article_snippet: Researchers called for more research into pests, saying the home was an untapped resource.
article_snippet: Researchers say Researchers have many questions regarding the indoor evolution -  such as whether species found indoors were pre-adapted to indoor environments or whether Researchers have adapted to Researchers; and how the indoors might drive the evolution of new species.
article_snippet: Researchers also hope to compare species in Alaska, for example, with species in Texas; whether outdoor environments determine what happens indoors; which indoor species are healthful to have; and how home design can contribute to health and indoor species compositions. '
article_snippet: We are interested in reframing the dialogue away from what gross or dangerous pests live in houses to what biodiversity exists in houses,' Martin said.
highlights_snippet: Researchers say homes are a hotbed of undiscovered species .
  