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Nature 456, 43-44 (6 November 2008) | doi:10.1038/456043a; Published online 5 November 2008

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Population biology: Case of the absent lemmings

Tim Coulson1 & Aurelio Malo1

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Changing weather patterns, producing the wrong kind of snow, have transformed the population dynamics of lemmings in northern Scandinavia. The knock-on effects have been felt throughout the ecosystem.

A colleague from Oslo once told me that when the Bible was translated into Norwegian, mention of plagues of locusts was replaced with plagues of lemmings. The logic behind this change was that most Norwegians knew nothing of locusts, but were all too familiar with periodic explosions in lemming numbers.

  1. Tim Coulson and Aurelio Malo are in the Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK.
    Email: t.coulson@imperial.ac.uk

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