ch a resource, but advances in technology for searching, annotating, and visualizing information now permit us, indeed mandate us to build the Encyclopedia of Life."
Over the next 10 years, the Encyclopedia of Life will create Internet pages for all 1.8 million species currently named. It will expedite the classification of the millions of species yet to be discovered and catalogued as well. The pages, housed at www.eol.org, will provide written information and, when available, photographs, video, sound, location maps, and other multimedia information on each species. Built on the scientific integrity of thousands of experts around the globe, the Encyclopedia will be a moderated wiki-style environment, freely available to all users everywhere.
"The Encyclopedia of Life will be a vital tool for scientists, researchers, and educators across the globe, providing easy access to the latest and best information on all known species," said Jonathan F. Fanton, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. "Technology is allowing science to grasp the immense complexity of life on this planet. Sharing what we know, we can protect Earth's biodiversity and better conserve our natural heritage."
"For more than 250 years, scientists have catalogued life, and our traditional catalogues have become unwieldy," said Ralph E. Gomory, President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "The Encyclopedia of Life will provide the citizens of the world a ‘macroscope?of almost unimaginable power to find and create understanding of biodiversity across the globe. It will enable us to map and discover things so numerous or vast they overwhelm our normal vision."
Scientists began creating individual web pages for species in the 1990s. However, Internet technology needed to mature to allow fast and efficient creation of a comprehensive Encyclopedia. While specific Encyclopedia of Life efforts, includ
'"/>
Source:terrycollins@rogers.com
Related biology news :
1. Worlds largest rainforest drying experiment completes first phase
2. A New Era of Hope for the Worlds Most Neglected Diseases
3. Worlds pledge to halve hunger by 2015 looks like empty promise
4. Worlds smallest cancer detection device
5. Worlds largest flower evolved from family of much tinier blooms
6. Enzyme allows B cells to resist death, leading to leukemia
7. Scientists document complex genomic events leading to the birth of new genes
8. Genetic links could unlock clues to leading cause of blindness
9. Why do aneurysms form? New studies suggest leading role for white blood cells
10. Jefferson scientists identify gene defect leading to abnormal skin development and cancer
11. ORNL leading effort to help harness power of Shewanella
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |