New 'Book of Life' »

Posted By Spadecaller 1 year, 8 months ago in Science & Technology
Prop it 75 Drop it

The first 30,000 pages have been unveiled of a vast encyclopedia which aims to catalogue every one of our planet's 1.8 million species. The online resource is designed to enhance our understanding of the world's diminishing biodiversity. The sprawling database could help scientists assess the impact of climate change on animals and plants.

Read Full Story at news.bbc.co.uk »

213 Views Share Story 9 Comments Report

Submitted By:
Spadecaller

Welcome to my profile. About me: I'm an artist of several kinds; from bull to painting. I don't spare too many words. Most ...

Other Related Articles:

Why not submit a story?

RSS Join the Discussion

+ Add Comment
Comments So Far: 17 (view all)
- Display
  • Neutral
    Spadecaller1 year, 8 months ago

    This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

    The new online resource "may also help foster strategies for slowing the spread of invasive species and allow the spread of disease to be tracked."

    Are human beings listed among the invasive species?

    (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
    Reply

    1 Reply

    loading loading ...
    • Neutral
      gamahuche1 year, 8 months ago

      This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

      Marvellous post SC!

      I love these projects which preserve information.

      Sometimes we may have no idea what will be important to know in 50 or 100 years time but it will be there!

      (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
      Reply
      loading loading ...
      • Neutral
        Jaydee401 year, 8 months ago

        This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

        Sound like it's all information that was published before but now all available under one roof so to speek. Should be a fantastic tool for students world wide.

        (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
        Reply
        loading loading ...
        • Neutral
          Spadecaller1 year, 8 months ago

          This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

          Just looking at the disappearing species and the time line for their extinction or endangerment would shed light on much of the politicization that has been waged against science and is seriously damaging our ability to conserve and protect the earth's resources.

          (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
          Reply

          5 Replies

          loading loading ...
        • Neutral
          dexlovex21 year, 8 months ago

          This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

          After completion in 2017 there will always be more species to add to the encyclopedia, for we are finding new ones all the time.

          (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
          Reply
          loading loading ...
          • Neutral
            Spadecaller1 year, 8 months ago

            This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

            "New" species or "newly discovered" species?

            If it's the former, we are getting into Darwin's natural selection through positive mutation ... the basis of evolutionary differentiation.

            (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
            Reply
            loading loading ...
            • Neutral
              aceofspades11 year, 8 months ago

              This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

              1.8 mil entries? if I read one every 10 seconds during a 40 hour week, it will take me 2 1/2 years to read the whole thing -- don't bother me from Jan 2017 until June 2019.

              (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
              Reply
              loading loading ...
              • Neutral
                canadianrancher571 year, 8 months ago

                This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

                I like the idea but I think it would also be a good idea to collect The DNA of all species as well. I think they are doing this with some endangered species of plants. I wonder if we had the DNA of different species would we be able to clone then at a later time. The reason I brought this point up is because a little kid told me the other day that giraffes no longer excist because he had been to the zoo and not seen one.

                (comment_max_expanded_depth : 2) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 3)
                Reply

                1 Reply

                loading loading ...
              View All 17 Comments

              Add a Comment

              Sign In With Your Propeller Account

              Forgot your password?

              Please keep your comments relevant to this story.

              To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

              More News

              Download Squad

              You spend more time on MSN Messenger than ANYTHING else

              Mozilla Jetpack contest winner harnesses GPU power to process data

              Fugly Friday : Aiseikai Hospital has no opthamologist on staff

              Balloons: launch a balloon from your iPhone, see who finds it

              Viewfinder brings powerful Flickr search to your Mac

              Engadget

              Canon EOS 7D gets high marks all around

              Best Buy stocking Nokia's Booklet 3G on November 15th

              Inspiron Zino HD now configurable, available to order on Dell's website

              Zune HD v4.3 firmware out now: fixes playcount bug, adds lots of great things (video)

              Switched On: Developing a sense of rumor

              Science Daily

              Drunken Fruit Flies Help Scientists Find Potential Drug Target For Alcoholism

              1930s Drug Slows Tumor Growth: Gonorrhea Medication Might Help Fight Cancer

              New Computer Simulator Helps Design Military Strategies Based On Ants' Movements

              New Way To Attack Inflammation In Graves' Eye Disease

              Magnetic Nanoparticles To Simultaneously Diagnose, Monitor And Treat

              More Stories »
              More Stories »
              More Stories »

              Slashdot

              Comic Books Improve Early Childhood Literacy

              How Google Uses Linux

              Paul Vixie On What DNS Is Not

              Babies Begin Learning Language In the Womb

              Visually Impaired Gamer Sues Sony

              Switched

              How to Truly Browse in Private

              Champion Crowned in Global Socket Showdown

              Senior Citizen Sexting on the Rise

              App Developer Sued for Stealing Customers' iPhone Numbers

              Are Mobile Devices Getting Too Complex?

              TUAW

              Gokivo updates navigation app for iPhone, lowers the price

              Found Photos: Rarely seen Steve Jobs

              Apple patent application details simple "Grab and Go" sync

              Save URLs for later with Quiet Read

              Apple introduces reserve and pick-up

              More Stories »
              More Stories »
              More Stories »

              Submit a Story

              Advertisement

              Story Tags ?

              Hey! If you Sign In, you can add tags to this story!

              Also Dropping This Article

              No one has dropped this story.

              Groups Watching This

              No groups are watching this story. Why not share it with your groups?

              Also Submitted By

              No one else has submitted this story.