An international research team has used the data collected by Nasa’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) to improve current understandings of rainforest canopies - the place where the majority of the world’s species live.

Launched in 2018, the space laser has provided the first detailed structure of the global rainforests.

"Most of the world's species live in tropical forests and most of those make use of the canopy, and yet, we know so little," said Christopher Doughty, professor at the University of Northern Arizona. "Rainforest structure matters because it controls how animals access resources and escape predators, and these findings will help us understand tropical forest animal's susceptibility to climate change."

Traditionally, rainforest researchers have divided them into three vertical layers, which host different types of flora and fauna. Nonetheless, this was only true of specific locations, with the structure...