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Old Expired Salmon Revealed a Biological Secret Nobody Expected

Futura, le média qui explore le monde • September 18, 2026 • science

Key Points:

Researchers from the University of Washington used old canned salmon, some dating back to the 1970s, to study the evolution of marine parasites and gain insights into ecosystem health over 40 years.
They discovered Anisakidae family marine worms inside the salmon, which serve as indicators of a healthy marine ecosystem due to their complex life cycle involving multiple species.
Analysis of 178 cans covering four Pacific salmon species revealed an increase in parasite numbers over time in chum and pink salmon, suggesting stable or recovering ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay.
This innovative approach highlights the value of food archives as ecological time capsules, offering a unique retrospective tool for biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring.
The study, published in Ecology and Evolution, opens questions about specific parasite species dynamics and underscores the importance of parasites in understanding marine ecological balance.

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